"bubblegum" music. He said: "We didn't try to sound like anyone. We just stole from everyone. That's what good artists do in my opinion." The Pink Spiders Are Taking Over! (2004) was influenced by The Ramones, The Dead Boys, Buddy Holly, and the Bay City Rollers. The band's live debut consisted of a sold-out show in Nashville. Friction was a booking agent for The Muse and used that knowledge to find shows for the band. Meanwhile, Ferrari worked as a substitute teacher and the group donated plasma to fund their tours. The Pink Spiders also smoked a lot, a habit evident in promotional snapshots of the band. The group eventually befriended the band Sadaharu. It was through them that The Pink Spiders found a record label to release their debut studio album. The Pennsylvania-based and independent label, CI Records, released Hot Pink on January 4, 2005. The album has the trademarks of 1960s teen pop; it features the pop of a needle, crackles, and even hisses in between tracks. Influences from artists such as Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, and Cheap Trick were apparent in Friction's songwriting. A vinyl version of the record was also released by Nashville's Spat! Records. The band toured nonstop, battling the chaos offered by life on the road; their trailer caught on fire in Buffalo and the band slept in the New York City Subway and the PATH when they had nowhere to sleep. The Viper Room and a major-label contract (2005) An old friend of Friction, Jason Hollis, lived in Los Angeles and told the group about Dan Catullo, a producer. Catullo arranged a private show for the band at West Hollywood's The Viper Room, where they would perform for numerous major labels. The group asked their friend, Dave Paulson (frontman of Nashville-based The Privates), to play guitar with them at the show and he accepted. The four slept over at a living unit located above Catullo's recording studio. Their performance on March 2, 2005 at The Viper Room was a success. "After the set, the curtains closed and Jordan Schur ran onstage. He was immediately stopped by security but just barreled through them," said Friction of the experience. Ferrari said he opened his arms, exclaiming, "I gotta have this band!!!" Schur was the CEO of Geffen Records. Several weeks following the show, The Pink Spiders chose Geffen among 11 major-label offers. Walking into the