Blue October

At age 13, Justin Furstenfeld started his first band, The Last Wish, whose song “Black Orchid” later appeared on Blue October’s debut album, The Answers. ∙ In 1998, Kid Rock’s manager discovered Blue October while they were performing at a restaurant in Houston. ∙ Six of the band’s albums have reached the Top 40 in the US, including 2006’s Foiled, which went Platinum. ∙ They’ve had 15 Top 40 singles, including the Platinum-selling “Hate Me” and “Into the Ocean.” ∙ The band’s fifth studio album, Approaching Normal, was helmed by Grammy Award-winning producer Steve Lillywhite (U2, The Killers, The Rolling Stones). ∙ Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight novels, has credited Blue October with inspiring her work. ∙ In 2020, Blue October released Get Back Up, a documentary about Furstenfeld’s struggles with mental illness and substance abuse.