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Green Day was part of the California punk scene. Childhood friends Billie Joe Armstrong (guitar, vocals) and Mike Dirnt (bass; born Mike Pritchard) formed their first band, Sweet Children, in Rodeo, California when they were 14 years old. By 1989, the group had added drummer Al Sobrante and changed their name to Green Day. That year, the band independently released their first EP, "1,000 Hours," which was well-received in the punk scene.

Soon, the group had signed a contract with the local independent label, Lookout! Records. "39/Smooth," Green Day's first album, was released later that year. Shortly after its release, the band replaced Kiftmeyer with Tre Cool (born Frank Edwin Wright, III); Tre Cool became the band's permanent drummer.

Throughout the early '90s, Green Day continued to cultivate a cult following, which only gained strength with the release of their second album, 1992's "Kerplunk." The underground success of "Kerplunk" led to a wave of interest from major record labels; the band eventually decided to sign with Reprise. "Dookie," Green Day's major label debut, was released in the spring of 1994. Thanks to MTV support for the initial single "Longview," "Dookie" became a major hit.

The album continued to gain momentum throughout the summer, with the second single "Basket Case" spending five weeks on the top of the American modern rock charts. At the end of the summer, the band stole the show at Woodstock '94, which helped the sales of "Dookie" increase. By the time the fourth single "When I Come Around" began its seven-week stay at number one in the modern rock charts in early 1995, "Dookie" had sold more than five million copies in the US alone; it would eventually top eight million in America, selling more than eleven million copies internationally. "Dookie" also won the 1994 Grammy for Best Alternative Music Performance.

Green Day quickly followed "Dookie" with "Insomniac" in the fall of 1995; during the summer, they hit number one again on the modern rock charts with "J.A.R.," their contribution to the Angus soundtrack. "Insomniac" performed well initially, entering the US charts at number two, and selling more than two million copies by the spring of 1996, yet none of its singles – including the radio favorite "Brain Stew/Jaded" – were as popular as those from "Dookie." In the spring of 1996, Green Day abruptly cancelled a European tour, claiming exhaustion. Following the cancellation, the band spent the rest of the year resting and writing new material. The end result is, what is called by many, the best album of their career, "Nimrod."

"Nimrod" was well received by most critics and fans. The album sold 80,000 copies in its first week to land at #10 on the Billboard charts. The first single from "Nimrod" was "Hitchin' A Ride." The single made it to #5 on the modern rock charts and was in heavy rotation on MuchMusic and MTV. The next single the band released would not make it to number one (its highest position was #2), but it is now probably the most well known song Green Day ever wrote. Featuring Billie Joe on acoustic guitar and vocals, "Time Of Your Life" became the song to play in any remotely sad situation. The song was even used on the last ever episode of the hit TV show "Seinfeld" (it was also the most watched finale in the history of TV).

Along with "Seinfeld," the song was also played on "E.R." on two different shows. "Nimrod" has sold about two million copies, the lowest sales total out of their three major label albums, but it probably garnered the band more respect than they could have expected with another "Dookie" or "Insomniac." The band also vastly improved their live show and even won "Best Live Performance" at the Kerrang awards.

After nearly two years with barely any mention of the band, Green Day returned in late 1999 to play Neil Young's "Bridge School Benefit Concert," their first live acoustic performance. Green Day began recording their follow-up to "Nimrod" shortly after, which would eventually become "Warning:." Early in the recording process, the band decided to fire their new producer, Scott Litt, and produce the album themselves, marking the first time since "Kerplunk" that anyone but Rob Cavallo produced the bands recording. After they finished recording, Green Day decided to do something else they hadn't done before – headline the 2000 Vans Warped Tour. Green Day played an amazing set and brought more fans to the tour than any other year in Warped's history (their Toronto performance alone attracted 7,000 more fans than they had any other year).

"Warning::" was released in the fall of

Photo by Chuck Rogers.

"Award winning Singer/Songwriter Caren Armstrong has been making "big buoyant music" since the tender age of ten years old. She was awarded top honors at the Emerging Songwriter Showcase at the Napa Valley Music Festival, and the 15th Annual Songwriting Competition at the Tucson Folk Festival, and has been a finalist at the Rocky Mt. Folk's Fest and the Wildflower Music and Arts Festival. She is a member of Folk Alliance and was a featured showcase artist at the First Annual FARWest Folk Alliance conference in October 2004. The petite redhead's soaring vocals, sophisticated guitar chops and dynamic performances have endeared her to fans nationwide.

This dangerously honest, wickedly funny, and disarmingly vulnerable songwriter is "one of those rare musicians who plays and sings music from its bones on out. Caren's work has a visceral and deeply satisfying impact, which is invariably garnished with great good humor." Steve Coyle, The Waybacks Bay Area concert promoter Russ Jennings notes: "Caren has found a deeply original voice that the listener experiences as coming from within."

Her playing style references folk, country, blues, jazz, traditional and popular music yet is distinctively her own. Running the emotional gambit from the touching "I Feel Your Love" to the sassy "Stay Away From Me", she entices her listeners to explore their own inner landscapes "with a striking efficiency and fusion of melody and lyrics." Valerie Fasimpaur, Rambles Review. Written with a sharp yet compassionate pen, Armstrong's songs transcend the self-revelatory and speak universally to the human condition in all of its humor and outrage. They are, as Grammy winner Steve Seskin put it: "Songs about real life performed with passion and precision."

Born on a hot July afternoon in Dallas, Texas, raised on the sunny beaches of Southern California, Caren Armstrong taught herself to play guitar at age ten. She was teaching at a local music store by the time she was 13 years old, along side future country stars Vince Gill and Janis Oliver of The Sweethearts of The Rodeo. While still a teenager, she sang for a trio led by West Coast jazz stalwart, the late Gene Leis.

At home in virtually any musical milieu, Armstrong has opened for The Beach Boys, Nanci Griffith, Lee Ann Womack and toured with Dan Hicks as one of the Hot Licks. She has shared the stage with the late Dave Carter and Tracy Grammar, Caroline Aiken, Shawn Mullins, Steve Seskin, Johnsmith, Ellis Paul, Laurie Lewis, Lorin Rowan, Cheryl Wheeler, Garnet Rogers, The Waybacks, Richard Shindell, Richard Berman, Don Conoscenti, Daryl Purpose, Cliff Eberhart, Erin McKeown, Kris Delmhorst, Alvin Youngblood Hart, David Maloney, Tom Prasada Rao, and the much missed Rachel Bissex.

These days Caren lives in Oakland, CA when she is home. In addition to her busy touring schedule, she has hosted monthly songwriter showcases at The Sweetwater (Mill Valley, CA) and at Strings (Oakland, CA). She is currently hosting her showcase, "Celebrating Songwriters" at the Larkspur Cafe Theatre in Marin County. She is in high demand as a private guitar teacher, and will be teaching at the California Coast Music Camp in July 2005. Caren has produced albums for artists such as the new acoustic string band Calavaras, art-folkie Lori B, as well as for Bay Area songwriters Rachel Garlin and Ilene Adar.

Armstrong is endorsed by Santa Cruz Guitars and by Elixir Strings. She has 3 recordings to her credit: Every New Day, Independent Girl, and The Truth Stays True, the latter two recorded and released by Armstrong's label, Wildplum Recordings (Oakland CA). "