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Artist
Grade 8
12+ albums
Nu Metalrapcorealternative metalrap metalNu-metal
about
Dustin and Ryan Tooker planted the seeds of what would become grade 8 in the mid 90s, in their home state of New Jersey. Ryan was a last minute choice to fill in on vocals for guitarist Dustins then band. Their natural chemistry worked well and they continued playing over the next few years with various rhythm sections. The brothers then moved to Southern California where their charisma and work ethic impressed those they met, eventually leading to a record deal with Lava / Atlantic. They worked various interesting jobs in the entertainment industry in their spare time, knowing that once their professional music career began, there would be no turning back. As they created their self titled debut, a new rhythm section was formed and the band prepared to tour. Grade8 proved themselves an intense live force touring with Mudvayne, The Murderdolls, Anthrax and the Ozzfest. It was on that final tour that the tenacity of Dustin and Ryan caught the attention of their peers. When business issues nearly forced the band off the tour, they fought back by riding with other bands and borrowing equipment, refusing to quit. After that victory of will, they found themselves in another rough spot. The single Brick by Brick had reached .1 on the college rock charts and tracks were appearing in high profile video games and television series, such as True Crime: Streets of LA and The Sopranos, but they once again found themselves searching for a bassist and drummer to provide the key rhythmic
