Top 10 Music Acts Where Two or More Bandmates are Friends
This list is the opposite of the list Top 10 Music Acts Where Two or More Bandmates Hated Each Other.Obviously bandmates who hate each other can create some good songs. But it's always better when you like people you work with - songwriting process is more pleasant as well as all activities where bandmates must be together.
It's important for bands with busy touring schedules because when on tour band members spend more time with each other than with their wives/husbands when musicians are not on tour. Tim Charles of Ne Obliviscaris explained this very well. He said, when not on tour we see our wives/girlfriends only in the evening and ask them, "How was your day?" When on tour, I can't even ask my bandmates how was their day because and I know how it was (we were together at rehearsals, interviews, sound check, etc). And then we play together in the evening... Next day we travel together in a tour bus.
Iron Maiden are an English Heavy Metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. The most critically acclaimed period for the band was from 1983-1989. With vocalist Bruce Dickinson, bassist Steve Harris, lead guitarist Dave Murray, rhythm guitarist Adrian Smith, and drummer Nicko McBrain. Smith left the band in 1989 and was replaced by Janick Gers. But returned in 1999, and now the band has three guitar players. ...read more. 1) Guitarists Dave Murray and Adrian Smith - childhood friends who are still together in Iron Maiden. Their guitar lines are very well harmonized.
In 1972 (before Iron Maiden) they formed a rock band, Urchin, that was active from 1972-1980.
2) Drummer Nicko McBrain and guitarist Dave Murray - they enjoy playing golf together.
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band from Boston, Massachusetts. The band was formed in 1985 under the name of "Majesty", only to change its name to Dream Theater later.The members of the band’s original lineup consisted of John Petrucci (Guitar), John Myung (Bass) and Mike Portnoy (Drums). The band had multiple keyboardists and singers, but as of and since 1991, the band's lead vocalist has been James LaBrie.
The band released their debut album "When Day and Dream Unite" in 1989, but only gained success and notoriety after the release of their second album, "Images and Words" in 1992. ...read more.
Three friends - John Petrucci, John Myung and Mike Portnoy - formed the band in 1985 (friends from Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts).
Drummer Mike Portnoy left the band in 2010 but hey, he was in the band for 25 years.
Also, these 3 members of Dream Theater married 3 members from the all-female metal band Meanstreak, who were also friends, and Meanstreak became known as "the Dream Theater wives".
Dream Theater members attended each others weddings, birthdays, kids' birthdays, and so on.
Blind Guardian is a German power metal band formed in the mid-1980s in West Germany. They are often credited as one of the seminal and most influential bands in the power metal and speed metal subgenres. Heavily influenced by Queen, they use the technique of overdubbing. They also incorporate large amounts of orchestral arrangements. Hansi Kürsch creates a huge choir effect by overdubbing his own voice multiple times in complex, overlapping harmonies. Thanks to overdubs and numerous backing vocals Blind Guardian stand out with a very dense sound.
Meshuggah is a Swedish progressive metal band from Umeå, formed in 1987. They are often considered the fathers or founders of the djent metal sub genre due to their use of downtuned guitars. They are also known for their song “Bleed”, which is known for its extremely complicated instrumentation, especially the drumming. They released their most recent album, “The Violent Sleep of Reason” on October 7th, 2016.
Meshuggah's line-up consists of founding members vocalist Jens Kidman and lead guitarist Fredrik Thordendal, drummer Tomas Haake, who joined in 1990, rhythm guitarist Mårten Hagström, who joined in 1992 and bassist Dick Lövgren since 2004.
Foo Fighters are an American alternative rock band, formed in Seattle in 1994. The band was founded by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl after the death of Kurt Cobain and the dissolution of his previous band. The band consists of Dave Grohl (lead vocalist, rhythm guitar, main songwriter), Pat Smear (rhythm guitar), Nate Mendel (bass), Taylor Hawkins (drums, backing vocals), Chris Shiflett (lead guitar, backing vocals) and the most recent addition, Rami Jaffee (keyboards). Former members include William Goldsmith (drummer) and Franz Stahl (guitarist). ...read more. Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins (drummer) are BFF. Hawkins said "I get to be in a band with my best friend".
Children Of Bodom was a melodic death metal band from Espoo, Finland. Formed in 1993, the final lineup consisted of Alexi Laiho, Janne Wirman, Henkka Seppälä, Jaska Raatikainen and Daniel Freyberg. Children of Bodom was founded by 2 childhood friends who are still together - singer/guitarist Alexi Laiho and drummer Jaska Raatikainen.
Edguy is a heavy metal band from Fulda, Germany that was founded in 1992 by 14-year-old students Tobias Sammet, Jens Ludwig, Dominik Storch and Dirk Sauer. Three school friends founded the band in 1992 and they are still in the band - Tobias Sammet, Jens Ludwig and Dirk Sauer.
In 1999, these same guys also formed another band, Avantasia, which is another proof they don't mind spending even more time with each other. Both bands have been active.
Korn is an American nu-metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The band's current lineup includes founding members Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Brian "Head" Welch, and Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, with the addition of Ray Luzier, who replaced the band's original member, David Silveria in 2007. Korn was originally formed by three of the members of the band L.A.P.D. ...read more. Many members were high school friends - James "Munky" Shaffer, Brian "Head" Welch, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu and David Silveria.
Green Day are an American pop punk/punk rock band formed in East Bay, California in 1987. The members include Billie Joe Armstrong (vocals and guitar), Mike Dirnt (bass), Tré Cool (drums) and Jason White (guitar). Green Day are associated with punk rock, pop punk and alternative rock. Some of their influences include The Ramones, Sex Pistols, NOFX, and Bad Religion. They are best known for their songs like ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’, ‘Basket Case’ and their ‘American Idiot’ & ‘Dookie’ albums. American Idiot sold 6 million copies in the U.S. and won a Grammy Award for "Best Rock Album". Green Day have sold over 75 million records worldwide and have won 5 Grammy Awards. They ...read more.
Manowar is an American power metal band from New York City, New York. Formed in 1980, the group is known for lyrics based on fantasy and mythology.
They have been a significant influence in the history of metal, especially in genres such as power metal, symphonic metal, Viking metal, war metal, folk metal, doom metal, and death metal. They are also known for their slogan, "Death to false metal." Eric Adams and Joey DeMaio are childhood friends who are still running the band together
The Beatles were an English pop rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The members consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They were soon known as the foremost and most influential act of rock era. Rooted in skiffle, beat, and 1950s rock and roll, the Beatles later ...read more.
Anvil are a Canadian heavy metal band from Toronto, Ontario, formed in 1978. The band consists of Steve "Lips" Kudlow, Robb Reiner and Chris Robertson. Guitarist/singer Steve "Lips" Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner are high school friends, who began playing music together in 1973 and formed Anvil in 1978. Hey, they are still together in the band and in 2018 released a new album!
Queen are an English rock band formed in London in 1970. The original lineup was Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano), Brian May (guitar, vocals), Roger Taylor (drums, vocals), and John Deacon (bass guitar, vocals). Before forming into Queen, Brian May and Roger Taylor had played together in a band named Smile. Freddie Mercury was a fan of Smile and encouraged them to experiment with more elaborate stage and recording techniques. He then joined the band in 1970, suggested "Queen" as a new band name, and adopted his familiar stage name. John Deacon was also recruited to complete the line-up. ...read more. Freddie's best friend was John Deacon from Queen. Just saying. He liked the other bandmates, too, but John was like his "brother", he always defended him.
Brian, Roger and Freddie were all friends before Queen took off
Deftones are an American alternative metal band from Sacramento, California. The band, which was founded in 1988, consists of Chino Moreno, Stephen Carpenter, Frank Delgado, Abe Cunningham and Sergio Vega. They have released a total of 9 studio albums. Some of their most popular songs are Change (in the House of the Flies), Passenger, Bored, Minerva, Rocket Skates, Back to School (Mini Maggit), Beauty School, Diamond Eyes, Hole in the Earth, Mein, Digital Bath, and etc. Stephen Carpenter, Abe Cunningham and Chino Moreno were all good friends since middle school.
Dat Adam was a German experimental hip hop and electronica group consisting of vocalists Thaddeus “Taddl” Tjarks and Ardian “Ardy” Bora, and producer Marius “Marley” Ley, which was formed in 2014 and disbanded in 2018. ...read more. Taddl and Ardy (and Ardy's girlfriend) live together in an apartment, and the third member, Marley, is also a personal friend and a member of the "Hydra Clique" (DatAdam and their friends).
Three Days Grace is a Canadian post-grunge/alternative rock band formed in Norwood, Ontario in 1992 with a line-up consisting of guitarist and lead vocalist Adam Gontier, drummer and backing vocalist Neil Sanderson, and bassist Brad Walst. Their original name was Groundswell until they changed it to their current name in 1997. In 2003, the band's current guitarist Barry Stock was recruited to the band. In 2013 Gontier left the band due to creative differences. He was replaced with Brad's brother Matt Walst. Not only have they been friends since high school, but Brad and Matt are brothers.
Tokio Hotel are a pop rock band from Magdeburg, Germany, consisting of Bill Kaulitz (singer), Tom Kaulitz (guitar), Gustav Schäfer (drums) and Georg Listing (keyboards, bass) that formed in 2001. ...read more. All four members, the two Kaulitz twins and their two best friends Georg and Gustav, formed the group in school under the name "Devilish".
In 2010, all four moved to the USA and they still are all good friends, and there was not a single line up change.
Linkin Park is an American alternative rock band formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. The current members include Mike Shinoda (vocals, keyboards, rhythm guitar), Brad Delson (guitar), Dave "Phoenix" Farrell (bass), Joe Hahn (DJ), and Rob Bourdon (drums). Linkin Park is associated with a mixture of alternative rock, hip hop, and techno. Some of their influences include Nine Inch Nails, Deftones,... read more Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdonand Brad Delson were high school friends when they started the band. Also Chester Bennington is one of Mike's BFFs.
Led Zeppelin was an English hard rock band formed in London in 1968 as the New Yardbirds. The group consisted of Robert Plant (Vocal), Jimmy Page (Guitar), John Paul Jones (Bass, Keyboard) and John Bonham (Drums) and was very much the child of Jimmy Page who even financed their first tour. He had tasted some previous success with The [original] Yardbirds and was friendly with some big names in rock. Page states it was Keith Moon of The Who that claimed the band could only go down, like a lead balloon -- thus prompting the iconic name of Led Zeppelin. The band's heavy, guitar-driven sound, rooted in blues and psychedelia on their early albums, has earned them recognition as one of the progenitors ...read more. Robert Plant and John Bonham were friends before Led Zeppelin
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles formed in 1985. The classic lineup, as signed to Geffen Records in 1986, consisted of vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan, and drummer Steven Adler. Apart from hard rock they are also associated with heavy metal. ...read more. Izzy Stradlin and Axl Rose were friends 13 years before Guns N' Roses
Maroon 5 is an American pop/pop rock band that originated in Los Angeles, California. Before the current group was established, the original four members, Adam Levine, Jesse Carmichael Mickey Madden and Ryan Dusick, formed a band known as Kara's Flowers in 1994, while they were still in high school.
Bon Jovi is a hard rock/pop rock band formed in 1983, which had a streak of successful albums in the late 1980s. The band originally consisted of lead vocalist Jon Bon Jovi, guitarist Ritchie Sambora (left in 2013), bassist Alec John Such (left in 1994), keyboard David Bryan, and drummer Tico Torres. ...read more.