Music Style Pop/Punk

Similar Artists Jimmy Eat World, Sublime, New Found Glory

Artist History The band Suburban Tragedy was established in December 2000, but the members are no strangers to the stage. Nik Sharp (Singer), Jon Stride (Guitars), and Paul Calvagna (Bass) were in a band called "CLING" from 95' to 99'. In the last Year as Cling they opened up for such acts as "Creed", "Kid Rock", "Third Eye Blind", "James Brown", and sold 3,000 Indie cd's. From 99' to 2000 the guys took time off to go to college, and figure out where they wanted to be stylistically. They hated school and dropped out. Nik sharp called up an old friend named Eric Bice to play drums for a new kind of band. Jon and Paul joined up with them and started working on new songs. The band played tons of shows and went through several name changes. One of these shows included a performance on The USA Network's program "Farmclub.com". Four kids from the suburbs opened up for "OUTKAST" on a tv show that aired in 12 countries, and had over 5 million viewers.The family members of the four thought them dropping out of school was all very tragic, so that is when they collectively decided to name the band Suburban Tragedy. The group ranges in age from 21 to 23, and has a punk/pop sound. Their music has been compared to that of "Jimmy Eat World", "Sublime", and "New Found Glory" with a harder edge. "HITS" Magazine calls them, "A band to keep a very close eye on".

Group Members Nik Sharp, Jon Stride, Paul Calvagna, Eric Bice

Albums Fun For The Kids

Press Reviews September 19, 2002 Nik Sharp is ready for rock stardom. The 23-year-old singer-guitarist of the Pinellas County alt-rock band Suburban Tragedy calls from the bathtub of his Palm Harbor home. "I've got a rubber ducky and everything," says Sharp, laughing. Sharp and his bandmates recently beat out more than 200 bands to be one of four finalists to perform at WSUN-FM 97.1's One Crazy Summer Show. Now the band is gearing up for Friday's CD release party at Neptune Lounge for Fun For the Kids, its 12-song debut. The quartet has attracted a sizeable local following since its inception in December 2000. With the strong street buzz and an album filled with the bright, radio-ready punky pop found in acts such as Blink-182 and Jimmy Eat World, Sharp hopes the band will attract national attention. The disc's secret ingredient: fun. Suburban Tragedy just may be the first nonmopey Florida rock band to make it big. Sharp says he's grown tired of bands such as Creed and Third Eye Blind constantly complaining about their lives. Sharp shares songwriting with guitarist Jon Stride. (The band also includes Paul Calvagna on bass and Eric Bice on drums). Sharp is in charge of the lyrics, which are wry and simple. Mostly, Sharp says, the songs are about girls. "That's the basics of rock 'n' roll," he says. "These are the topics that will never go away. Boys like girls. Girls like guys." Sharp pauses. "Girls lie. Girls hurt us and make us suffer." A self-proclaimed pop-culture junkie, Sharp blasts all those mopey bands on the song Dead Elvises, even tagging on a hilarious parody of moan-and-drone singing at the end. Around The Town's pummeling rhythms and crunch guitar are lightened up by delightfully zippy keyboards. Shake Your Booty is just as kitschy and cavalier. Sharp jokes on one song that adult life is as silly as high school, suggesting he's now in 13th grade. "I'm a fun person," Sharp says, splashing in the tub. "We're a fun band. Music can get so depressing. We'll never be like that." He says the band doesn't look at life too seriously. Except, he jokes, when it comes to cleanliness. "Personal hygiene," Sharp says, "is very, very important to Suburban Tragedy." Tools of the trade? Bath & Body Works Sun Ripened Raspberry. Which is? "A refreshing shower gel." Courtesy of: Gina Vivinetto, St. Petersburg Times Music Critic

Location Tampa Bay, Florida - USA

Copyright notice. All material on MP3.com is protected by copyright law and by international treaties. You may download this material and make reasonable number of copies of this material only for your own personal use. You may not otherwise reproduce, distribute, publicly perform, publicly display, or create derivative works of this material, unless authorized by the appropriate copyright owner(s).