Members Of Third Eye Blind Share First Car Memories
Mercury Insurance and Live Nation have partnered up again to help connect music fans with the artists they love through the creation of Mercury’s ‘My First Car’ series, which provides an inside look at artists’ fond memories and firsts behind the wheel.
Third Eye Blind is an American rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1993. The songwriting duo of Stephan Jenkins and Kevin Cadogan signed the band’s first major-label recording contract with Elektra Records in 1996. The band released their self-titled debut album in 1997, with the band largely consisting of Jenkins (vocals, rhythm guitar), Cadogan (lead guitar), Arion Salazar (bass guitar), and Brad Hargreaves (drums).
‘There are some common experiences in life that can bridge the personal connection between artists and fans and one of them is owning your first car,’ said Erik Thompson, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Mercury Insurance. ‘We built the ‘My First Car’ series with that in mind. There are so many memories associated with owning your first car and we wanted to give artists the opportunity to share those stories with their audiences and the world.’
Third Eye Blind found commercial success in the late 1990s, with the albums “Third Eye Blind” and “Blue” becoming certified platinum six times and single platinum in the United States, respectively. Several songs were commercial successes as well, with “Semi-Charmed Life”, “Jumper”, and “How’s It Going to Be”, all reaching the Top 10 of the US Billboard Hot 100, and “Never Let You Go” reaching the Top 20. Third Eye Blind has sold over 12 million records and continues to tour and share its music with fans worldwide.
‘My first car was a 1960 Volkswagen Bug. Being in high school and saving up for it gave me one of the first real senses of autonomy and individuation,’ said Third Eye Blind lead vocalist Stephan Jenkins. ‘The first thing I did after getting the Bug was driving around hoping people would see me and know I had a car.’ Third Eye Blind is among several artists participating in Mercury’s My First Car series.
