The Simple Plan story begins in the mid-1990s, when drummer Chuck Comeau and singer Pierre Bouvier were 13-year-old bandmates in Reset, a loud and fast punk outfit who toured Canada with such likeminded artists as MXPX, Ten Foot Pole, and Face To Face.

Pierre and me have been friends forever, Chuck says. Weve been playing together since the day I got my first drum kit.

Reset released a much-praised debut album in 1997, but the following year Chuck opted out of the band to focus on his studies. Unsurprisingly, the drummer was soon drawn back to music, and in 1999, he started playing with his longtime high school friend, guitarist Jeff Stinco. Sebastien Lefebvre, another guitar-playing high school pal, was soon added into the mix and a new band was born. The only thing missing was a singer and a bass player.

We went on a manhunt, the drummer recalls. We met tons of people, but the more we thought about it, the more we realized that we needed to have Pierre in the band.

Meanwhile, Bouvier had become disillusioned with Reset, where he was handling four-string duties along with vocals.

I wanted to call it quits and go back to school and forget about the whole music thing, Pierre says. Then one night I saw Chuck at a Sugar Ray concert in Montreal, and he was like, Ive got this other band, and were looking for a singer. I went over and watched them practice, and the music was really fresh and really new, so I thought, you know, Ill just give it one more shot. Taking Simple Plan as their moniker, the newly formed quartet began writing material, crafting punk-pop songs inspired by a wide range of artists, from Lagwagon, No Use For A Name, and Pennywise, to Cheap Trick, the Beach Boys, and Elvis Costello. All was progressing full bore, but Simple Plan still felt somehow incomplete.

We thought it needed a little bit more, Pierre says, but what more could we do? We thought it would be a really good thing to have a lot of live interaction with the crowd, so we decided to add a member. That way I could jump around onstage and get up close to the audience

Enter David Desrosiers the singer/bass player who replaced Pierre in Reset. Impressed by Desrosiers talent and stage presence, the band knew right away that here was the missing piece of the puzzle. Simple Plan explained to the bass player that he had to play with their new group, and after a few seconds of hesitation, Desrosiers accepted the invitation. Bouvier was now free to let loose and fully immerse himself in the role of frontman.

We just kind of wanted to be a bit different, Chuck says, and have a bit more movement onstage. Our shows are all about jumping around, having a good time, and just being crazy. And because we have three guys with great voices Pierre, David, and Seb we wanted to focus on three-part harmonies and try to make that our little special thing.

Simple Plan was now officially underway. The quintet, all in their early twenties, recorded a series of demos and began playing all-ages punk shows along with high-profile festivals like Vans Warped Tour 2001, Edge Fest II, and Torontos Snow Jam. All the while, the band continued to refine their setlist until every song was fit to burst with undeniable hooks, high-energy melodies, and shout-it-out-loud choruses.

We always loved the power and energy of punk, explains Chuck, so every song we write has to incorporate that dimension. Otherwise we get bored, you know? And even though our songs are catchy, theyre never really pop. Theres always a lot of angst and intensity going on.

We thought one of the most important things was to take the time to write the best songs possible, Pierre notes. The genre that we are in, its really about the song. Its not like this huge production deal where theres so many things going on. If the song cant stand on its own, then you dont have much, you know?

Simple Plans expertly crafted tunes are predominantly penned by Chuck and Pierre, then brought to life by the entire band.

Jeff will come up with lots of rad guitar leads and textures, notes Pierre. Seb is great at helping out with the arrangements, and David always has good ideas with harmonies. Despite the manic pop thrills of tracks like the cynical singalong The Worst Day Ever and the powerful God Must Hate Me, Simple Plans songs are marked by a strikingly dark and dissatisfied lyrical core.

After writing most of the record, we realized that we had a bunch of catchy songs with really sad and emotional lyrics, Chuck says. We thought it was such a rad contrast. Theres lots of people out there that are not really satisfied with whats going on in their lives, and its the same thing for us. Its so hard to grow up and fit in, even as you get older. Were all like 20 to 22, but we still feel really young. Because were in the band, we kind of never left our teenage years.

In my head, Im still like a 17-year-old kid, Pierre agrees. We know what kids go through, because weve been through that, and were still going through it, so we know how hard it is. We want kids to feel like were talking about them and for them. Its such a good feeling to receive a letter or an e-mail from someone who relates to our songs and says, Damn, youre singing about exactly what I feel.

That band-to-fan connection is noticeably apparent in the albums introductory single, Im Just A Kid. The song which is featured in the Columbia Pictures comedy, The New Guy is as powerful in its expression of teenage angst as it is ridiculously infectious.

Im Just A Kid is about how its hard to fit in and find your place, Chuck says. Its tough to meet people who are there for you in the end, people who care. Its a pretty sad song. Theres a line, What the hell is wrong with me? I think a lot of people can relate to that.

Other tracks on the album like the anthemic Meet You There and the touching Perfect substitute a more atmospheric and bittersweet energy in place of upbeat punchy pop hooks.

I hate the word mature, says Chuck, but theyre just a bit different.

NO PAD, NO HELMETS JUST BALLS was recorded at producer Arnold Lannis Arnyard Studio in Toronto. The sessions saw Simple Plan making a pair of trips across the border in order to work with a couple of musician friends who wanted to be part of the album. First, the band headed to Buffalo, New York, where they hooked up with Joel Madden of Good Charlotte, who contributed vocals to You Dont Mean Anything. In addition, Simple Plan enlisted another friend none other than Mark Hoppus of blink-182 to lay down backing vocals on the albums opening rave-up, Ill Do Anything.

Weve known each other for a long time, says the drummer. We played with blink back on their first record and we stayed friends. We went down to San Diego to record his part. Marks such a down-to-earth guy, he drove us around, we went to breakfast at his house. We got to hang out all day with him, and when we went into the studio, he took the time to do his track and really nailed what we wanted. Hes just such a nice guy, and were so honored to have him sing on our record.

With a debut album thats everything theyd hoped it would be, the band now intend to spend 2002 bringing the adrenaline-fuelled tunes of NO PADS, NO HELMETS JUST BALLS to The Kids by doing what theyve done from the get-go hitting the road and rocking every night.

First we wanted to make sure that every song was special, Chuck avows. Now we just want to play every day. I said to everybody that works with us, We dont need any days off, just book us. Well be on the road for two years. Its like the name, Simple Plan. We just have this simple plan to go on the road and meet people and make new friends and just see who likes our band.

Talk about a Simple Plan for success!