Just Taking a Long Shot
I have two words for you: Green Day. An iconic punk band that has topped the charts for more than thirty years. And they even gained themselves a seat in the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame. You would think that a band boasting a lengthy discography, holding multiple world tours back-to-back, turning one of their most famous works into a full length Broadway rock opera, and even releasing countless behind-the-scenes documentaries would sit down at the end of the day and say, "Wow I’m beat and can’t imagine doing anything else.” Well, you’re wrong. Billie Joe Armstrong, lead vocals/guitar, was born in Oakland, California to a big, bustling family and developed an affinity for music at a very, young age. His first debut single was known as “Look for Love” and recorded at Fiat Records in the Bay area when Armstrong was just five years old. From there his passion for music spread like a wildfire. At the ripe age of 10 years old, Armstrong met Mike Dirnt and they dove into a life-long bond through music.Dirnt and Armstrong formed their first band together known as Sweet Children. Shortly after, the guys were faced with a dilemma as their drummer, Al Sobrante, wished to pursue his education and no longer perform with the band. They then recruited the wild stylings of Tre Cool to join their band and from there the rest was history.
They renamed themselves Green Day and went on to conquer every punk rock dream they had set out for themselves. But these guys didn’t stop there. They have a passion for music that radiates throughout their souls. This passion for music drives them to constantly be playing around with smaller, side project bands.The guys not only play in Green Day but they also play in several of their own side projects. Mike Dirnt has also played in bands such as The Frustrators, The Network, Foxboro Hot Tubs, and The Cover Ups. Tre Cool has been seen playing with The Network, Foxboro Hot Tubs, and of course his original band the Lookouts. Billie Joe Armstrong has been the mastermind behind several of these side-projects as well as made on-stage cameos for several different bands at festivals.
For instance, Armstrong can be found playing in the bands Green Day, The Network, Foxboro Hot Tubs, The Armstrongs, The Boo, Pinhead Gunpowder, and the Cover Ups. He has done on stage cameos with bands such as The Replacements and Rancid as well as teaming up with artists like The Lonely Island, Norah Jones and Miranda Lambert for various songs and albums.And to think on top of all of this, these guys still have free time to be avid surfers, motorcyclists, and active in the community outreach efforts. Not to mention the longshot that there may be a new side project in the works that has the Green Day fandom, a.k.a. Idiot Nation, completely beside themselves. It may be a longshot, but the Idiot Nation has discovered an account on Instagram that only has a few hundred followers and is only following a handful of people.
The account is being followed by Billie Joe, Billie’s Wife Adrienne, Green Day’s photographer Gregg Schneider, and The Cover Ups. The account has several clues within its posts but the most blatant one being there are several posts which feature Billie Joe’s handwriting. The account’s biography reads “New album, ‘Love is for Losers’ coming eventually”. The Idiot Nation is taking a longshot and saying this is Billie’s follow up to his most recent side-project The Cover Ups and we are hoping that eventually comes sooner rather than later. Let’s hope this Longshot is right.
See you soon, Billie and friends.