PUDDLE OF MUDD : 2002

PUDDLE OF MUDD SLIDES THROUGH 2002

PUDDLE MAKES A BIG SPLASH

Enter Wesley Reid Scantlin – lead vocals and guitarist, Paul James Phillips – guitarist, Douglas John Ardito – vocals and bassist, and Greg David Upchurch – drummer. This Los Angeles, California based band has set the record industry on fire. A resurgence of gutsy rock and roll, that does not guild the lily with its hard punching lyrics, great guitar sounds, bass that puts the thump in your soul, and drums so powerful that your heartbeat is in the same rhythm. Classic rock and roll makes a come back - refreshing music that requires no flash, no gimmicks, and no theatrics. Four musicians with such pure raw talent, the music stands on it's own merit. Each member contributing a different musical style from all over the United States into one dynamic package.

THE ALBUM – COME CLEAN

Puddle of Mudd stormed out of the gate and hit the dirt running full speed ever since the release of their album Come Clean on August 28, 2001. Come Clean is an ironic choice for an album title, given that this band keeps the press jumping creating new "muddisms" that accompany their album reviews. Puddle of Mudd set a new record for the highest debut album for a new rock artist by debuting at #10 with first week sales of 116,097 units. Come Clean was certified Gold October 23, 2001, Platinum December 17, 2001, and Double Platinum on April 29, 2002¹. It has reached triple status but certification has not been posted to date. Gold status has been achieved for sales in New Zealand, Singapore, and Switzerland². On the International level, it has been certified Platinum in the UK, Canada and Ireland². On November 19, 2002, Come Clean was re-released with a bonus DVD. Included on the DVD are live performances of Nobody Told Me, Out of My Head, Control, Drift and Die, She Hates Me video, and candid backstage footage. As of January 4, 2003, Come Clean is on the Billboard 200 Album Chart at #40 for week ending January 11, 2003. This album has had a phenomenal run and has been on the chart for an astounding 70 weeks to date.

US Sales Per Soundscan 3,177,393

Int'l Sales: 964,700

TOTAL SALES 4,142,093

¹US: Gold–500,000 units, Platinum–1,000,000 units, Double Platinum–2,000,000 units. ²International Gold and Platinum ratings use different number values than the US.

THE MEDIA

In 2001, Wesley Scantlin and Fred Durst were on MTV's TRL Show live with the debut for the video Control, the first single from the new album. Puddle of Mudd had plenty of media exposure in 2002. They had several appearances on MTV including TRL with Carson Daly. Puddle of Mudd was the first live band to perform on Carson Daly's syndicated show The Last Call. They appeared on MadTV, MTV's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, HBO's Reverb, Conan O'Brien, MTV Sports and Music Festival 5, and Much Music Awards just to name a few. There were many UK live performances such as Top of the Pops, MTV2, and Re-Covered. They appeared in many magazines such as Rolling Stone, Alternative Press, Kerrang!, Hit Parader, Metal Edge, Total Guitar as well as countless others. There were many interviews over the course of the year and many are featured on the Internet by sites such as Launch, Much Music, MTV, VH1, BBC, Dotmusic, Rockdirt, Ekmag, and Inverse-music. Local newspapers from the members' hometowns also covered their rise to fame.

THE TOUR

Their 2002 tour season kicked off on January 30, 2002 in Nottingham, United Kingdom. They continued on a full sweep of the UK and also had show stops in the Netherlands, France, Sweden, Denmark and ending in Hamburg, Germany February 26.

Then it was back to the United States for a massive push to promote their debut album. All sizes of venues were played, from Madison Square Garden in New York City to the intimate setting of the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach, SC. They headlined on some dates with supporting acts like Trust Co., Thirty Seconds To Mars, and Revolution Smile. Later tour dates had them paired with Deadsy as supports for the headlining Korn tour, The Tour With No Name 2002. That leg of their tour ended in Phoenix, Arizona on August 1, 2002.

Puddle of Mudd also did a surprise set of free shows for their fans. They participated in the Nissan Z-Tour doing two outdoor shows. They performed on Wednesday, October 16, 2002 in Houston, Texas to a packed crowd in a downtown area parking lot. Another performance was given in Phoenix, Arizona on October 18 near the Hard Rock Café. Once again, it was a packed audience. Concertgoers were treated to amazing performances with the up close and personal fan appreciation shows.

The closing of tour season found them once again in the United Kingdom and Europe. Some venues included the historic festivals, Leeds and Reading. Sold-out gigs followed where they headlined or other venues as supporting artists for Korn. Korn fans were not too kind on many occasions. Puddle of Mudd persevered and continued to give great performances. Whether singing on the side of a frozen mountain at Winterjam, Wesley Scantlin's memorable appearance with Jimmy Page and Fred Durst at the MTV European Music Awards (2001), the London Astoria, or One Big Sunday at Leicester, Puddle of Mudd showed the rest of the world that the Mudd had arrived.

THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Puddle of Mudd's first award win was a Kerrang! Award given on August 27, 2002 for Single of the Year – Blurry, in London, England. Kerrang! is a weekly-published music magazine based in the United Kingdom.

On December 9, 2002 at the Billboard Music Awards, Puddle of Mudd received overwhelming recognition of achievement by winning four top honors by this prestigious ratings agency. Puddle of Mudd swept all four rock categories: Rock Group of the Year, Rock Single of the Year – Blurry, Modern Rock Group of the Year, and Modern Rock Single of the Year – Blurry. They were also nominated in the Group/Duo of the Year category. The award was presented by Grand Master P and Lil' Romeo, with special guest presenter Fred Durst, Flawless Records Label Executive. The last time these categories were swept away was in 1992 by rock legends U2. Celebrations after the ceremony included a congratulatory party hosted by Fred Durst at The Ghostbar in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Billboard has also released their end of the year stats for 2002. Puddle of Mudd placed consistently in their record books.

MODERN ROCK TRACKS – #1 – Blurry

MAINSTREAM ROCK TRACKS - #1 – Blurry, #7 Drift and Die

BILLBOARD HOT 100 - #10 – Blurry, (only top 50 in the Internet)

BILLBOARD 200 (Album chart) - #24 – Come Clean

HIGHEST ALBUM DEBUT BY A NEW ROCK ARTIST (to date) - #10 Come Clean (peaked #9)

Radio and Records, the industry standard that monitors radio airplay, also recognized that Puddle of Mudd had arrived on the music scene. Their Year End Review posted Puddle of Mudd as the only band to have four placements in the rock categories.

2002 ROCK CHART - #1 Blurry, #9 Drift and Die, #13 Control, #26 She Hates Me.

2002 ACTIVE ROCK - #4 Blurry, #6 Drift and Die, #24 Control, #34 She Hates Me.

2002 ALTERNATIVE - #1 Blurry, #19 Drift and Die, #31 She Hates Me, #34 Control.

2002 HOT ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART - #13 Blurry.

OTHER MILESTONES:

MTV2 Countdown 2002 Top 40 Videos - #15 Blurry. In 2002 held the #1

          position for 5 weeks.
MTV2 Rock Countdown 2002 Videos - #2 Blurry.

VH1 Countdown 2002 Videos - #15 Blurry, with 18 weeks spent on the

          countdown.

Doobie Award Winner – 2002 Best Rock Album - New Band.

www.world-of-rock2002.com - World of Rock – Artist of the Month October.

www.989therock.com - Come Clean rated #1 Album 2002.

www.radio104.com - Year End 2002 - #4 Blurry, #11 She Hates Me, #25

          Drift & Die.

www.fnxradio.com - Year End 2002 - #3 Blurry, #15 Drift and Die, #27 She

          Hates Me.

www.thebuzz.com - Year End 2002 - #7 Control, #15 Blurry, #22 Drift and

          Die, #36 She Hates Me.

www.krockradio.com - Year End 2002 - #1 Blurry, #17 Control, #39 She

          Hates Me, #51 Drift and Die

Nominated Much Music Video Award - 2002 Best International Video –

          Blurry.

Nominated for American Music Association Award, 2002 Favorite New Artist

Nominated for Top of the Pops Award UK –2002 Top Rock Act.

Nominated for MTV Video Music Award – 2002 Best New Artist.

Nominated for MTV European Music Award – 2002 Best Hard Rock

          Category.

Nominated for California Music Award – 2002 Outstanding Debut Album.

Guitar One – Awarded Best Guitar Riff 2002 – Blurry – Scantlin/Phillips



Many other major radio markets placed Puddle of Mudd high in their Year End Countdowns. Puddle Of Mudd is currently receiving massive nationwide radio coverage and is capturing new fans every day.

On July 24, 2002 Greg Upchurch was honored by the City of Oklahoma. At a ceremony hosted by Mayor Kirk Humphreys, the Golden Key to Oklahoma City was given to Greg Upchurch just before Puddle of Mudd took the stage for their performance at the Ford Center Arena.

"THE PUBLIC HAS SPOKEN," – WESLEY SCANTLIN, DECEMBER 9, 2002, BILLBOARD AWARDS

Their critics? What can one say about critics, everyone has an opinion it does not make them right or wrong. Either you like Puddle of Mudd or you don't. You like what you like. Some compare the vocals and music to the likes of Kurt Cobain and Nirvana, to Layne Staley and Alice in Chains. Musicians are a mix of influences. Some critics gave outstanding concert reviews of Puddle of Mudd, their album, and the singles while the naysayers did not have anything good to say. Billboard Music Awards are one of the few award presentations that are based on sales and airplay, the legitimate gauge of a bands true success. No paid pockets, no fraudulent voting, or favoritism. The fans that buy the tickets, the albums and support the band choose the winners. During their acceptance speech at the Billboard Music Awards, I think Wesley Scantlin said it best "The public has spoken."

2003 - THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT

Puddle of Mudd is currently working on their next album with a planned release in Spring 2003. Much of the material had already been written before rehearsals even started. Gifted songwriters and musicians, they were always brainstorming even while touring last year. Song titles mentioned include Spin You Around, Away From Me, Cloud Nine, and Never Coming Down. They appear ready to hit the tour scene with the same tenacity, giving it all they have to make a great show for their fans. Puddle of Mudd is one group that truly does love their fans. It is quite a change to see artists who have not forgotten their roots, and appreciate being able to make a living doing what they love to do. I for one, feel very lucky that they choose to share their gift of music with the rest of us, what a waste it would be if they kept it to themselves. I am looking forward to what Puddle of Mudd has to offer us in 2003. Do what you do best Puddle of Mudd, Rock On ~~

Copyright POMuddRockOn 01-01-2003. Thanks to the fans for their contributions to this review.

SOURCES: www.puddleofmudd.com, www.muddfetish.com, www.gregupchurch.com, www.pauljphillips.com, www.dougardito.com, www.billboard.com, www.radioandrecords.com, www.mtv.com, www.vh1.com, www.rockdirt.com, www.rollingstone.com, www.kerrang.com, www.hightimes.com, www.muchmusic.com, http://ema.mtv.co.uk, http://www.bbc.co.uk, http://launch.yahoo.com, www.bbc.co.uk/totp, http://www.nissanusa.com, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/puddleofmuddonline.

Puddle in 2002

Come Clean had peaked at #9 by March 2, 2002 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart. Boosted by their second single Blurry going to radio and its heart-tugging video receiving airplay on the music channels, purchases of the debut disc remained brisk. Platinum status is great, but even better is the double Platinum club to which Puddle became a member of April 29, 2002 when sales for the week of 44,000 pushed it passed that milestone. Next week sales of 42,000 gave it a grand total of 2,081,064 at the close of May 9, 2002.

Two more singles were released in 2002, Drift & Die and She Hates Me, each complete with a music video. Concerts continued with their headlining tour followed by a support spot with heavy rockers Korn in cities in the United States and overseas. While they don’t typically have the same fan base as Korn, it was perceived as a good move by some as it allowed fans that normally wouldn’t see a Mudd concert the opportunity to see what the buzz was all about. It was a difficult tour at times, but the goal was to promote the album and sales made it evident they were gaining more fans.

On November 19, 2002, Come Clean was re-released with a bonus DVD. Included on the DVD were live performances from 2002 in Melkweg, Amsterdam of Nobody Told Me, Out of My Head, and Control. The She Hates Me music video and candid backstage footage are also on the disc. There is a secret clip of Drift & Die on this DVD that can be accessed by the following steps from the Melkweg menu: Scroll to the right to highlight Control, use the arrow up key to bring up the Puddle of Mudd icon and press enter.

At the close of 2002, Come Clean was still on the Billboard 200 Album Chart leaving its mark with a phenomenal run on the chart for an astounding 70 weeks to date. Paying homage to the new rockers, Germany’s Rock Hard magazine posted their top selling albums of 2002. Come Clean was a hit in Germany and Puddle of Mudd were one of the international bands that made the grade and came in at #32. Kansas City’s 98.9 KQRC The Rock named this album as their #1 album of 2002.

The general population, though not a fan per se, could not escape the year without hearing something from Come Clean in their everyday life. Their four hit singles were popping up on television and actively being played in the background for MTV shows, the movie trailer for A Man Apart, as well as in elevators, grocery stores and shopping malls across the country.

On the international level by the end of 2002, Come Clean had been certified Platinum in the United Kingdom, Canada and Ireland. Gold status had been achieved for sales in New Zealand, Singapore, and Switzerland. These prospective countries have differing values for their sales as compared to the RIAA in the United States, however one could see Puddle had many fans abroad. Compilation figures for 2002 Come Clean sales were United States sales per SoundScan 3,177,393, International Sales: 964,700 for an impressive total of 4,142,093 sold.

Sales added up quickly and the RIAA certified the album triple Platinum January 31, 2003. During the first half of the year, they were still riding the wave of success of their debut album. Not ready to relent any momentum it had gained since its release, Come Clean remained on the Billboard 200 Album Chart for an astounding 87 weeks before dropping off in May 2003.

Television 2002

2002 Much Music

Much Music’s George Stroumboulopoulos hosted a brief segment with Wes and Greg in the studio. Hitting on Wes’ good luck to get a demo to Fred Durst, Wes rehashes the call he got from Fred and making his way to Los Angeles.

George poses the question, “Who is Puddle of Mudd” and how do they feel about the association with Fred Durst? Greg reiterates they are just a rock band, they should be judged on their music, there aren’t any underlying favors of how they got to where they are. The grunge comparisons though they do get old, for Greg the ultimate is for those who didn’t believe, “For a shit album it did pretty well,” and he gets the last laugh towards the critics. To compare their music is to a point flattering, but would you say someone looked like Brad Pitt? Music isn’t entirely new, everyone gets something from everyone that came before them. The band appears to have been successful and George gets to hear straight from the source. Greg, who was the first one in the band to spend some hard earned cash, his purchase was a new fridge with icemaker and filtered water. Wes hasn’t spent much, he still doesn’t own a house, a car, no place to live and does the funniest, “a big rich rock star right here, man” impression complete with hand gestures. Wes gives advice to anyone listening that in regards to song writing, you can’t wait for things to happen, you have to get out there, no one is going to come to you, regardless of how talented you are.

2002 CD:UK, UNITED KINGDOM

One of the best taped for television acoustic performances of Blurry was on the show CD:UK. Hostess Cat Deely had a few words with Puddle before the band took to the softly lit stage perched on bar stools to strum out a moving rendition of this song. Concentration was intense by all of the band members, and for a switch Doug did duties on acoustic guitar while Wes took on the acoustic bass.

Since they are all so close together on stage it is easy to compare this exhibition to other performances. Paul’s rhythm is perfect, deliberately on cue, an extraordinary gift he possesses to say the very least. He is usually bouncing all over the stage and television coverage usually doesn’t capture his talent and perfectionism, this program enlightened many viewers.

Doug, who co-wrote the music for Blurry, doesn’t get to highlight his guitar skills too often to the public. The difficulty in the lead guitar parts are evident when one watches this particular performance, yet Doug is dedicated to the piece; one couldn’t help but be mesmerized by his precision. You can hear loud and clear this was the time for his light to shine, an incredible all-around musician.

Greg is a strictly disciplined percussionist and in this case, his handwork on the congas serves as the steady beat that binds the rest together; rock solid he exudes a confidence and sureness where his taps should fall.

Melancholy and passionate, sentimental yet yielding is Wes as he brings forth the lyrics… we all know the words. With eyes closed at times, one has to wonder who he is thinking about as he takes the audience into that space in his head, and soon we leave with a profound sense of walking in his shoes, one of the