SUM 41

Sum 41 is a rock band from Ajax, Ontario active since 1996. The current members are Deryck Whibley (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Cone McCaslin (bass guitar, backing vocals), Steve Jocz (drums, backing vocals), and Tom Thacker (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboard). The band has sold over 40 million albums worldwide.

In 1999, the band signed an international record deal with Island Records. Since then, the band has released four studio albums, all of which have been certified platinum in Canada. Their most successful album to date is All Killer No Filler, which is certified 3x platinum in Canada and platinum in the United States. The album was fueled by the single "Fat Lip", which reached the top position on the Billboard Modern Rock chart, making it the band's most successful single. The second single from the album, "In Too Deep", reached number-ten on the Modern Rock chart.

The band often performs more than 300 times each year and holds long global tours, most of which last more than a year. They have been nominated for seven Juno Awards and have won twice (Group of the Year in 2002 and Rock Album of the Year for Chuck in 2005). They also have been nominated for three different Canadian Independent Music Awards: In 2004, they won a Woodie Award for "The Good Woodie (Greatest Social Impact)". They have also been nominated for a Kerrang! Award in 2003 for "Best Live Act".

Music style and influences

Sum 41 in concert at Metropolis in Montreal.
The range of Sum 41's musical influences varies through many different styles. They have obvious roots in punk rock, with bands like The Dead Boys and NOFX. In addition, a firm root in hip hop acts like the Beastie Boys is apparently present. The latter is most effectively observed in the rap rock style of singles like "Fat Lip" and "It's What We're All About". Their studio album, Does This Look Infected?, was heavily influenced by The Offspring. The band also cites The Beatles, Oasis, Iron Maiden, and Metallica as influences; the latter two influenced Sum 41's use of metal.

The genre of Sum 41's music has been disputed by fans because of the complex combination of different musical styles and the more mature, serious, and heavy sound in later albums. Fans and critics agree that Half Hour of Power and All Killer No Filler were purely pop punk, but Does This Look Infected? started moving toward heavier styles, such as alternative rock and alternative metal, with Chuck being mostly alternative metal. Underclass Hero became a revival of the band's old pop punk/punk rock style. The genre argument is centralized around the punk streak of the band, and they have been labeled as pop punk, punk rock, alternative rock, and alternative metal. Some of the band's songs contain political-social commentary; "The Jester" is an "anti-Bush screed", and "Dear Father" is about Deryck's absent father.

Awards

Sum 41 has been nominated for seven Juno Awards; they won twice. In 2001, they were nominated for "Best New Group" at the Juno awards, but lost to Nickelback. They were nominated for "Best Group" in the Juno Awards of 2002 but again lost to Nickelback. Also in 2002, The album All Killer No Filler was nominated for "Best Album; however, it lost to The Look of Love by Diana Krall. In 2003, Sum 41 won a Juno Award for "Group Of The Year". In 2004, they were nominated again, this time with Does This Look Infected? for "Rock Album of the Year", but they lost to Sam Roberts's We Were Born in a Flame. In 2005, the album Chuck won "Rock Album of the Year"; they were also nominated for "Group of The Year", but lost to Billy Talent. In 2008, their album Underclass Hero was nominated for the Juno Award "Rock Album of the Year"; however, the album lost to Finger Eleven's Them vs. You vs. Me. They also have been nominated for three different Canadian Independent Music Awards. In 2004, they won a Woodie Award for "The Good Woodie (Greatest Social Impact)". They were also nominated for a Kerrang! Award in 2003 for "Best Live Act".