This Bay Area four-piece have been called folk rock, power pop, punk rock, indie rock, REPLACEMENTS style rock 'n' roll, mod-ish, jangly, country, and just about everything in between. Fans and critics alike haven't quite been able to pigeonhole them. That's possibly what has kept them so intrigued since the very beginning.
The band was born in 1999 when PINHEAD GUNPOWDER alumni Jason White (vocals and guitar) and Bill Schneider (bass) wanted to try something new, recruiting east bay musician and Bill's brother, Greg Schneider (vocals and guitar) and Willie Samuels (drums) of THE RECEIVERS. Jason and Greg began writing songs and sharing the vocal duties - sometimes collaborating, other times bringing in their own compositions. 
After taking their time working and playing together for a little over a year, and after only a handful of live shows, they went in and self-recorded and produced their debut album, Check Please, in the summer of 2000. The articles and reviews came in. They were taken aback by the praise it was receiving in the press and in magazines from all over the globe. Check Please was a Top Five Artist Pick in Rolling Stone and a Top 10 Best Seller at local chain Rasputin's that same year.
Now beginning to take the band a bit more seriously,
THE INFLUENTS began playing locally more often, and started to take their act out on the road. The crowds and sets were improving with each performance. They spent the next two years playingup and down the west coast, sporadically heading out into the rest of the country for a few weeks at a time. All the while, still promoting the hit debut record. Occasionally, THE INFLUENTS took time out for their other projects and interests. Jason took to touring, playing guitar in GREEN DAY's live show. Bill had a drum shop to run (Univibe Drums in Berkeley), and Willie continued to fulfill his passion for recording, engineering and producing at his own studio, Nu-Tone Recordings in Pittsburgh, California.
Then came a line-up change with a mutual friend Johnnie Wentz taking over on bass in 2002. THE INFLUENTS were right back at it again, putting together new material, inproving the songwriting and maturing their sound. After months of preparation in the rehearsal space, while continuing to play locally and the occasional two-week venture out of town, they submerged themselves in the studio throughout the fall of 2002. Once again, this sophomore effort would be self-recorded with Willie taking on all engineering and mixing duties. There was an offer from Billie Joe Armstrong to step in as producer but for whatever reason the band ended up producing it themselves. This time the songs were of a broader landscape, with different tempos and feels and arrangements. Jason and Greg were stretching their songwriting ideas out with their own personal influences and soul. Overall, everyone was becoming more and more involved in the process.
THE INFLUENTS long anticipated second full-length album, Some Of The Young, will be released on April 22nd, 2003. They will be on tour throughout the rest of the year.
