Oleander (band)
Encyclopedia
Oleander is a post-grunge
Post-grunge
Post-grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged in the mid-1990s as a derivative of grunge, using the sounds and aesthetic of grunge, but with a more commercially acceptable tone...

 band from Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...

, USA. Its name is derived from the poisonous wildflower oleander
Oleander
Nerium oleander is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the dogbane family Apocynaceae, toxic in all its parts. It is the only species currently classified in the genus Nerium. It is most commonly known as oleander, from its superficial resemblance to the unrelated olive Olea, but has many other...

, which line the highways of Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...

. In their nine years of activity, the band released four studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...

s under various record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...

s. Their most successful effort, 1999's February Son
February Son
February Son is the major label debut album from post-grunge band Oleander. It was released on Universal Records in 1999 and eventually went gold. As such, February Son boasts some of Oleander's most successful singles. It also includes new drummer Scott Devours who was hired to replace the band's...

, includes the hit single "Why I'm Here
Why I'm Here
"Why I'm Here" is a song by American hard rock band Oleander. It was the lead single from their major label debut album, February Son. The track was previously included on Oleander's eponymous EP in 1996 and their independent LP, Shrinking the Blob, in 1997...

." Oleander went on official hiatus after the release and promotion of their fourth album, Joyride
Joyride (Oleander album)
Joyride is the third major label album from post-grunge band Oleander. It was released on March 4, 2003 through Sanctuary Records and mark's the bands first studio album with the label...

, in 2004. As of 2008, the group has reunited and is working on material for a new album.

1995-2004

In 1989, singer and guitarist Thomas Flowers met bassist Doug Eldridge; both of whom were employees of a Sacramento
Sacramento
Sacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta...

 eatery. They played with several local bands together before meeting guitarist Ric Ivanisevich who joined them in a rehearsal. Chuck Combs the original drummer left, leaving the position to Fred Nelson Jr, a co-worker of Flowers' and Eldridge's. The quartet formed Oleander in 1995 and soon released an eponymous EP on the indie label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...

 Fine Records. This would be followed by a full-length album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...

, Shrinking the Blob
Shrinking The Blob
Shrinking the Blob is the first full-length album by American post-grunge band Oleander. It was released independently on Fine Records. Several tracks would be re-released on the band's major label debut, February Son, including the hit single "Why I'm Here." The song "Jimmy Shaker Day" was also...

, in 1997.

The band then gave their CD to a friend who worked at 98-Rock KRXQ
KRXQ
KRXQ is a commercial radio station in Sacramento, California, broadcasting on 98.5 FM. The station airs an active rock music format branded as "98 Rock"...

 who began playing two of their songs on air. The track "Down When I'm Loaded" gradually became a regional hit, and after opening for Sugar Ray
Sugar Ray
Sugar Ray is a band from Orange County, California. The band, starting off more as an alternative metal band, first gained fame in 1997 with their release of the song "Fly". This song's success, coupled with its pop rock sound that was quite different from the rest of their material at the time,...

, Oleander was approached by a representative of Republic Records
Republic Records
Republic Records was a record label and subsidiary of Universal Motown Republic Group. They originally went by the name Cheese Factory Records...

. Soon after, they signed with Universal
Universal Records
Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...

 and began re-recording their 1997 studio album.

During this time, session drummer extraordinaire Jonathan Mover
Jonathan Mover
Jonathan Mover is an American drummer who has worked with a number of artists including Aretha Franklin, Fuel, Alice Cooper, Shakira, Julian Lennon, GTR, Everlast, The Tubes, Mick Jagger, Steve Howe, Peter Frampton, Oleander, Celine Dion, Elton John, Stuart Hamm, They Might Be Giants, Frank...

 was recruited in the studio to record a new album and play live for the first leg of that tour. Nelson later joined the tour but subsequently left the band and was replaced with Scott Devours
Scott Devours
Scott Devours is an American drummer and songwriter based in Long Beach, California. Devours has played drums for the post-grunge bands Oleander and IMA Robot, worked on over thirty albums and toured with a number of well-known artists....

. In 1999, Oleander released their major label debut titled February Son
February Son
February Son is the major label debut album from post-grunge band Oleander. It was released on Universal Records in 1999 and eventually went gold. As such, February Son boasts some of Oleander's most successful singles. It also includes new drummer Scott Devours who was hired to replace the band's...

. The album featured the hit singles "Why I'm Here
Why I'm Here
"Why I'm Here" is a song by American hard rock band Oleander. It was the lead single from their major label debut album, February Son. The track was previously included on Oleander's eponymous EP in 1996 and their independent LP, Shrinking the Blob, in 1997...

" and "I Walk Alone." The former was even featured in the popular TV series Dawson's Creek
Dawson's Creek
Dawson's Creek is an American teen drama television series which debuted on January 20, 1998, on The WB Television Network and was produced by Sony Pictures Television. The show is set in the fictional seaside town of Capeside, Massachusetts, and in Boston, Massachusetts, during the later seasons...

. In promotion of the album, Oleander also participated in Woodstock '99 and their music was featured in American Pie
American Pie (film)
American Pie is a 1999 teen comedy film written by Adam Herz. American Pie was the directorial film debut of brothers Paul and Chris Weitz, and the first film in the American Pie film series...

and Scary Movie
Scary Movie
Scary Movie is a 2000 comedy-parody film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans, as part of Warner Bros. Entertainment. It is an American dark comedy which heavily parodies the horror, slasher, and mystery genres...

. The American Forces Radio Network
American Forces Network
The American Forces Network is the brand name used by the United States Armed Forces American Forces Radio and Television Service for its entertainment and command internal information networks worldwide...

 in Asia and Europe also quickly jumped on February Son, which led to a quick following overseas.

Oleander recorded a cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...

 of "Hello, I Love You
Hello, I Love You
"Hello, I Love You" is a song by The Doors from their 1968 album Waiting for the Sun. It was released as a single that same year, reaching number one in the United States and selling over a million copies in the U.S. alone. In Canada, it hit number one as well...

" for Stoned Immaculate: The Music of The Doors
Stoned Immaculate: The Music of the Doors
Stoned Immaculate: The Music of The Doors is a tribute album dedicated to The Doors. Producer Ralph Sall gathered an assortment of new, classic and iconic artists for the record. Unusually, the surviving members of The Doors played on this "tribute" record. In addition, recordings of Jim Morrison...

, a long-awaited tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...

 released in November 2000.

The band released their second official album, Unwind
Unwind
Unwind is the second major label album from post-grunge band Oleander. The band's second album released on Universal Records, Unwind sold approximately 250,000 copies. The album is noted for displaying both a wider range and softer music than its predecessor...

, in 2001. Their major label sophomore effort included the hit song "Are You There?". "Champion" became a theme about the sacrifice of firefighters during the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...

 in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

. The profits made off its single would be donated to aid the victims. During this time, the song "Bruised" was featured exclusively in American Pie 2
American Pie 2
American Pie 2 is a 2001 comedy film and sequel to American Pie and is the second film in the American Pie film series. It was written by Adam Herz and David H. Steinberg, and directed by J. B. Rogers. The film picks up the story of the four friends from the first film as they reunite during the...

. Oleander's music was also featured in the 2002 blockbuster Spider-Man
Spider-Man (film)
Spider-Man is a 2002 American superhero film, the first in the Spider-Man film series based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. It was directed by Sam Raimi and written by David Koepp...

. Unwind found considerable success but could not match the popularity of the band's previous album. It also gained both criticism and praise for its more varied musical style.

In 2002, Oleander parted ways with Universal and moved to Sanctuary
Sanctuary Records
Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest independent music management company in the world...

. Their song "Runaway Train" was featured in the Showtime film Bang Bang You're Dead in November that year. A music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

 was then shot and incorporated footage from the movie, which led to the Runaway Train EP. By March 2003, Oleander released their third major label album, Joyride
Joyride (Oleander album)
Joyride is the third major label album from post-grunge band Oleander. It was released on March 4, 2003 through Sanctuary Records and mark's the bands first studio album with the label...

. Considered a return to the straight forward, hard rock approach, the album featured the marginally popular single "Hands Off the Wheel." Oleander traveled to Vicenza, Italy in March and headlined a special welcome home concert for the 173rd Airborne Brigade.

In November, 2003, drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...

 Devours issued a statement announcing he was leaving Oleander to join the band Ima Robot
Ima Robot
-Band history:Ima Robot formed in the late 1990s, after vocalist Alex Ebert's band The Lucky 13's broke up, and became successful in the early 2000s after signing with Virgin Records. The band's other original members were Timmy "the Terror" Anderson, Oligee, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, and the prolific...

. The decision was amicable and, in 2004, the band went into an unofficial hiatus. During that time, vocalist Thomas Flowers started collaborating with the band Black Summer Crush. He later told AlternativeAddiction.com, "We toured relentlessly, we had done anything that was ever asked of us and more by the record labels, and the payoff was diminishing. So we made a conscious decision to get back to normal life."

2008-present

On May 21, 2008, an official Oleander Myspace
Myspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....

 was created. On August 6 that year, it was reported that Black Summer Crush had parted ways with vocalist Thomas Flowers, immediately stirring rumor that Flowers might reunite with his former Oleander bandmates. The official Myspace
Myspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....

 page also revealed a band lineup including drummer Steve Brown (who had previously played with the band Jet Red), and links to OleanderForums.net, a small, fan-run site claiming that the group was indeed reunited and working on a new album.

In April 2009, Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...

 and Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...

 accounts were created for Oleander, and new information was brought forth regarding the band's alleged reuniting; on AlternativeAddiction.com, Thomas Flowers revealed that by late 2008, he began writing new songs for Oleander and finally got the group together for rehearsal. "I just picked up a guitar and started thinking about the guys, and the places we’ve been and the people we’ve met, and the music that we left behind. There was just so much left that I wanted to say and that I wanted to write." Regarding the new material's style, he also elaborated that it will "retain all the elements of Oleander’s musical past" but also reflect the band "where [they] are today, both lyrically, melodically, and sonically." Flowers also expressed his desire to finish the record, which was funded entirely by the band, before touring despite various offers.

Oleander took to the stage on August 21, 2010 at The Boardwalk in Orangevale California. Soon after, Flowers announced hopes to release the band's new album by spring 2011 under a major label and with a supporting US tour to follow. Oleander also leaked its first single, "Daylight," to radio stations during this time.

As of March 2011, Richard Mouser, who also produced Shrinking the Blob
Shrinking The Blob
Shrinking the Blob is the first full-length album by American post-grunge band Oleander. It was released independently on Fine Records. Several tracks would be re-released on the band's major label debut, February Son, including the hit single "Why I'm Here." The song "Jimmy Shaker Day" was also...

and Unwind
Unwind
Unwind is the second major label album from post-grunge band Oleander. The band's second album released on Universal Records, Unwind sold approximately 250,000 copies. The album is noted for displaying both a wider range and softer music than its predecessor...

, started mixing the new record.

The new single called "Fight" will be released November, 2011. An instrumental version has been used in official videos for THQ's WWE '12
WWE '12
WWE '12 is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by THQ for the PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 systems. It is the first game in the WWE series and the fourteenth overall in the combined series. It is the sequel to WWE SmackDown vs...

 video game. It will also serve as the official theme song of this game.

Current

  • Thomas Flowers - vocals
    Singing
    Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...

  • Doug Eldridge - bass guitar
    Bass guitar
    The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

  • Ric Ivanisevich - guitar
    Guitar
    The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

  • Steve Brown - drums
    Drum kit
    A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....

  • Rich Mouser - guitar
    Guitar
    The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...


Former

  • Nate Seright - Lead Vocals (1999-2002)
  • Fred Nelson Jr. - drums
    Drum kit
    A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....

     (1995–1998)
  • Jonathan Mover - drums/percussion
    Percussion instrument
    A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...

     (1999)
  • Scott Devours - drums (1999–2003)

Studio albums

Year Album details Peak chart positions
US
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...


US
Heat.
1997 Shrinking the Blob
Shrinking The Blob
Shrinking the Blob is the first full-length album by American post-grunge band Oleander. It was released independently on Fine Records. Several tracks would be re-released on the band's major label debut, February Son, including the hit single "Why I'm Here." The song "Jimmy Shaker Day" was also...

  • Released: July 29, 1997
  • Label: Fine
  • Format: CD
1999 February Son
February Son
February Son is the major label debut album from post-grunge band Oleander. It was released on Universal Records in 1999 and eventually went gold. As such, February Son boasts some of Oleander's most successful singles. It also includes new drummer Scott Devours who was hired to replace the band's...

  • Released: February 23, 1999
  • Label: Universal Republic
    Universal Republic
    Universal Republic Records is a record label, owned by Universal Music Group. It is based on the now-defunct Republic Records label founded by brothers Monte and Avery Lipman...

  • Format: CD
  • 115 1
    2001 Unwind
    Unwind
    Unwind is the second major label album from post-grunge band Oleander. The band's second album released on Universal Records, Unwind sold approximately 250,000 copies. The album is noted for displaying both a wider range and softer music than its predecessor...

  • Released: March 6, 2001
  • Label: Universal Republic
  • Format: CD
  • 94
    2003 Joyride
    Joyride (Oleander album)
    Joyride is the third major label album from post-grunge band Oleander. It was released on March 4, 2003 through Sanctuary Records and mark's the bands first studio album with the label...

  • Released: March 4, 2003
  • Label: Sanctuary
    Sanctuary Records
    Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest independent music management company in the world...

  • Format: CD
  • "—" denotes a release that did not chart.

    Extended plays

    Year Album details
    1996 Oleander
    • Released: 1996
    • Label: Fine
    • Format: CD
    2002 Runaway Train EP
  • Released: November 11, 2003
  • Label: Sanctuary
  • Format: CD

  • Singles

    Year Title Peak chart positions Album
    US
    Billboard Hot 100
    The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

    US
    Alt.
    US
    Main.
    1997 "Down When I'm Loaded" Shrinking the Blob
    1999 "Why I'm Here
    Why I'm Here
    "Why I'm Here" is a song by American hard rock band Oleander. It was the lead single from their major label debut album, February Son. The track was previously included on Oleander's eponymous EP in 1996 and their independent LP, Shrinking the Blob, in 1997...

    "
    }
    | align="center"| 13
    | align="center"| 3
    | rowspan="3"| February Son
    |-
    | "I Walk Alone"
    | align="center"| —
    | align="center"| 37
    | align="center"| 24
    |-
    | 2000
    | "Boys Don't Cry"
    | align="center"| —
    | align="center"| —
    | align="center"| —
    |-
    | rowspan="3" align="center"| 2001
    | "Are You There?"
    | align="center"| —
    | align="center"| 19
    | align="center"| 6
    | rowspan="3"| Unwind
    |-
    | "Champion"
    | align="center"| 16
    | align="center"| —
    | align="center"| —
    |-
    | "Halo"
    | align="center"| —
    | align="center"| —
    | align="center"| —
    |-
    | align="center"| 2003
    | "Hands Off the Wheel"
    | align="center"| —
    | align="center"| —
    | align="center"| 25
    | Joyride
    |-
    | align="center"| 2010
    | "Daylight"
    | align="center"| —
    | align="center"| —
    | align="center"| —
    | rowspan="2"|
    |-
    | align="center"| 2011
    | "Fight"
    | align="center"| —
    | align="center"| —
    | align="center"| —
    |-
    |align="center" colspan="8" style="font-size: 8pt"| "—" denotes a release that did not chart.
    |}
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