Sugarcult
American rock band
title: "Sugarcult" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["musical-groups-established-in-1999", "pop-punk-groups-from-california", "fearless-records-artists", "independent-music-awards-winners", "v2-records-artists", "1999-establishments-in-california"] description: "American rock band" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugarcult" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary American rock band ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox musical artist"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Sugarcult |
| image | Sugarcult at uofA.JPG |
| caption | Sugarcult performing in 2007 |
| image_upright | 1.3 |
| background | group_or_band |
| origin | Santa Barbara, California, United States |
| genre | {{flatlist |
| years_active | 1998–2011 |
| label | {{flatlist |
| past_members | * Tim Pagnotta |
| :: |
| name = Sugarcult | image = Sugarcult at uofA.JPG | caption = Sugarcult performing in 2007 | image_upright = 1.3 | image_size = | background = group_or_band | alias = | origin = Santa Barbara, California, United States | genre = {{flatlist|
- Punk rock
- pop-punk
- power pop
- alternative rock | years_active = 1998–2011 | label = {{flatlist|
- Cooler
- Ultimatum
- Artemis
- Epitaph
- Fearless
- V2 | past_members = * Tim Pagnotta
- Airin Older
- Marko DeSantis
- Ken Livingston
- Ben Davis
Sugarcult was an American rock band from Santa Barbara, California, formed in 1998. The band consisted of Tim Pagnotta (vocals, rhythm guitar), Airin Older (bass), Marko DeSantis (lead guitar), and Kenny Livingston (drums).
History
Formation (1998–99)
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Sugarcult_logo.svg" caption="The band's logo"] ::
As a child, frontman Tim Pagnotta moved around a lot, living in thirteen different homes and going to nine different schools before graduating from high school. As a result he had a hard time fitting in; as an escape, Pagnotta turned to music. In 1997, Pagnotta moved to Santa Barbara, California and eventually met ex-drummer Ben Davis during a cigarette break at Santa Barbara City College. Davis, who had recently quit his job at Denny's in Boulder, Colorado to pursue his musical career on the West Coast, and Pagnotta started to play together on a regular basis. Although Davis began playing drums when he was just 9 years old, his musical aspirations were grand. He now plays a multitude of instruments and was producing local Santa Barbara bands when the two hooked up.
Pagnotta met Airin Older in a music class where Pagnotta was copying Older's work. They became good friends and Pagnotta invited Older to join his band.{{cite news |last = Allen |first = Jamie |title = Sugarcult boasts the sweet sounds of yesterday |url = http://archives.cnn.com/2000/SHOWBIZ/Music/03/22/sxsw/sc.html |access-date = 2007-05-14 |work = CNN |date = March 22, 2000 |archive-date = December 18, 2006 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061218093701/http://archives.cnn.com/2000/SHOWBIZ/Music/03/22/sxsw/sc.html |url-status = dead
Early releases (1999–2003)
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Sugarcult_Poster.jpg" caption="An ad for the band's debut album ''[[Start Static]]'' (2001)"] ::
Sugarcult released their first collection of demo recordings, Eleven, in 1999. Their second collection, Wrap Me Up in Plastic, was released in 2000. The group sent demos to record labels, eventually signing to independent label Ultimatum Music in January 2001. In August 2001, the band released their debut album, Start Static, which featured the hit singles "Pretty Girl", "Bouncing Off The Walls" (also featured in the movie and soundtrack to National Lampoon's Van Wilder) and "Stuck in America". In early 2003, "Stuck in America" won the Los Angeles Regional Poll in The 2nd Annual Independent Music Awards. Start Static featured several songs that had previously been released as demos on Wrap Me Up in Plastic. In May 2001, the band re-released Wrap Me Up in Plastic with a new track listing that included songs from both Eleven and the original Wrap Me Up in Plastic, as well as new artwork. In 2003, Davis officially left Sugarcult. Davis had been regularly missing shows since the release of Start Static, and left Sugarcult to enter rehab to get help for his alcoholism. Pagnotta was close to Davis, and wrote the song "Champagne" about his addictions when he was forced to leave the band.{{cite web | last = Black Velvet | first = Shari | title = All Roads Lead To Sugarcult | url = http://www.blackvelvetmagazine.com/sugarcult.htm | access-date = 2007-05-14 | archive-date = September 28, 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070928211858/http://www.blackvelvetmagazine.com/sugarcult.htm | url-status = live
Later releases (2004–2008)
On April 13, 2004, Sugarcult released Palm Trees and Power Lines and performed on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. This album featured the MTV hits "Memory" and "She's the Blade". Sugarcult successfully landed a spot on the Warped Tour 2004 main stage and they also supported Green Day on their American Idiot tour and Blink-182 on their December 2004 European tour. They released Back to the Disaster, a feature-length documentary film (with a bonus live EP), in late 2005. Lights Out, their latest studio album, was released on September 12, 2006. The release of Lights Out was immediately followed by two tours, a fall tour and a winter tour. Their fall tour included So They Say, Maxeen, Halifax, and The Spill Canvas. Their winter tour included such bands as Meg and Dia, Damone, The Pink Spiders, All Time Low, and The Adored. In 2006, Sugarcult song "Do It Alone" was featured on the CW's show One Tree Hill during Season and in the film Employee of the Month. Sugarcult played at the Soundwave Tour in 2008.
Hiatus and occasional shows (2009–present)
The band members took a year off in 2009 from Sugarcult for their 10-year anniversary to do their own side-projects. They were neither broken up, nor were known to be working on new Sugarcult material as of mid-2010.
At the end of 2010, they announced that they would play at least two shows in the United Kingdom and then perform at the Belgium music festival Groezrock, all at the end of April.
Sugarcult (with Davis) played a one-off show at the Chain Reaction in Anaheim, California on December 10, 2011, where they celebrated the tenth anniversary of the release of Start Static. More recently, members of the group performed with members of 5 Seconds of Summer (who have cited Sugarcult as a primary influence on their band) and past tourmate Goldfinger frontman and acclaimed record producer John Feldmann for Strange '80s, a benefit concert on May 14, 2017, at the Fonda Theatre.
Musical style and influences
Sugarcult has been categorized as punk rock, pop-punk, power pop and alternative rock. Jamie Allen of CNN described the band's sound as "a melodic, power-pop vibe reminiscent of the Knack crossed with the Ramones and Elvis Costello." The band has drawn comparisons to Rancid, Unwritten Law, Blink-182, Less Than Jake, Good Charlotte, The Hives and Jimmy Eat World. Lyrically, Sugarcult explores themes of relationships, youth angst, and introspection.
Band members
;Final lineup
- Tim Pagnotta – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1998–2009, 2011), lead guitar (1998–1999)
- Airin Older – bass guitar, backing vocals (1998–2009, 2011)
- Marko DeSantis – lead guitar (1999–2009, 2011)
- Ben Davis – drums, backing vocals (1998–2003, 2011)
;Former
- Kenny Livingston – drums (2003–2009)
Timeline{{#tag:timeline|ImageSize=width:800 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea =left:100 bottom:80 top:10 right:20 Alignbars =justify DateFormat =dd/mm/yyyy Period =from:01/01/1998 till:10/12/2011 TimeAxis =orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4 ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1998 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1998
Colors = id:Lvocals value:red legend:Lead_vocals,_rhythm_guitar id:Bvocals value:pink legend:Backing_vocals id:Guitar value:green legend:Lead_guitar id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums id:Studio value:black legend:Studio_album
LineData = layer:back color:Studio at:21/08/2001 at:13/04/2004 at:12/09/2006
BarData = bar:Pagnotta text:"Tim Pagnotta" bar:Desantis text:"Marko DeSantis" bar:Older text:"Airin Older" bar:Davis text:"Ben Davis" bar:Liv text:"Kenny Livingston"
PlotData= width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Pagnotta from:01/01/1998 till:01/01/2009 color:lvocals bar:Pagnotta from:01/01/1998 till:01/01/1999 color:guitar width:3 bar:Pagnotta from:01/12/2011 till:10/12/2011 color:lvocals bar:DeSantis from:01/01/1999 till:01/01/2009 color:guitar bar:DeSantis from:01/12/2011 till:10/12/2011 color:guitar bar:Older from:01/01/1998 till:01/01/2009 color:bass bar:Older from:01/01/1998 till:01/01/2009 color:bvocals width:3 bar:Older from:01/12/2011 till:10/12/2011 color:bass bar:Older from:01/12/2011 till:10/12/2011 color:bvocals width:3 bar:Davis from:01/01/1998 till:20/06/2003 color:drums bar:Davis from:01/01/1998 till:20/06/2003 color:bvocals width:3 bar:Davis from:01/12/2011 till:10/12/2011 color:drums bar:Davis from:01/12/2011 till:10/12/2011 color:bvocals width:3 bar:Liv from:15/07/2003 till:01/01/2009 color:drums
Discography
Demo collections
- Eleven (1999)
- Wrap Me Up in Plastic (2000)
Studio albums
::data[format=table title=""] | Title | Details | Peak chart positions | US | Start Static | Palm Trees and Power Lines | Lights Out | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | | 194 | | | | | | | | 46 | | | | | | | | 64 | | | | | | ::
DVDs/retrospectives/live albums
- Action DVD (2002)
- Back to the Disaster: A Film About Sugarcult DVD/EP (2005)
- Rewind 2001–2008 Japanese Exclusive (2008)
EPs
- Five Demo (1998)
- Get Street Cred Demo (1999)
- A Hard Day's Night Japanese Exclusive (2006)
Singles
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Album | US Alternative Songs position | UK Singles Chart position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | "Bouncing Off the Walls" | Start Static | 40 | 98 |
| "Stuck in America" | — | 91 | ||
| 2002 | "Pretty Girl (The Way)" | 30 | — | |
| 2004 | "She's the Blade" | Palm Trees and Power Lines | — | — |
| "Memory" | — | — | ||
| 2006 | "Do It Alone" | Lights Out | 40 | — |
| "Los Angeles" | — | — | ||
| :: |
Media appearances
- Burnout 3: Takedown (2004)
- "Memory" was featured on the soundtrack.
- Burnout Paradise (2008) and Burnout Paradise Remastered (2018)
- Dead Living was featured on the soundtrack.
Notes
References
References
- "Sugarcult Board > Band FAQs".
- Bielich, Brandon. (April 23, 2004). "Sugarcult Aims To Build On First CD's Success". Sun-Sentinel.
- "Sugarcult Biography". Sugarcult.
- (May 15, 2017). "Tenacious D, Weird Al and That Kid From Stranger Things Rock an All-'80s Night". LA Weekly.
- "Sugarcult Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More {{!}}...".
- Records, Epitaph. "Sugarcult Bio".
- "Sugarcult Chart History (Billboard 200)".
- {{BillboardURLbyName
- (August 23, 2004). "BURNOUT 3: TAKEDOWN SOUNDTRACK". [[IGN]].
- (September 30, 2004). "NHL 2005: THE MUSIC". [[IGN]].
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::