The Skinny Years...Before We Got Fat

Strung Out
Strung Out live in 2013. From left to right: Rob Ramos, Chris Aiken, Jason Cruz and Jake Kiley.
Background information
Origin	Simi Valley, California, U.S.
Genres	Punk rock, skate punk, melodic hardcore, post-hardcore, alternative metal
Years active	1989–present
Labels	Fat Wreck Chords
Members	Jason Cruz Jake Kiley Rob Ramos Chris Aiken
Past members	Jim Cherry Adam Austin Brad Morrison Jordan Burns

Strung Out is an American punk rock band from Simi Valley, California, formed in 1989. They are known mainly for their musical style, which fuses aspects of melodic punk rock, progressive rock and heavy metal to form their primary sound. They have released eight studio albums on Fat Wreck Chords as well as one Live album, 2 B-sides collections, a best-of, a box set and appeared on numerous compilations and skate/surf videos. They have played on the Warped Tour and continue to tour internationally.

Despite not achieving similar levels of commercial success as some of their Californian contemporaries during the Punk explosion of the 90s, Strung Out instead experienced a steady growth in popularity throughout the 2000s as mainstream attention shifted towards heavier and more technical styles music thus favouring Strung Out's more metallic Tech-Punk sound. Subsequent releases began charting on the Billboard 200. The bands technical abilities have also earned them credit, alongside acts such as Lagwagon, Propagandhi, Belvedere & R.K.L for raising the level of musicianship in Punk Music and de-bunking common stereotypes of simplicity associated with Punk Rock.

The band formed in 1989 in Simi Valley, California. The original lineup consisted of vocalist Jason Cruz, guitarists Jake Kiley and Rob Ramos, bassist Jim Cherry and drummer Adam Austin. After releasing a self-titled 7" record, they became one of the first bands to be signed to Fat Wreck Chords, the record label owned and operated by Fat Mike of the band NOFX. Austin left the band in 1992 and was replaced by Brad Morrison who also left the band and was replaced on drums by Jordan Burns, formerly of fellow Simi Valley natives Ten Foot Pole. Their first album, Another Day in Paradise, was released in May 1994. Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues followed in 1996. In 1998 they released The Skinny Years...Before We Got Fat, a compilation album of their pre-Fat Wreck Chords material.