Early years and formation (1995–1999) Guitarist Christopher Thorn and bassist Brad Smith were members of
alternative rock band
Blind Melon. The band released two studio albums,
Blind Melon and
Soup, before singer
Shannon Hoon died of a
drug overdose in 1995. Smith and Thorn moved to Seattle, Washington following Hoon's death, with the band taking extended break, releasing
Nico, a rarities compilation album, in 1996. The same year, the remaining band members began discussing the possibility of continuing Blind Melon with a new vocalist, eventually deciding to continue under a different moniker and, unsuccessfully, auditioning a number of singers before going their separate ways. while Thorn produced
Amy Correia's album
Carnival Love, recorded with
Live, on their album
The Distance to Here, It was during recording that Smith invited friend, and former
Pearl Jam drummer,
Dave Krusen to record with them,
Unified Theory and break up (1999–2001) By 2000, Unified Theory signed with
Universal Records subsidiary 3.33 Music Group The album was recorded at Stank Face Laboratories and Lucky Dog Studios in Seattle, and was produced by both Thorn and Smith, Jon Bolton and Matthew Steer contributed additional drums to the recording, while string arrangements were handled by Dave Dysart. In June, Unified Theory shot a music video for their first single "California" with director Bobby G,
Unified Theory went on to sell over 16,000 albums by 2002. "California" and "Wither" were both released as singles. However, with the exception of Seattle, most major market radio stations avoided playing "California." Lina Lecaro, of the
Los Angeles Times, describes the album as "a little too much like its members' former projects." However, "there are a couple of unique gems in the derivative dust."
The Stranger stated that the album "sounds like
Jane's Addiction, but not as hard."
Classic Rock stated that the band's "self-titled debut has to be one of the most exciting, spiritual albums of recent times" and that "their sound combines flashes of the off-the-wall genius that was
Blind Melon's calling card, the odd reminder of the 90s
Seattle scene and a whole host of fascinating influences." In 2001, the band headlined their own North American tour from February 12–March 1, before performing at
South by Southwest in March. The band began writing and recording material for their second album before announcing their breakup later in the year. The album featured contributions from his former Blind Melon bandmates, with Smith touring in support of the album in 2002. and American Minor's self-titled debut album released on August 16, the same year. In 2006, Thorn co-produced
Cheyenne Kimball's debut album,
The Day Has Come, which also featured additional drums by Krusen, released on July 11, while Smith and Thorn produced
Under the Influence of Giants'
self-titled album, released on August 8 the same year. Shinn moved to Los Angeles, following the breakup, and began working on a new band with Krusen called Move As A Verb. Though they recorded one song, titled "Want and Need," Shinn and Krusen would part ways, with Shinn forming Everything is Energy with former
She Wants Revenge guitarist Thomas Froggatt and former
Ours drummer Kirke Jan in 2003. The same year, he contributed drums to
Thee Heavenly Music Association's debut album
Shaping the Invisible, while in 2008, Krusen's former band
Candlebox released first album in ten years entitled
Into the Sun, which featured additional drums previously recorded by Krusen. After befriending singer Travis Warren, who was interested in having Smith and Thorn produce his music, the trio, along with former Blind Melon members
Rogers Stevens and Glen Graham, began working with Warren on new songs and announced the reformation of Blind Melon in 2006. They toured from October 8–22 in 2007, and released their first studio album, since
Soup, entitled
For My Friends on April 22, 2008. The band performed at the
MusiCares MAP Fund benefit concert and announced plans to tour in support of their album. However, the tour was soon cancelled after Blind Melon parted ways with Warren. The band were to perform a number of shows with Thorn and Smith's former bandmate Shinn, though a lack of preparation time resulted in the band cancelling the tour. Unified Theory released their second album,
Cinematic, on
iTunes in December 2006. The band did not reunite to perform any shows to promote the album. Unified Theory reunited for one show on August 4, 2010 at the King King in Hollywood. Chris Shinn's other band Everything is Energy opened the show. Chris Shinn joined the band
Live in 2012 as their new lead singer, staying in that role until 2016. ==Musical style==