The Used is a band from Orem, Utah, United States that combines elements of rock, punk, emo, and pop music. Their self-titled debut album The Used has so far sold nearly 200,000 copies and counting. The band later released Maybe Memories, a live album featuring the songs from their self-titled album and previously unreleased home demos that also included live footage and interviews on DVD. They released their second album In Love and Death through Warner Bros. Records, on September 28, 2004. Their third album is due out in 2006.
The Used formed in Utah in 2000 where they created a home studio together to record demo material.
Originally, Jepha Howard (Now the bassist) was the lead singer. A few months after forming, they recruited Bert McCracken for his powerful voice. Jepha still contributes to the back-up vocals in various Used songs.
Orem and neighboring city Provo didn’t offer much in the way of paying gigs. When the band did manage to land a show, they often weren’t invited back. "Everywhere we played, people wouldn't let us back because the way we play, I don't know...we kinda...I think it would frighten some people," drummer Branden Steineckert explains. "It's just us goin' off, and it's too much, the puke and the blood and things like that."
The band also struggled with personal problems. They faced homelessness, poverty, and drug addiction. Music proved to be a way out. "You're held down so long and told what to do," says Steineckert. "You're supposed to fit in this fuckin' mold all the time. Music is your one place to break out and just say fuck it all, do what you want, be the person you are with no fuckin' rules."
The band released their self-titled first album in June 2002. Recorded in both John Feldmann’s home studio and Olympic Studios in London, it has since sold over 200,000 copies. Singles include “A Box Full of Sharp Objects,” “The Taste of Ink,” “Buried Myself Alive,” and “Blue and Yellow.”
