The Used

The Used Artistfacts

  • 2001-
    Bert McCrackenVocals
    Quinn AllmanGuitar
    Jeph HowardBass
    Branden SteineckertDrums2001-2006
    Dan WhitesidesDrums2006-
  • The Used is originally from Orem, a mid-sized valley town in Utah. Several of the songs on the band's 2002 self-titled album are about the frustrations of living in the town and wanting to break out, including "The Taste Of Ink" and "Maybe Memories."
  • "Maybe Memories" was the first song The Used ever wrote as a band. Before lead singer Bert McCracken joined the band, The Used held auditions for a singer at bassist Jeph Howard's house. The group called the auditions "terrible" until guitarist Quinn Allman asked his friend Bert McCracken if he wanted to audition. McCracken was impressed by the material The Used had written, so he went home and wrote the lyrics that would become "Maybe Memories."
  • The Used lead singer Bert McCracken dropped out of high school at age 16. McCracken was raised in Mormon family and even edited a straight edge magazine called Drugs Suck prior to his departure him school. At age 12, he played trumpet in a school band called I'm With Stupid. At 19, he joined The Used, who began under the name Dumb Luck.
  • After writing and recording an EP called Demos from the Basement in then-drummer Branden Steineckert's bedroom, The Used caught the attention of Goldfinger drummer and producer John Feldmann. Feldmann flew the band to Los Angeles, marking the first time any of the members had been out of Utah, and helped them find a record label. As of 2012, Feldmann had produced four of the band's five full-length albums.
  • In 2006, The Used drummer Branden Steineckert left the band to become a permanent member of the Punk band Rancid. In Steineckert's absence, Good Charlotte drummer Dean Butterworth recorded some of the drum parts for 2007's Lies for the Liars and played a few shows with the band as a session musician. In late 2006, The Used announced that Dan Whitesides would be Steineckert's permanent replacement.
  • The members of The Used used to be good friends with the members of My Chemical Romance. The Used lead singer Bert McCracken sang on the My Chemical Romance single "You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison," which appeared on MCR's 2004 album Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge.
  • In 2005, The Used headlined the inaugural Taste of Chaos tour, which was created by Vans Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman as a "winter Warped Tour." The band returned to headline the tour again in 2007.
  • The Used lead singer Bert McCracken used to date reality TV star and socialite Kelly Osbourne. But in 2006, McCracken broke up with Osbourne on the worst possible day: Valentine's Day. McCracken later told Playboy that he broke up with Osbourne because he's "20 years old and scared of commitment."

Comments: 1

  • Ella Wright from Austraina I’m a big fan of the used they are my fav love you guys
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Pam Tillis

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.

Did They Really Sing In That Movie?

Did They Really Sing In That Movie?Fact or Fiction

Bradley Cooper, Michael J. Fox, Rami Malek, Reese Witherspoon, Gwyneth Paltrow and George Clooney: Which actors really sang in their movies?

Cy Curnin of The Fixx

Cy Curnin of The FixxSongwriter Interviews

The man who brought us "Red Skies" and "Saved By Zero" is now an organic farmer in France.

Randy Houser

Randy HouserSongwriter Interviews

The "How Country Feels" singer talks Skynyrd and songwriting.

Ian Gillan of Deep Purple

Ian Gillan of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan explains the "few red lights" in "Smoke On The Water" and talks about songs from their 2020 album Whoosh!

Donald Fagen

Donald FagenSongwriter Interviews

Fagen talks about how the Steely Dan songwriting strategy has changed over the years, and explains why you don't hear many covers of their songs.