#44: Goldfinger

I see their lips move, but all I hear is shit

At 44 is Goldfinger, who were forever banned from Late Night With Conan O'Brien after flipping him over their shoulders following an in-studio performance

Wiki says: Goldfinger is a Los Angeles pop punk/ska punk band that formed in 1994...Since the band began, Feldmann has become a vegan and animal rights supporter, as can be seen briefly in the music video for "Open Your Eyes". They also donated the song "What Gives You The Right" to the Southern Animal Rights Coalition benefit CD, "Until Every Cage Is Empty", as well as writing the song "Free Kevin Kjonaas", an animal rights prisoner, known as the most involved individual in the SHAC 7. He also advocates and supports the Animal Liberation Front.

Discovery: Goldfinger (1996)

Hang-Ups (1997)

Stomping Ground (2000)

Open Your Eyes (2002)

Disconnection Notice (2005)

Hello Destiny (2008)

Other releases/contributions:

• Darrin's Coconut Ass Live (1999)
• Soundtracks for: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, Gran Turismo 3, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4, Burnout Revenge, Burnout Legends, Andy McDonald's Skateboarding, ESNP X-Games Snowboarding, SSX On Tour, Shaun White Snowboarding, Not Another Teen Movie, Europtrip, The Waterboy, Dead Man on Campus
• Featured in Reel Big Fish's music video for "Sell Out"
• "The Innocent" with Good Charlotte and Mest

Favorite Songs: 10. How Do You Do It?
9. San Simeon
8. Just Like Heaven (The Cure cover)
7. 99 Red Balloons (Nena cover)
6. Here in Your Bedroom
5. If I'm Not Right
4. This Lonely Place
3. Superman
2. Handjobs For Jesus
1. Get Up

Years Active: 1994-Present

Never seen them live. I would have, but I woke up the morning of the show at noon on my friend's floor. I didn't plan on driving down the shore that afternoon

Goldfinger only narrowly survived being a product of the Summer of Ska in 1997. Following the genre's fade away, Goldfinger switched to a more trendy form of pop-punk. The result was a pretty bad "Open Your Eyes" in 2002, and a really bad "Disconnection Notice" in 2005. Right around then, they also released a "Greatest Hits" album that really did them justice. It was clear in the bio notes that they were much happier back in their earlier days, and a change soon came. 2008's "Hello Destiny" was a return to ska and punk, and is where some of the better songs came from.

Up Next: Another mainstream successful band, and one you'd be a little surprised to see so high up on my list