Staind (/stend/ STAYND) is a 1995 American rock band from Springfield, Massachusetts. Aaron Lewis, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist, Mike Mushok, bassist and backing vocalist Johnny April, and drummer Jon Wysocki comprised the original lineup. With the exception of Wysocki’s departure in 2011, who was replaced by Sal Giancarelli, the lineup has remained steady. Tormented (1996), Dysfunction (1999), Break the Cycle (2001), 14 Shades of Grey (2003), Chapter V (2005), The Illusion of Progress (2008), and Staind (2011) are Staind’s studio albums. Break the Cycle went five times platinum in the United States and produced a top-five Billboard Hot 100 hit with its lead single “It’s Been Awhile” in the early 2000s. Break the Cycle, as well as the band’s next two full-length albums, topped the Billboard 200, and the two after that landed in the top five. Several of their later singles, including “Fade”, “For You”, “Price to Play”, “So Far Away”, and “Right Here”, went on to become rock and pop classics.
The band’s activities grew more intermittent after the publication of their self-titled album, with Lewis pursuing a solo country music career and Mushok later joining the band Saint Asonia, but they continued to play on and off in the years that followed. Lewis stated in 2016 that the band had not broken up and that another record was possible, but that his current focus was on his solo career. The band reformed more permanently in 2019 for numerous gigs and will continue to perform live in 2020.