Jason White

The day Green Day decided to write relevent, mature music was the same day they ceased to be a true power trio. True, the three credited members of the band do most of the legwork in crafting an album, but when it comes time to actually play it live they need someone on lead guitar proficient in something other than power chords and not held back with vocals duty. Since 1999 Green Day's fourth member has been Jason White.

I bring this up for good reason, I think. Because for 9 years the band was really good at hiding Jason. It fascinated me. Sometimes he played behind the amps or closer to backstage than actually on-stage. In music videos he simply wasn't there or played just brief cameos without a guitar in his hands. For live broadcasts like that of Saturday Night Live editors and cameramen were quite obviously told to avoid cutting to him at all. When I saw them--at a taping of the Carson Daly show in NY, unfortunately--he was standing next to the drummer.

But now, starting last Saturday on SNL and again last night on The Colbert Report, it seems like he's being marketed more clearly as the fourth member. Cameras are focusing on him more often, and it's obvious that some band intervention has taken place that approved this. It's almost as if they've been weening Green Day fans slowly into the idea that they aren't a true power trio anymore.

The closest to another famous fourth member that I can remember was the guy who played at Nirvana's famous unplugged show. Can you think of more?