Yes, it’s only the middle of the week. And, yes, I am already looking forward to the weekend, and you should be, too! On this week’s Neighborhood Jams I am remembering the well-known band Sum 41 who will be stopping by San Diego Saturday, November 5th.  It should be a great show, and it is the perfect antidote for our long work/school weeks upon us.  You can never go wrong with some alternative punk rock in my opinion.

Sum 41 was formed in the late nineties – 1996 – up in Ontario, Canada.  They had first decided on the name Kaspir but then changed the name to Sum 41 because they played a Supernova show on the 41st day of summer that ultimately changed their lives.  The band currently consists of: lead vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist Deryck “Bizzy D” Whibley, guitarist/backup vocalist Dave “Brownsound” Baksh, guitarist/keyboardist/backup vocalist Tom “Brown Tom” Thacker, bassist/backing vocalist Jason “Cone” McCaslin and drummer Frank Zummo. Before we get any deeper in this article, why does Frank not have a wacky nickname? Is it because his last name is the perfect kind of name to yell from the audience during his drumming solo? …just a thought.

The band has always had a passion for touring since 1996.  They have been known to perform about 300 shows a year! There has been multiple world tours, most of which lasting well over a year.  They have also been nominated for many, many awards including a Grammy for Best Hard Rock.

Even though band members have left and rejoined, the band is still continuing to make music.  Just two weeks ago, October 7th, the band released their latest and highly anticipated album 13 Voices which can be heard on their current tour “Don’t Call it a Sumback Tour.” I hope to hear some oldies but goodies tracks at the show including my personal favorite “Fatlip” which is also one of their first singles when they hit it big back in 2002.

This song takes me right back to middle school and trying to be a punk and a rebel – I didn’t do a very good job, but I did have a great soundtrack to my life.  You can buy tickets for Saturday, November 5th’s show here, and you better hurry – THEY ARE ALMOST SOLD OUT! The show will be at the House of Blues downtown – can’t wait to see you there!

Photo Credit: Hopeless Records