The Influents

Jason White - Guitar, Vocals

Greg Schneider - Guitar, Vocals

Willie Samuels - Drums, Engineer
Johnny Wentz - Bass (some of the young, album)
Bill Schneider - Bass (check please, album)
Jeanne Geiger - (all horns, some hammond)
Colin Brooks - Songwriter for (Chain Parades & Perception of Depth)

This Bay Area four-piece have been called folk rock, power pop, punk rock, indie rock, Replacements style rock 'n' roll, mod-ish, jangly, country, and just about everything in between. Fans and critics alike haven't quite been able to pigeonhole them. That's possibly what has kept them so intrigued since the very beginning.

The band was born in 1999 when Pinhead Gunpowder alumni Jason White and Bill Schneider(bass) wanted to try something new, recruiting east bay musician and Bill's brother, Greg Schneider (vocals and guitar) and Willie Samuels (drums). Jason and Greg began writing songs and sharing the vocal duties - sometimes collaborating, other times bringing in their own compositions. After taking their time working and playing together for a little over a year, and after only a handful of live shows, they went in and self-recorded and produced their debut album, Check Please, in the summer of 2000. The articles and reviews came in. They were taken aback by the praise it was receiving in the press and in magazines from all over the globe. Check Please was a Top Five Artist Pick in Rolling Stone and a Top 10 Best Seller at local chain Rasputin's that same year.