Belinda Carlisle Go-Go's (originally named the Misfits), with friends and fellow musicians Margot Olavarria, Elissa Bello, and Jane Wiedlin. Olavarria and Bello were soon out of the group and the new line-up included bassist-turned-guitarist Charlotte Caffey, guitarist-turned-bassist Kathy Valentine, and drummer Gina Schock. All five women were largely untrained musicians, and Carlisle recalls having to use tape as fret markers during their initial songwriting: "[Charlotte] had to show us how to plug in our amps," she said. The Go-Go's would go on to become one of the most successful American bands of the 1980s, helping usher new wave music into popular American
All I Was two main projects in an interview with the "Nottingham Post", "The bands are so different. And I write so much. I'm going to do a solo record because there are some songs that I'd hate to think wouldn't see the light of day because they don't work for Creed or Alter Bridge." He decided to do the album during "a three-month window when [Alter Bridge singer] Myles Kennedy was out with Slash and [Creed singer] Scott Stapp was doing some touring." He described the album as "melody-driven," and as "a heavier-sounding album," with elements of thrash and speed metal. In