Those who love '90s music can't help but sing along when hearing the catchy Third Eye Blind single "Semi-Charmed Life." While the band (which includes singer Stephan Jenkins, bassist Alex LeCavalier, guitarist and keyboardist Colin Creeve, guitarist Kryz Reid, and drummer Brad Hargreaves) released an album in 2021 called "Our Bande Apart," it's fair to say that they blew up in the 1990s. And while they haven't been quite as popular since, they have definitely made headlines from time to time.
In 2020, Jason Slater, once the Third Eye Blind bassist, passed away, and Alyssa Carlson, his daughter, explained to TMZ that he had liver failure. This was really sad news for fans of the band, who might be surprised to learn that Third Eye Blind had some controversies that have followed them around.
Fights between bands are pretty common, like David Lee Roth and Gene Simmons feuding. And it sounds like a few bands have some trouble with Third Eye Blind... or the singer Stephan Jenkins in particular.
Did Third Eye Blind And Smash Mouth Fight?
Smash Mouth singer Steve Harwell upset fans when he said some confusing things at a concert and then said that he wouldn't be making music anymore. And Steve Harwell spoke about Stephan Jenkins and it doesn't seem like he likes him. A 2014 article in The Washington Post called "Why does Smash Mouth hate Third Eye Blind so much?" shared all the details.
The publication mentioned a lawsuit that could be the reason why Steve Harwell, the singer for Smash Mouth, doesn't like Third Eye Blind's singer Stephan Jenkins.
According to MTV, Kevin Cadogan, who once played guitar for Third Eye Blind, sued Jenkins, Third Eye Blind and the band's managers. While Cadogan sued for breach of contract, wrongful termination, and fraud, the lawsuit was settled.
Cadogan said that Third Eye Blind forced him to leave the band and he wasn't given any notice. He said that when Third Eye Blind hired a new guitar player, Tony Fredianelli, who had been part of the band before, and played on The Tonight Show in January of 2000, he was still in a Utah hotel. They decided to go on their way without even talking to him.
To make things worse, he said that Third Eye Blind wanted him to cover the costs of the hotel stay. While the other musicians were on the same page about creating an imprint of Elektra Records and heading into the studio for an EP, Cadogan didn't like this idea, and that's why he was out.
Steve Harwell, Smash Mouth's singer, and Paul De Lisle, the bassist for Smash Mouth, were in a band with Cadogan, so it sounds like, according to The Washington Post, Harwell was sticking up with his friend.
The publication also reported that in 2010, Harwell said of Stephan Jenkins, "he’s not a good person. That’s all I’ll say about that.”
And when the bands performed at Napa Valley, California's BottleRock Festival in the summer of 2014, Harwell, told concertgoers some negative things about Jenkins.
What Did Jimmy Eat World's Zach Lind Say About Third Eye Blind's Stephan Jenkins?
Zach Lind, the drummer for Jimmy Eat World, tweeted in August 2019 that he knew something about Third Eye Blind singer Stephan Jenkins. He tweeted that he's "creepy," which definitely got people's attention. He then posted photos of the band and wrote, "Just the way these photos are arranged tells you all you need to know about that operation."
According to Lind, Jenkins didn't treat his fellow band members well when it came to their contracts. Lind tweeted "I genuinely feel bad for anyone stepping in to defend this dude when they have no idea what they’re defending. My assessment of the man here is extravagantly generous."
Lind explained what he said that he knew about Jenkins. He tweeted, "you’re coming to the defense of someone who literally redrafted his bands recording contract for his own benefit on the eve of the signing & didn’t tell his bandmates until years later!" Lind didn't say where the source of this information came from.
While these tweets would suggest that Lind doesn't like Jenkins at all, he did play with him on the same tour. In January 2019, the two bands announced that they were heading out on tour together. They called it the Summer Gods Tour and played in cities around the United States such as Boston, San Diego, Portland, St. Louis, Seattle, and Salt Lake City.
At the time, Jimmy Eat World sounded happy to be part of the tour. The band said, “We couldn’t be more excited to spend our 25th summer as a band touring the country of our birth to play music for our American fan. Thanks to Third Eye Blind for inviting us to be a part of this amazing tour. We can’t wait to hang out with our fans as well as making some new friends!" according to Rolling Stone.
Third Eye Blind Was Involved In A Lawsuit With Anthony Fredianelli
While it's true that many bands have had various members over the years, and it's fairly common for people to move on as things change in their lives, it's also fair to note that Third Eye Blind has had quite a lot of changeovers.
When the band first got together in 1993, it consisted of bassist Jason Slater, drummer Adrian Burley, and guitarist Kevin Cadogan, along with Stephan Jenkins, who played electric guitar along with writing songs and singing. When hearing about the story of Third Eye Blind, many former band members often come up.
Third Eye Blind was also involved in a lawsuit in 2013 that involved Anthony Fredianelli, who had been a band member playing guitar for a total of nine years. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he was told to leave Third Eye Blind in 2009.
The Hollywood Reporter shared that Fredianelli said that when he became the guitarist, he was paid $1,000 each week if the band wasn't doing anything, but otherwise, his weekly salary was $1,750.
The problem is that, according to Fredianelli, he was told that he would be paid a higher salary than that after two years. But the band didn't think that is what the plan was.
Fredianelli won $447,329 in the lawsuit, and he didn't stop playing music. According to The Ringer, three musicians who were once part of Third Eye Blind joined a band called ZEB together: Tony Fredianelli, Kevin Cadogan, and Arion Salazar.
They were preparing to go on tour in the summer of 2017. This was fascinating because that same summer, Third Eye Blind was touring to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their first album.
Cadogan explained in an interview with The Ringer, "I suppose it’s a bit of a bittersweet thing. It’s different, because we’re not necessarily doing a victory lap. I am with the people that I made the record with. Arion. Jenkins gets to do the victory lap, but he doesn’t have that. I think having the relationships is probably more important than the trademark, in the end of your life. A little piece of paper is not going to do you much good when you’re 70."
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