Four guys, one high school, and a collective love of music is all that it took for Sum 41 to come together. Hailing from Ajax, a little town outside of Toronto, ONT, Deryck (vocals/guitar), Steve (drums), Cone (bass), and Dave (guitar) met through school and at the local clubs as opposing rockers.

Taking the best elements of each individual band, the guys came together to form "a Superband!" laughs Deryck. After a listen to the new album All Killer, No Filler you may soon agree.

Their first single, "Fat Lip," has steadily climbed the pop and alternative charts for months. The radio exposure, plus a creative and funny video in heavy rotation on MTV, MTV2 and MuchMusic, has lead Sum 41 to be dubbed "the next huge thing in pop-punk culture."

The recent success has lead to Sum 41 landing a place on the MTV Campus Invasion Tour, the 2001 Vans Warped Tour, and a slot opening for one of the most popular bands of the pop-punk genre, Blink 182. Not bad for a group of guys just a couple years removed from high school. All of the new-found celebrity status is amazing and has the guys pumped. "We're all really excited," says Deryck, "but we're not letting it go to our heads." They've even been referred to as "the next Blink 182." Deryck and the boys seem genuinely touched with the comparison. "I think it's great," he laughs, "I'd love to accomplish as much as they have."

Sum 41's youth and shenanigans led the band to a recording contract with Island Records. "We were playing around, just some off shows," Deryck remembers, "We made a tape of us just being ourselves and our manager sent it off to some record companies. Then they started to come see us play. Island was really cool and they seemed to be the most into us."

Both the songwriting and the live playing is what really stands out with Sum 41. The effort is collective, with Deryck starting it off. "I write the main parts as much as I can," he describes, "and then I'll bring it to the band. Then everyone adds to it."

Once a song is written, it's the transition into the stage show that really makes the song come to life. By all accounts, a Sum 41 concert is one of the most lively and energetic shows you will ever see. This is a band that loves to perform, and the crowds are appreciative and into it from beginning to end.

www.sum41.com