Problem: The Living End are an Australian punk rock band, which formed in 1994. Since 2002 the line up consists of Chris Cheney (vocals, guitar), Scott Owen (double bass, vocals) and Andy Strachan (drums). The band rose to fame in 1997 after the release of their double A-sided single, "Second Solution" / "Prisoner of Society", which peaked at No. 4 on the ARIA Singles Chart. They have released six studio albums and two reached the No. 1 spot on the ARIA Albums Chart: self-titled album (12 October 1998) and State of Emergency (4 February 2006).

In February 2002, The Living End's line up changed as Demsey left and was replaced on drums in April by Andy Strachan (ex-Pollyanna). Dempsey wanted to spend more time with his family, and had a dislike of heavy touring; in August that year he joined Fez Perez, and later joined a punk, folk rock group, The Currency. The Living End developed a side project, The Longnecks, to test out Strachan and new material for their third album, Modern ARTillery, without attracting wide public attention. The name is a reference to longneck beer bottles. The Longnecks name was re-used by the band to try out potential material for later albums. They have also played under other names: Glen Waverley & The Mentones, The Dovetones, Roller Toasters, Doncaster & The Dandenongs and Redwings; at various venues in regional Victoria.  In mid-2002 The Living End recorded four tracks, including "One Said to the Other", which were released as an EP in January the following year and reached the top 20 on the ARIA Singles Chart. Two of its tracks were re-recorded in Los Angeles with Mark Trombino (Blink-182, Jebediah) producing, together with new material for Modern ARTillery, which appeared on 28 October 2003. It peaked at No. 3 on the ARIA Albums Chart, top 50 in New Zealand, and top 40 on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums Chart. "Who's Gonna Save Us?" was issued a month earlier, as the lead single, which reached top 40 in Australia, top 30 in New Zealand and on Billboard's Alternative Songs Chart. They followed with heavy touring (including Big Day Out) promoting their releases.  On 27 September 2004 the band released a compilation album, From Here on In: The Singles 1997-2004, early versions included a bonus disc, Under the Covers, which had six cover versions of other artist's tracks. The CD featured two new tracks: "I Can't Give You What I Haven't Got" and "Bringing It All Back Home". They also issued a compilation DVD, From Here on In: The DVD 1997-2004, which collated their music video clips and live performances of the groups at festivals: Splendour in the Grass and Big Day Out in Sydney, and from Summer Sonic in Japan. The DVD also documented the band's history by interviews and home footage.

What was involved with this side project?

Answer with quotes: to test out Strachan and new material for their third album, Modern ARTillery, without attracting wide public attention.


Problem: Hanson is an American pop rock band from Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States, formed by brothers Isaac (guitar, bass, piano, vocals), Taylor (keyboards, piano, guitar, drums, vocals), and Zac (drums, piano, guitar, vocals). Supporting members include Dimitrius Collins (keyboards, guitar), and Andrew Perusi (bass) who have toured and performed live with the band since 2007. They are best known for the 1997 hit song "MMMBop" from their debut album released through Mercury, Polygram, Middle of Nowhere, which earned three Grammy nominations. Despite the enormous commercial success of Middle of Nowhere, the band suffered from the merger that eliminated their label, Mercury Records .

In the early to mid-1990s, Isaac, Taylor and Zac sang a cappella and recorded such classic songs as "Rockin' Robin", "Splish Splash" and "Johnny B. Goode", as well as their own material. Their first performance as a professional group took place in 1992 at the Mayfest Arts Festival in Tulsa. They were known as the Hanson Brothers, before shortening the name to Hanson in 1993.  Hanson also appeared on Carman's Yo! Kidz: The Vidz, which cast Taylor as a young Biblical David facing Goliath, Isaac as an event announcer, and Zac and other members of the family in the stands cheering on this "sporting event".  All three boys started their musical careers as pianists, but Isaac eventually started playing guitar and Zac started playing drums, while Taylor continued as the keyboard player. The band recorded two independent albums in their hometown of Tulsa, Boomerang (recorded in autumn 1994, released in 1995) and MMMBop (released in 1996). The latter featured the original version of the song "MMMBop", which would later become the runaway single on their debut commercial record Middle of Nowhere. The boys then found themselves at the South By Southwest (aka SXSW) music festival in Austin, Texas. There, they were promptly signed by manager Christopher Sabec. He shopped them to several record companies, most of which dismissed the band as either a novelty or fraud before Steve Greenberg, an A&R representative for Mercury Records, heard them play a set at the Wisconsin State Fair. After this performance, they were signed almost immediately by Mercury. They soon became a worldwide sensation with the release of their first major-label album, Middle of Nowhere, which was produced by Stephen Lironi and the Dust Brothers.

What is this

Answer with quotes:
playing guitar and Zac started playing drums, while Taylor continued as the keyboard player. The band recorded two independent albums in their hometown of Tulsa, Boomerang (recorded in autumn 1994,