Pop Evil

Pop Evil Artistfacts

  • 2001-
    Leigh KakatyVocals2001-
    Dave GrahsGuitar2001-
    Jamie NummerBass2001-2007
    Dylan AllisonDrums2001-2011
    Tony GreveGuitar2007-2011
    Nick FuellingGuitar2012-
    Matt DiRitoBass2007-2021
    Joey "Chicago" WalserBass2021-
    Joshua MarundeDrums2011-2015
    Hayley CramerDrums2015-2023
    Blake Allison Drums2024-
  • Pop Evil is an hard rock band from North Muskegon, Michigan, formed in 2001 by vocalist Leigh Kakaty. The band's name reflects Kakaty's love of rock songs with good melodies alongside loud, crunchy guitars and propulsive metal rhythms.
  • The band grew out of TenFive, a late-1990s Michigan group featuring Kakaty and guitarist Jason Reed, who recorded a debut album (Severn) and an EP (Dam Electro) on their own indie label. After the band broke up, Kakaty founded Pop Evil with TenFive drummer Dylan Allison and other Michigan musicians.
  • Leigh Kakaty turned down his college fund to tour. In the band's early days, Kakaty persuaded his parents to abandon his college fund so he could use the money to get Pop Evil on the road. The money covered a Tahoe, a trailer, and gas, while band members were paid just $20-$50 per show.
  • Pop Evil released their debut album, Lipstick on the Mirror, on Pazzo Music, distributed through Universal Music Group subsidiary Fontana Distribution, on August 12, 2008. Before the official release, the band gave away a free special edition of the album to local fans at a concert at The Intersection in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on May 29, 2008. Their relentless touring paid off when, on March 6, 2009, they announced at a live show in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, that they had signed with Universal Records.
  • The band scored their first #1 Mainstream Rock hit with "Trenches" in June 2013, also winning the Radio Contraband Rock Radio Award for Song of the Year.
  • During their rise, Pop Evil toured with bands like Five Finger Death Punch and Shinedown, gaining exposure to rock audiences that helped build the fanbase they needed to eventually headline their own tours.
  • Kakaty quit drinking at the start of 2015 while recording their album Up in Seattle. He always dreamed of making a record out west, and while there he put the bottle down and focused entirely on writing. He credits that decision - and the open, supportive band environment it created - with making Up the most fun the band had since they started.

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