The Controversial History of Staind frontman Aaron Lewis

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How do you go from the frontman of one of the top bands of the late 90’s and early 2000’s to a staunchly conservative country singer who isn’t afraid to berate his fans at concerts and stir up controversy?

That’s what today’s video is all about - the story of why the internet hates Staind - or to put it even better - why they hate Aaron Lewis.

Before we dive in, I want to point out something pretty crazy about this story which is that Lewis has been at the top of the musical charts in two completely different genres - in rock as the frontman of Staind and outlaw country as a solo artist..

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Alright, let’s get into it and take it back to the early 90’s - 1993 specifically - when
Staind vocalist Aaron Lewis and guitarist Michael Mushok (Ma-shock) met at a Christmas party in Springfield, Massachusetts. The band’s lineup was complete by 1995, the same year they started performing live, with the addition of drummer Jon Wysocki and bassist Johnny April.
They originally gained a following by touring throughout the Northeastern United States, covering songs from acts including Korn and Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam and Rage Against the Machine.

Fans of the band most frequently reference their first two albums - 1996’s Tormented and 1999’s Dysfunction, which had a heavier sound compared to their later records which became more radio friendly and arguably more watered down.


It was a chance connection with Limp Bizkit which really helped to propel the band into superstardom. In 1997, through an introduction from Aaron Lewis’s cousin named Justin Cantor, they got on the bill with Limp Bizkit - whose frontman Fred Durst later signed Staind to his Flip Records label in 1998.
In a 2000 interview with The Times Leader, Lewis talks about how their music has impacted their fans:

“Kids come up to me all the time and thank me for saving them through my lyrics. They say they wouldn’t be here talking to me if it wasn’t for what I was saying in those songs.”
In that same interview, Lewis talks about how opening for Korn’s Family Values Tour in 1999 was a big moment in their career and made the band feel like things were going really well for them.

((“We’re playing in front of much more people and things are going amazing. It’s really surreal.”))
Things shifted for the band in 2001 with the release of their third album, Break The Cycle, which contained the single called “It’s Been A While” which helped the album debut at the number one spot on the Billboard 200 charts.
A user on the Reddit perfectly summed up how this was a departure point for hardcore fans of the band:

“ They changed sound towards a radio friendly singalong poppy sound. A lot of people don't even know about tormented and Dysfunction, with their introduction with Staind starting at Outside and It’s Been A While, which while being inoffensive enough, aren't exactly 'heavy'.
No matter your personal opinion of the band, their commercial success was undeniable. During their time together as a band, they’ve had 5 chart-topping singles, released eight studio records and sold more than 15 million albums.
2001 would also be the time period when harsher critics would claim Staind became “butt rock” - “A style of hard rock & heavy metal music that is watered down both musically and lyrically to garner maximum radio play and mainstream acceptance as urban dictionary would put it.
If you’re wondering what other bands fit under this category - even though it’s somewhat a matter of opinion -, acts like theory of a deadman, three day’s grace, puddle of mudd, stonesour, seether and shinedown to give you an idea.
I’d also add Nickleback to that list.

Staind’s albums following “Break the Cycle” also topped the Billboard chart - 2003’s "14 Shades Of Grey" and 2005’s "Chapter V". In 2011, original drummer Jon Wysocki left the band and by July of 2012 the band had officially announced a hiatus. But that didn’t mean Aaron Lewis was going on hiatus, in fact he was about to go in a completely new direction musically speaking.