Strung Out

Frontman Jason Cruz started Strung Out in 1989 when he was just 15 years old. A few years earlier, he had seen Depeche Mode at his first concert ever and it changed his life. Cruz also cites Jimi Hendrix, Hank Williams Sr., Tom Waits, and Bob Dylan was his influences.

Strung Out frontman Jason Cruz is also a tattoo artist and painter. After apprenticing in oil painting for two years, Cruz went out on his own and began showcasing his work under the moniker Amerikan Blackheart.

The title for Strung Out's 1996 album Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues came from combining two of the band's main influences. The phrase is a combination of Bob Dylan's song "Subterranean Homesick Blues" and a phrase from The Who's song "Baba O'Riley."