Page 3

Chester Bennington – vocals

Rob Bourdon – drums

Brad Delson – guitar, bass

Phoenix – bass

Joseph Hahn – DJ/samples

Mike Shinoda – vocals/emcee

Ask Linkin Park guitarist Brad Delson for a wish-list of bands he'd like to tour with, and
he's ready with a response. "We told our manager, 'Pick a band and we can tour with
them.' Our music reaches out in so many directions that there's pretty much an unlimited
amount of cool bands with which we could play.."

Delson is understandably proud of the diversity and uniqueness apparent on the band's
debut album, Hybrid Theory (the band's original name). Built on an aggressive hard rock
foundation, flavored with hip-hop vocal stylings and electronic flourishes, Linkin Park's
sound is utterly their own, an accomplishment strengthened by the band's remarkably
powerful and unforced songwriting. But almost everything about Linkin Park has been
unforced, including their Southern California origins.

Delson and emcee/vocalist Mike Shinoda attended the same high school together, where
Delson also met the band's drummer, Rob Bourdon. Shinoda then hooked up with DJ
Joseph Hahn while studying painting at the Pasadena Art Center. The final piece in the
puzzle was singer Chester Bennington, a transplanted Arizona native who started making
records when he was sixteen.

"Since I learned how to talk I've been telling everybody I was gonna grow up to be a
singer," laughs Bennington. "When I was two, I used to run around singing Foreigner
songs – there's tapes of me doing that."

The combination of Bennington's rich, mammoth vocal style clicked immediately with
Shinoda's streetwise emceeing. "I think one of Chester and Mike's goals is to be as
integrated as possible," offers Delson. "We want our sound to come across so that people
go, 'oh, that's Linkin Park,' not 'I heard this hip-hop part, and now they're hitting me over the
head with this rock chorus.' We want everything to have dynamics, but also a continuous
cohesive flavor, so that you know what band you're listening to."

It was that cohesive style and instantly memorable songs that attracted immediate
attention, starting with a publishing offer after the band's very first show at L.A.'s famed
Whisky. After showcasing around town and eventually inking with Warner Bros., the band
began work on their first album with producer Don Gilmore (Eve 6, Lit, Pearl Jam). "We
met with a lot of people and had a very difficult time deciding," says Shinoda. "But Don,
aside from making things sound good, stood out as someone who could really push us
further as songwriters.

The end result is an album that's as well-crafted and melodic as it is confrontational, with a
strong lyrical message.

"We try to push real things through in our lyrics; whether it's feeling insignificant or
questioning your own thoughts or discovering the dark side of yourself."

Weaving influences as diverse as Deftones, Nine Inch Nails, Aphex Twin, and The Roots
into a single unified whole, Linkin Park and Hybrid Theory are living proof that a fresh
combination of talent, an unwavering dedication to craft, and a pure artistic vision can
result in a powerful musical statement.

"I've wanted to do this my whole life, and I feel really blessed to be here," says Bennington.
"A lot of hard work and dedication and faith can get you through anything and make it
happen."