Flip's Staind Stands Tall As Proof Of Rock's Resurgence

BY CARLA HAY

NEW YORK--If there's any doubt that heavy rock is on an upswing, look no further than Staind for proof. The band has been finding a growing audience with increasing sales for its Flip/
Elektra Records album, "Dysfunction." Industry observers are crediting Staind's blossoming success to constant touring, radio airplay, and an association with Limp Bizkit.
Released April 13, "Dysfunction" entered the Heatseekers chart at No. 10 in the May 1 issue, and the album rose to the No. 1 spot on that chart in the Oct. 9 issue. "Dysfunction" reached Heatseekers Impact status when it rocketed from No. 103 to No. 78 on The Billboard 200. This issue, the album stands at No. 82 on that chart.
The organic growth of Staind's fan base is similar to the grass-roots following developed by Limp Bizkit. That act's lead singer, Fred Durst, has been something of a mentor to the Springfield, Mass.-based Staind.
Durst became such a fan of Staind, which self-released an album in 1996, that he was chiefly responsible for getting the band signed in 1998 to Flip Records, the same label that has Limp Bizkit on its roster (Popular Uprisings, Billboard, Feb. 13).
Staind is managed by the Firm, the Los Angeles-based company that also manages Limp Bizkit and Korn.
As Staind lead singer Aaron Lewis recalls, "The first time we met Fred, our band did a show with Limp Bizkit, and Fred tried to throw us off the bill because he saw our album cover art and thought we were a satanic band.
"He listened to the CD and said he hated it," Lewis says. "But after he saw us play he became a big fan, and he's been great to us ever since."
Even before the release of "Dysfunction," Staind--which also includes guitarist Mike Mushok, bass guitarist Johnny April, and drummer Jon Wysocki--embarked on a heavy touring schedule which saw the band crisscrossing the U.S. several times. The band is on the 1999 Family Values tour (headlined by Limp Bizkit), which concludes Oct. 31 in Biloxi, Miss.
Elektra senior director of marketing for the U.S. Dane Venable says of the artist-development plan for Staind, "Before we started with radio, we tried to develop a fan presence through a street-awareness campaign.
"About a year ago, we started out with 20,000 Staind sampler cassettes, stickers, and a letter from Fred Durst endorsing the band, and that letter went out to the entire Limp Bizkit fan club list," he says. "We developed a Staind Web site [www.staind.com] around that time, and we put the Web site address on all their promotional material.
"We were able to collect a tremendous amount of names from the Web site for our mailing list," he says. "And Staind's album was, until this month, at a developing-artist price."