May 21, 2012

The state of Utah is known for a number of things both sacred (Mormons), profane (executed killer Gary Gilmore) and a little of both (the Osmond family). But nobody ever thought the face of contemporary punk would be changed by the Used; four young dudes from Orem with a penchant for killer riffs, throat-shearing screaming and, ahem, personal excess. Bert McCracken (vocals), Quinn Allman (guitar), Jeph Howard (bass) and Branden Steineckert (drums) got installed on the punk-rock radar after Steineckert tossed a demo onstage during a Goldfinger show to singer/producer du jour John Feldmann. Significantly knocked out by what he heard, Feldmann shopped the band’s demo around, before finally getting the band installed on the Warner Bros. roster. The Used’s self-titled 2002 debut (produced by Feldmann, essentially the band’s fifth member) slowly gained traction in Warped Tour nation, amassing a cult following transfixed with McCracken’s propensity for screaming (and being able to throw up on command during gigs) and some sublime angst-capturing songs (“The Taste Of Ink,” “A Box Full Of Sharp Objects”).

The band followed up the disc with 2004’s In Love And Death, the title in homage to an ex-girlfriend of McCracken’s who died from a drug overdose while carrying his child. In 2006, the band fired original member Steineckert citing “personality conflicts,” although insiders claim the friendship between the straight-edge drummer and the party-hearty McCracken had reached an impasse. Steineckert went onto replace Brett Reed in Rancid; his replacement, Dan Whitesides (formerly of the New Transit Direction) was officially installed in the lineup after work was completed on the band’s third album, Lies For The Liars. (Drummer Dean Butterworth, whose resume includes stints with Good Charlotte and Morrissey, played on the album.) The 2009 release of the Matt Squire-produced Artwork marked a number of changes in the Used-iverse (including breaks with their longtime management and producer Feldmann), while still maintaining the band’s ardent fanbase. “The biggest thing I’ve learned is that you only have one chance,” McCracken told AP in 2004. “You only have today to live—but you gotta take it and make it the best you can.”