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Helping to bring the emo scene into the mainstream charts in the early 2000s, Dashboard Confessional's earnest, emotional indie-rock produced a string of hugely successful albums and set front man Chris Carrabba up as a songwriter who distilled teenage angst and heartbreak into sing-along, punk-pop ballads. Initially inspired by his step-brother's heavy metal music, his cousin's classic rock records and skate board videos which used bands like Jane's Addiction and Black Flag as their soundtrack, Carrabba started out playing at DIY punk shows as a teenager bashing away on a beaten-up acoustic guitar. Moving from his home in Connecticut to study at Florida Atlantic University, Carrabba was championed by local independent label Fiddler Records who released his debut, acoustic album 'The Swiss Army Romance' in 2000. Turning into a full band with the addition of John Lefler on guitar, Mike Marsh on drums and Scott Schoenbeck on bass, they built up a loyal grass roots following and came to wider attention with an acclaimed performance on 'MTV Unplugged' before reaching number two in the US charts with breakthrough album 'A Mark, a Mission, a Brand, a Scar' in 2003. The use of their song 'Vindicated' on the soundtrack of the hit movie 'Spider-Man 2' again boosted their profile and subsequent albums 'Dusk and Summer' and 'The Shade of Poison Trees' both became big emo-rock favourites and sent the band on national tours. As the scene turned into more theatrical, stadium rock extravaganzas with bands like My Chemical Romance and Panic! At the Disco, Dashboard Confessional remained close to their fans and roots with the melodic, intimate sound of 'After the Ending' in 2009. They re-released 'The Swiss Army Romance' in 2010 in a deluxe, limited edition run and Carrabba embarked on a solo tour of the album. After a short break, 2017 came with the news that the band's seventh album was in the works. 'Crooked Shadows' was released in 2018 with the lead single 'Heart Beat Here'.
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