- Dryden Mitchell
Dryden Vera Mitchell (born
June 15 1976 inRedondo Beach, California ) is the lead singer of thealternative rock bandAlien Ant Farm .Alien Ant Farm
The
alternative rock foursome Alien Ant Farm formed in 1996 with singer/songwriter Dryden Mitchell, guitarist Terry Corso, bassist Tye Zamora, and drummer Mike Cosgrove. All were bored with their day jobs and sought something else to break them from corporate norms. Music allowed them to freely express themselves and a friendship was born. They independently released their quirky debut, Greatest Hits, toward the end of the '90s and soon enough noise surrounded the band. It won the award for Best Independent Album at the 1999 L.A. Music Awards and Alien Ant Farm found themselves striking a deal with Papa Roach's New Noize, which is partners with DreamWorks.Two years later they made their major-label introduction with
ANThology , issued in March 2001. Their debut single "Movies" was re-released after the success of their second single "Smooth Criminal", a funky metal mix ofMichael Jackson 's original song and pop kids of the TRL generation loved it. The song hit number one on the modern rock charts, and the album eventually went platinum. A year later and in between tours of Europe, the band was back in the studio recording new music. The track "Bug Bytes" was featured in theTobey Maguire flickSpider-Man in May 2002. Following the success of ANThology, Alien Ant Farm hit the studio to record their follow-up record.TruANT was issued in May 2003, right as Dreamworks was dissolving as a label. As a result, the album barely made a splash on the U.S. charts, though the single "These Days" managed to crack the Top 30. Guitarist Corso subsequently exited the group and was replaced by Joe Hill, formerly ofSpiderworks . Zamora next left for college after recording of the band's fourth effort wrapped. Up in the Attic appeared in July 2006 on New Door Records, as hardcore vet Alex Barreto (Chain of Strength, Inside Out) entered on bass. Alien Ant Farm simultaneously released the DVD BUSted, which included music videos, live footage and a candid documentary.The Accident
- In May 2002, while traveling in Spain to a gig in Portugal the band's bus collided with a truck, killing their driver. Band and crew members suffered various injuries as well, most notably Mitchell, who fractured the C2 vertebra in his neck (the same injury that paralyzed actor
Christopher Reeve ). Incredibly, he came out of surgery able to walk, suffering only nerve damage and a slight loss of motion.Alien Ant Farm
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