Hurtsmile is a band fronted by Extreme

Extreme (band)

Extreme is an American rock band, headed by frontmen Gary Cherone and Nuno Bettencourt, that reached the height of their popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s.Among some of Extreme's musical influences are Queen and Van Halen...

 singer Gary Cherone

Gary Cherone

Gary Francis Caine Cherone is an American rock singer-songwriter. He is best known for his work with the rock group Extreme, as well as his short stint as the lead singer for Van Halen on their 11th album Van Halen III and subsequent tour. In recent years he has released solo recordings. In 2007,...

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Cherone started the project in 2007 with his brother Mark. Some demos were released on the internet, but plans for an album were put on hold once plans for the eventual Extreme reunion emerged. After the release of Saudades de Rock

Saudades de Rock

* Track 14 appears only on the European version released by Frontiers Records.* Japanese edition includes bonus track "Mr. Bates " instead of "Americocaine ".- Chart information :-Credits:*Gary Cherone - lead vocals...

 and the subsequent 2009 tour, Bettencourt went on tour with Rihanna

Rihanna

Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...

, putting Extreme on hiatus and giving time for Cherone to return to the Hurtsmile project. The album was then recorded and released January 2011 in Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 and February 2011 in the US.

Besides brothers Gary and Mark Cherone, who also play together in Slip Kid, a The Who

The Who

The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...

 tribute band, the band features Joe Pessia, who plays with Tantric

Tantric (band)

Tantric is a rock band from Louisville, Kentucky. The group has released four studio albums since 2001; although, their last two albums only retain Tantric's original singer, Hugo Ferreira...

 and was the bassist for Bettencourt's DramaGods

DramaGods

DramaGods is a rock band led by Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt.The band originally started as a solo project from Bettencourt when he released his album Population 1 in 2002. On the album, he recorded all the instruments on most of the tracks...

 and drummer Dana Spellman, who was a student of Extreme's former drummer Mike Mangini

Mike Mangini

Mike Mangini is an American drummer, and the current drummer for the progressive metal band Dream Theater. He has played for Annihilator, Extreme, James LaBrie, and Steve Vai, among others. He lectured at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and is also known for his work as a session musician...

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Band members

• Gary Cherone
  Gary Cherone
  Gary Francis Caine Cherone is an American rock singer-songwriter. He is best known for his work with the rock group Extreme, as well as his short stint as the lead singer for Van Halen on their 11th album Van Halen III and subsequent tour. In recent years he has released solo recordings. In 2007,...
  
   - lead vocals
• Mark Cherone - guitars
• Joe Pessia - bass guitar
  Bass guitar
  The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
  
  
• Dana Spellman - drums
  Drum kit
  A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....