Being in a band is like being in a family. The difference is, when you get sick of each other in a band, you get to split off and name a side project after yourself instead of being stuck constantly screening your phone calls. Some bands have the music part down pat but wouldn't be caught in the same room as their drummer. When this happens, the band usually ends up existing purely in the past tense. Here are a couple bands that drifted apart way before they should have.

Summer means festivals. And those all-you-can-eat -- um, hear -- sonic explosions have more than enough sights and sounds to keep you entertained the entire day. But with 90 decibels of bass pounding into your chest, it can be difficult to remember some of the basics of survival.

Leslie West grew up in New York City and started out as one of the original members of The Vagrants. Of course, he is best known as the guitarist for the hard rock group Mountain, who Rolling Stone once called “a louder version of Cream.” The band gave us classics like “Mississippi Queen” and “Theme from an Imaginary Western” and was credited with helping the development of heavy metal.

Widely hailed as one of the best live acts in music and one of the last remaining members of the 2000's garage rock revival, The Hives are set to unleash their new album Lex Hives on the masses on June 5 for the United States.