Arkarna Biography

OLLIE JACOBS - VOCALS
JAMES BARNETT- GUITAR/BASS
LALO CREME- GUITAR
BID - DRUMS

With a name that means 'hidden knowledge," it should come as little surprise that London-based quartet Arkarna take an almost alchemical approach to making music. Effortlessly mixing classic and modern pop influences into a pop-savvy, guitar-drenched, beat-heavy brew, Arkarna's songs hold up equally well on the radio, dancefloor or the live concert stage-as their critically-acclaimed performances have proven. At a time when the industry and the media are busy choosing sides in the rock vs. techno debate, Arkarna offer a simple solution on their debut album Fresh Meat: why not both?

Meeting several years ago at now-legendary Rollover Studios in West London-where the Prodigy, Chemical Brothers and Leftfield have all recorded-engineering/mixing phenom Ollie Jacobs and guitarist James Barnett quickly began writing songs together. Jacobs, or Ollie J. as he is usually credited, had been working at Rollover-co-owned by his dad-since his early teens and was influenced tremendously by house and hip hop music. Before his twentieth birthday, Ollie had already produced, mixed and engineered tracks for an impressive array of dance acts including Pressure Drop, Dreadzone, Leftfield and others.

Barnett, a young but accomplished musician, had been an early advocate of the 'guitar meets techno' sound and set about testing it throughout Europe as part of Spiral Tribe and also guitar/techno innovators The Sandals. By the time Barnett came to Rollover, he had already developed quite a reputation through his performances at UK club Megadog with his band Lunarci. Jacobs, a huge admirer of this hybrid approach to electronic dance music, developed an artistic kinship with Barnett that was instant and almost karmic. Before long, the duo recorded and independently released their first single "R U Scared" as Arkarna-a name chosen from Tarot cards by Ollie's mother, who is described by Jacobs as a white witch and spiritual healer.

With critical raves coming in and a groundswell of underground fan support for "R U Scared," Arkarna were quickly signed to WEA. Soon after, guitarist Lalo Creme had come to Rollover looking for work at the suggestion of producer Trevor Horn. Recently returned to London-Creme, son of 10cc co-founder and music video pioneer Lol Creme-had been skateboarding and playing club gigs in Los Angeles with little success. He proved to be just what James and Ollie needed, however, as Lalo's alt-rock sensibility brought Arkarna one step closer to realizing their vision of recording and performing as a 'proper' band. As a trio, Arkarna recorded their debut single "House On Fire" for WEA which went straight into the UK Top 40 earlier this year.

A taught, edgy track, "House On Fire" is a blueprint to Arkarna's musical approach. Layers of acoustic and electric guitars, percolating rhythms, killer hooks and lots of attitude result in a moody song that is not quite techno and not quite pop, but a fresh combination of both. Vibey remixes of the track by Propellerheads and Alex Reece are already mainstays on DJ turntables throughout the world. Also the band's U.S. debut single, "House On Fire" is included on the new Batman & Robin soundtrack.

Following the release of "House On Fire," James, Ollie and Lalo began recording their album for WEA U.K. and took their songs on the road as a band for the first time. The tour was a breakthrough for Arkarna-showcasing the strength of their songs, their ability as musicians and undeniable good looks. Maybe the most important thing that came out of the tour, however, was the band's relationship with Bid, a veteran session player. Bid was the first drummer auditioned before the tour and their only real choice for the number four spot in the group. By the end of the tour in early spring, he was brought into the album recording sessions and made an official member of the band.

With Bid behind the kit, Arkarna completed the ten tracks for the self-produced Fresh Meat-one of the most varied collection of songs recorded by a debut band in recent memory. From the power riffing of "So Little Time" to the trip-pop of "Future's Overrated" to the atmospheric balladry of "Block Capital," Arkarna are almost impossible to categorize. Already being compared to such innovators as Nine Inch Nails, Underworld and New Order by the UK press, the group is ready to bring their genre-bending brand of '21st Century pop' to America and let the listeners judge for themselves. Arkarna will be a featured act on the month-long Electric Highway Tour. Fresh Meat is released on August 26 on Reprise Records in the United States.

Profil Band: Bangkutaman, Sukses Lewat Genre Indie-Pop

Bermula pada pertengahan 1999, Irwin dan Bayu yang kebetulan kuliah satu kampus di Jogja ingin membuat band untuk iseng mengisi waktu luang. Dua personil pertama ini memiliki genre yang sama dalam hal musik, yaitu Brit-Pop/Indie-Pop. Pada awalnya mereka kesusahan sekali untuk mencari personil lain yang sealiran di kota tersebut, karena memang indie pop sangat langka di Jogjakarta. Tapi kesabaran dan kerja keras ternyata membuahkan hasil.

Akhir tahun 1999, mereka berdua berkenalan dengan Acum (Wahyu) yang ternyata memiliki kiblat musik yang sama. Untuk bisa tampil diatas panggung dengan membawakan indie pop adalah impian mereka, maka Bayu memutuskan untuk mengajak Nanang, teman baiknya untuk bermain drum sebagai additional player. Formasi ini bernama "The Garage Flower", nama itu mereka dapat dari nama album pertama dari band asal Manchester, The Stone Roses. Pada masa itu, mereka masih terlalu berkiblat kepada The Stone Roses. Formasi pertama sebagai berikut : Acum pada vokal, Irwin pada gitar, Bayu pada bass dan Nanang pada drum.

Seleksi pertama di kampus UPN dengan membawakan "I Wanna Be Adored"-nya The Stone Roses dan hasilnya sangat tidak menggembirakan. Dengan berjalannya waktu, Nanang tidak bisa lagi membantu The Garage Flower karena ia sibuk dengan bandnya yang sudah sibuk (Teknoshit). The Garage Flower vakum untuk beberapa saat, namun selang 3 bulan salah satu teman tongkrongan kampus, Ade mengajak temannya Dimas untuk bermain bass dan Bayu pada drum. Formasi kedua ini menjadi : Acum yang mulai memegang gitar sebagai rhytm dan vocal, Irwin pada lead-guitar, Bayu pada drum dan Dimas pada bass. Ternyata formasi ini tidak bertahan lama juga. Dimas ternyata harus cabut karena ia harus konsentrasi dengan urusan-urusannya. Sekali lagi, terjadi kevakuman. September 2000, masuklah Deni, hasil perkenalan lewat chatting. Denny masuk sebagai drummer untuk menggantikan Bayu, sehingga Bayu kembali lagi menjadi basis.

Dengan masuknya Denny, nama band mulai berubah menjadi "bangkutaman". Dengan berganti nama band, keempat personil mulai benar-benar serius dalam band. Nama bangkutaman dipilih karena seringnya Irwin dan Bayu beserta teman-teman lainnya duduk sambil bersendau gurau di bangku-bangku yang ada di pinggir taman di dalam Kampus Sanata Dharma. Dengan bergantinya nama menjadi "bangkutaman", barulah mulai terlihat titik terang dalam bermusik.

Bangkutaman manggung pertama kali di Jogja dalam acara "ngamen" di kantin Kampus Sanata Dharma. Dengan semangat idealis membawakan warna-warna lagu indie pop, dengan jujur dapat dikatakan bahwa kehadiran mereka masih terlalu asing. Masing-masing personil pun mengerti bahwa di Jogjakarta, musik Brit-Pop/Indie-Pop adalah underground among undergrounds. Sebagai puncaknya, mereka berhasil membuat single demo live berisi 4 lagu sendiri yang dipromosikan saat mereka manggung dalam acara "Proud To Be Indonesian" di GM2000 cafe di Jakarta pada bulan Mei 2001 lalu. Tahun 2001, Bayu resmi meninggalkan bangkutaman dan konsentrasi pada proyek pribadinya. Bayu terlihat sepanggung dengan bangku taman untuk terakhir kalinya pada 22 juli 2001 di New Java Cafe. bangkutaman masih memiliki sound yang definit meskipun bertiga, ini ditambah pula dengan additional player pada bass, Donald, yang pernah membantu bangkutaman. Setelah itu semua, pada tahun 2001 juga semua menjadi lebih baik untuk bangkutaman. Hal ini diawali dengan munculnya komunitas indie-pop yang bernama "Common People". Komunitas ini dimotori oleh band bernama "Parachute" yang salah satu personilnya adalah Dedyck. Dari saat itu pula bangkutaman mendapatkan manajer dan drummer baru yang definit dan berkarakter. Dengan adanya Nuki Dajjal sebagai manajer dan Dedyck sebagai drummer bangkutaman yang tetap, bangkutaman memulai semua hal dengan lebih professional tetapi tetap mempertahankan idealisme dan etos "Do It Yourself". Hingga saat ini, bangkutaman adalah Acoem, Irwin, Dedyck dengan manajer Nuki Dajjal.

Sejak tahun 2003, bangkutaman mulai memasukkan suara keyboard dalam konsep live-performance. Pemain keyboard bangkutaman pada awalnya adalah Topan; yang mana merupakan drummer band bernama "The Monophones". Tetapi karena kesibukan dengan bandnya, Topan tidak terlalu lama mengiringi karir bermusik bangkutaman. Sejak adanya Topan, bangkutaman mulai terdengar avantgarde dan psychadelic. Tidak dipungkiri, unsur warna musik dari The Stone Roses sedikit demi sedikit mulai pudar. bangkutaman tetap mencari sound yang definit karena mereka ingin terdengar seperti bangkutaman sendiri dan bukan seperti band-band luar yang menjadi influence mereka. Sepanjang tahun 2004, bangkutaman sibuk dengan pembuatan EP "Garage Of The Soul" mereka.

Proses pembuatan cukup lama karena masing-masing personil merasa selalu kurang dalam pembuatannya. Proses mixing dilakukan di 3 studio, yang mana ada beberapa hasil mixing-an tidak dipakai karena mereka merasa kurang bagus. Desember 2004, "Garage Of The Soul" dinyatakan selesai dan dilaunching di Jakarta pada April 2005 kemarin. Di tahun 2004 dan 2005 bangkutaman memperkuat kembali ciri khas mereka. Mereka mulai berani mengeksplore suara organ (Satelit dari "Garage Of The Soul" EP) dan menggabungkan dengan permainan gitar yang berbasis skill. Permainan pada live performance juga sudah menunjukan perubahan. Dalam ekplorasi permainan dan sound gitar, bangkutaman mulai menggabungkan avantgarde, psychadelic dan blues. Tidak ketinggalan juga permainan gitar dengan mengunnakan effect 12 strings untuk mengeluarkan nuansa 60's-nya. Bass pun mulai dimainkan secara monoton dengan nuansa avant-garde-nya juga. Mungkin yang masih kental dengan nuansa madchester dari bangkutaman adalah permainan drumnya, meskipun sampai detik ini pun, bangkutaman tetap membiarkan The Stone Roses hidup di hati mereka.

Secara singkat, itulah kurang lebih perjalanan karir musik bangkutaman. Masih banyak lagi yang belum diceritakan.

source: bangkutaman.tk

Biography The Hydrant

Formed in Bali, 2004, shocked Indonesia with the 50's Rockabilly outfits. Cello 'the Black Elvis', Wis ' the Hot Rod Guitar Devil', Zio 'the cool big bass' and Morris 'the villain Prince Charming' have blown the new fresh air to Indonesian Music. Think Elvis meets Stray Cats, the Hydrant's sounds keep shocking, eventually EMI music Indonesia made a contract in early 2007, first major album under EMI is Rockabilly Live!, Previously The Hydrant released Saturday Night Riot under Electrohell Record and 3 compilation albums. The aim is to bring the rockabilly sound from Bali to all over the country. The beautiful stage act, the Hydrant known as the Rockabilly Riot from Bali.

Biography Dialog Dini Hari

Tentang Dialog Dini Hari
Apa yang biasanya paling diharapkan dari sebuah album side-project? Tentunya sisi (ideal?) lain yang belum pernah ditampilkan musisi itu sendiri di mata dan atau telinga para penggemarnya secara luas.

Pada akhir kuartal pertama di tahun 2008, para motor penggerak dua band besar asal Bali, Dadang SH Pranoto dari Navicula dan Ian Joshua Stevenson serta Mark Liepmann dari Kaimsasikun, duduk bersama. Menyepakati diri mengalirkan dialog bebas lepas tengah malam dan merangkumnya ke dalam musik dan notasi sederhana. Sembari sejenak menanggalkan emblem yang telah menahun melekat pada eksistensi Navicula yang sering dijuluki “neo-green-phsycedelic-grunge-core” dan Kaimsasikun dengan stempel “deep-psycho-brit-rock”-nya.

Leburan demi leburan blues, folk dan ballad ditakar oleh Dialog Dini Hari sedemikian tepat sebagai degup melodi penghantar pesan ringan-cerdas-indah dalam warna vokal bariton yang merdu menyeruak dari dalam luka yang membekas. Sedangkan dominasi suara gitar aksutik dan semi-steel-dobro yang khas, plus selingan gesekan steel-slide yang kasar dan ekspresif berhasil membangun dinamika nuansa live yang sangat terjaga.

Ke empat belas nomor pada album bertajuk Beranda Taman Hatia.l: Renovasi Otak, Beranda Taman Hati, Bumiku Buruk Rupa, Sahabatku Jadi Hantu, Hati-Hati, dll. sebagian besar ditulis Dadang SH Pranoto selaku biduan/gitaris dan ditata Ian Joshua Stevenson (bas). Sedangkan sektor beat apik diracik oleh Mark Liepmann. Keseluruhan karya mereka yang mencitrakan kepekaan pada relita sosial dan fenomena alam ini juga mendapat seabreg sokongan dari sederet musisi kondang pulau dewata macam Ed Eddy Rsdvs (piano & organ), Windu Supersoda (pianika), Deny Surya Rokavatar (drum) pada lagu Oksigen dan biduanita bersuara emas Sari Nymphea. Tak ketinggalan pula, sentuhan nada dari Rio Sidik Saharadja.

Dialog Dini Hari - Beranda Taman Hati
Selain keterlibatan para musisi, kaum sineas muda Bali juga saling membahu menggarap tampilan videoklipnya. Yuda (Otak Seger Visual Communication)memilih single Pagi dengan merekam gambar gambar indah-asri berlatar gunung dan danau Kintamani.

Sedangkan Ridwan Rudianto (Di Ujung Ufuk)menggambarkan lagu Renovasi Otak dengan gaya simbolis-minimalis berpesan padat.

Di tangan Igo (produser muda kontroversial yang pernah ‘mengantar’ Ed Eddy & Residivis hingga terganjar 6 bulan penjara dengan masa percobaan setahun akibat lagu berjudul Anjing yang dianggap menghina institusi polisi) trio yang kini berformasikan Dadang SH Pranoto (vokal & gitar), Michael Brozio

Orah (mantan The Hydrant) pada bas, dan Putu Deny Surya Wibawa (Rokavatar) di departemen drum; ini diproyeksikan untuk dapat terbit membawa pencerahan segar bagi insan penikmat musik dengan ajakan sederhana: Berdialog merenovasi otak dan fisik.

Sublime Biography

I first met Sublime in the Fall of 1988, me and Brad were students at C.S.U.L.B. The band was the most popular group on campus and on the way to being the biggest draw in town. At the time, I was playing in the Ziggens and Brad would occasionally let us open up. One day I decided I was going to release all the Ziggens demos I was working on in the cassette format. I got a sharpie marker and scribbled out Skunk Records for the xeroxed liner notes. "You can't just do that" said Brad. Sublime had just completed a 4-song, 16-track demo, so we said, "why not put out your tape on our new label?" So began a partnership that would propel the music from keg parties to video music awards and platinum plaques. "Don't Push" and "Slowride" were from this first tape.

Prior to our meeting, was the infamous 8-track demo that "Romeo" and "New Realization" are from. This tape would have been lost if it wasn't for Trey Pangborn (guitarist for Falling Idols). The master tapes were long gone, and back then there was no DAT for a bunch of punk rockers from Long Beach. One New Year's we were boozin' at Trey's and I was going through the tape box looking for a selection. I came across a day-glo Memorex tape (like the kind your little sister would record the "Grease" soundtrack on), and there it was.

All this time I was a recording student at C.S.U.D.H., so we eventually got together to make a tape. Our first outing was live to DAT, this was a big deal in 1990, new technology, whatever. We recorded about two whole hours worth of material in the middle of the night. "Had a DAT" (hence the name) and "Chick On My Tip" were from this session.

Our first 24-track session was at C.S.U.D.H. we spent months recording 4 songs, perfecting, experimenting, learning. This would be the bulk of our second cassette release "Jah Won't Pay The Bills". "Badfish" was from this time. At this point, we thought we were really in there. We had finally produced some recordings that we were proud of and we were about to embark on our first tour. We were wrong. This is where Bud went on a little vacation from music.

We all missed Bud very much, but respected his decision. Rather than rest on our laurels, we decided to keep recording. In 1991, I bought my first sampler, a Roland S-50. This changed everthing. We were also working with the Field Marshall at this time. "Get Out" was the first song we worked on. We had completed our first tour upon returning it was obvious to all that we needed a CD to take it to the next level. I'm not gonna go into detail on how we financed this venture, let's just say we did it "by any means necessary". The version of "Get Out!" presented here is a remix. The original contained samples of a long haired, British, burn-out band that shall remain nameless. When the corporates picked up "40 oz." to distribute nationally, the original was removed from the CD.

"Trenchtown Rock" was the last thing recorded during the one day tracking session for "40 oz.". It was one of those spur of the second things, but to this day it gives me the chills because it is a testament of how Brad was, bam! genius. "Drunk Drivin'" is the only song I ever wrote. It was for Bert Susanka who was convinced I too could create the hits. These songs were left off the CD because when I was done, the program was 82 minutes long and CDs can only have 74 minutes. We were pretty naive.

It took a while, but "40 oz." started to do pretty good. We kept touring and doing shows. We had Kelly Vargas on drums for a while. Eventually Mr. Brett got a hold or our CD and wanted to hear some new songs. In the summer of '94 we entered Epitaph's Studio to make some demos. It's a long story, but by this time Bud was back on the kit. "Saw Red" is from this session. No Doubt were friends of ours from way back, and were always real supportive of our efforts. So, when Brad asked Gwen to come down to sing she was glad to. Needless to say, we never got signed to Epitaph!

We finished six songs and were going to put out a CD, but Eric and Brad thought six songs on a CD was kind of a rip-off. So we recorded a bunch of acoustic numbers and began working on the 4-track. If you ever buy a 4-track, get a Tascam 246 because they rule. We had always used the 4-track for demos but by now we were getting really good results. We would move our clandestine lab from house to house till we weould get ejected for obvious reasons. "Garbage Grove" was supposed to be on "Robbin The Hood", but we thought we could do it better on 24-track. You be the judge.

Between "Robbin" and the last tape we did a few compilation and soundtrack projects. "Legal Dub" was the extended ending of a song that would go to benefit NORML. We like NORML. "What's Really Goin' Wrong" was the sequel to a surf flick from a company called "Lost". Chicken had the rough idea and the boys helped him finish it off. It's interesting to note that these surf/skate/snowboard flicks gave us our first national, as well as international, distribution. This was pre-corporation days.

"April 29, 1992 (Leary)" was recorded in Texas with head Butthole Paul Leary. The sessions with Paul were very prolific. We filled 22 reels of 24-track tape. The album version had already been completed in L.A. with David Kahne, so we thought let's give it another try. By the way, those scanner sound bites are real. I recorded my neighbor's police scanner on April 30, 1992, the night after was the night Long Beach went richter. "Superstar Punani" was completed at this time. It was left off the last tape because we simply had enough songs. Doin' Time "Uptown Dub" was started in Texas, but never completed. We finished it about a year later with Ikey and Tim. I think Brad would be pretty stoked on the results. He always liked the take but wanted to change the lyrics, so I made it an instrumental dub.

By now you know how much influence hip-hop had on the music. One of the first things we wanted to do when the last album was done was a remix EP with other artists reinterpreting the music. Sean Perry gave me his "Doin' Time (Eerie Splendor Remix)" when we were in Hawaii. It was too late to make the remix EP, but too awesome to go to waste. Mad Lion was always someone we were into, and his work with KRS-One never left Brad's tape deck. Sean hooked up this guest appearance. I like the futuristic vibe, it sounds like the ideas we had for future recordings.

I could go on telling anecdotes and stories forever, but the music will always explain things best. I hope you enjoy this compilation. For all you that wrote in, I got a ton of good live music that we're goin' to release next. Oh yeah, Loudog is fine, he's at my feet right now. He is fat and sassy. We all miss you very much Brad.
R.I.P Brad Nowell 1968-1996

Uncle Kracker Biography

Is there anyone better to tell it like it is than one's kid? In January 2008, when Uncle Kracker began to write the songs that appear on his new album Happy Hour, it was his eight year-old daughter who suggested that he try writing something a little less downbeat than usual. "She said to me, 'I can't really dance to any of your songs,'" the father of three says with a laugh. "Not that I needed to make a dance record, but it dawned on me that I tend to write a lot of acoustic ballads and mid-tempo type tunes. And I thought, 'It's pretty bad when your own kids won't listen to your records. Your own kids!' At the end of the day, people want to have fun more than they want to cry. I realized that it was time for something a little more upbeat and positive and that's what I ended up with on Happy Hour."

Produced by multiple Grammy-Award winner Rob Cavallo, Happy Hour is a breezy blend of country-flavored pop and rock and roll that showcases not only the Detroit native's natural appeal as a likeable Everyman, but also his considerable gifts as a songwriter. Though many know him from his early years as the DJ in Kid Rock's Twisted Brown Trucker Band, Uncle Kracker (whose real name is Matt Shafer) has had impressive success as a songwriter, racking up co-writing credits on Kid Rock's blockbuster hits "Bawitdaba," "Cowboy," "Forever," "Only God Knows Why," and 2008's No. 1 "All Summer Long," as well as his own Adult Top 40 No. 1 "Follow Me" (from his 2001 double-platinum debut Double Wide). "Uncle Kracker has zero musical talent," says Kid Rock. "No musician skills at all, but he's a phenomenal songwriter--very talented with words and melodies."

On Happy Hour, Uncle Kracker's soulful drawl unspools over massively hooky choruses on feel-good songs like the buoyant first single "Smile," the hilarious SoCal-skewering "I Hate California," and the freewheeling "Good To Be Me," in which he sings about riding with the T-Top down in his Cutlass Supreme. Three songs about whom we shall call complicated women -- "California," "Hot Mess," and "My Girlfriend" -- highlight Uncle Kracker's playful humor and dead-on sense of satire, while "Corner Bar" takes a more thoughtful tone by addressing the current economic downturn ("A funny little thing we all call greed / Brought my hometown down to its knees"). Other standouts include a stirring cover of Bob Seger's classic "Main Street" and the lone acoustic ballad "Me Again."

The songs may go down easy, but that doesn't mean they were easy to write. Happy Hour is Uncle Kracker's first album in five years because after he finished two years of touring behind his previous release, 2004's Seventy Two & Sunny, he wrote and recorded an entire album that he wound up scrapping. "I just decided it wasn't the right record," Uncle Kracker says. "It didn't feel relevant. So I shitcanned all the songs."

Uncle Kracker was forced to raise his game when Rob Cavallo was brought in to produce the album. Known for his work with Green Day, Kid Rock, and Dave Matthews Band, Cavallo "wouldn't let me just give him schlep," Uncle Kracker says. "Basically, he wouldn't put his hand on anything that wasn't up to snuff. So I started writing new songs and there was one in a batch of 10 that he said, 'Well, we can do this one.' I co-produced my last couple of records, so it was nice to write something and take it to a producer and let him bring out what worked. Sometimes you can be too attached to a song to be open-minded about taking suggestions from anybody."

"I think Matt really stepped it up by bringing in someone like Rob to help him with the production end of things," says Kid Rock. "Happy Hour is his best record sonically. I also think it's his best-written record. It should be--he's had like five fuckin' years to write it!"

Uncle Kracker chuckles when he hears Kid Rock's comments. The two have been best friends since meeting in 1987 at a club in Clawson, MI, where Rock was spinning in an all-ages DJ contest. With similar taste in hip-hop and classic rock, the two became fast friends. What's little known is that Uncle Kracker actually signed his first record deal at age 15 with a Detroit indie label. "I started writing rap songs when I was 11, after the first Fat Boys record came out in the mid 80s," Uncle Kracker says. "I met Kid Rock when I was 13 and got my deal a couple of years later. I was still legally too young to sign a contract for myself. But people always think it was just like Kid Rock spit me out of his womb and that was it," he says with a laugh.

Uncle Kracker wound up contributing to Rock's 1996 independent release Early Mornin' Stoned Pimp and 1998's multi-platinum Devil Without A Cause before busting out on his own with Double Wide in 2000. The album peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Top 200, spawned the smash single "Follow Me" (undoubtedly paving the way for the chart success of acoustic troubadours Jason Mraz and John Mayer), and went on double-platinum success the following year. Uncle Kracker's gold-selling second album, No Stranger To Shame, followed in 2002, spawning a hit cover version of Dobie Gray's classic "Drift Away." That track reached the Top 10 on Billboard's Hot 100 and set a record for most weeks at No. 1 on the AC chart, remaining there for 22 straight weeks.

In 2004, Uncle Kracker released Seventy Two and Sunny, which showcased his melodic songwriting and unique stylistic synthesis of pop, rock, country, soul, blues, and even doo-wop. Country superstar Kenny Chesney was featured on one of the album's tracks, "Last Night Again," so that same year, Uncle Kracker returned the favor by singing on Chesney's "When The Sun Goes Down," which topped Billboard's "Hot Country Songs" chart for five consecutive weeks. It also marked the first time in more than 20 years that an artist without a previous country history, like Uncle Kracker, was featured on a No. 1 country single. Uncle Kracker hit the road with Chesney for an arena tour that found Chesney's fans singing along with "Follow Me" and "Drift Away."

"I've learned a lot from Kenny Chesney, like how to have a more positive outlook on things," Uncle Kracker says. "He taught me how to care a little less and not sweat the small stuff." That influence can clearly be heard on Happy Hour--Uncle Kracker's most upbeat record yet. "It's definitely a departure from what I was doing," he says. "I'm just looking forward to people hearing it."

Everlast Biography

Few rap artists can match the accomplishments of Erik Schrody, a.k.a. Everlast. From his days as the leader of the multi-platinum Tommy Boy Records crew House Of Pain and beyond, Everlast's roughneck sound and style helped pave the way for the current generation of hip hop hooligans.

He came out as part of Ice T's L.A.-based Rhyme Syndicate Cartel, made 1990's Forever Everlasting album, then left to form House Of Pain with his pals Danny "Danny Boy" O'Connor and Leor "DJ Lethal" Dimant. Three albums and five years later, Everlast steps out on his own again with Whitey Ford Sings The Blues, fifteen honest, artistic tracks, replete with introspective lyrics, soulful guitar playing -and of course, state-of-the-art hip hop beats.

"What I'm trying to do is 'if Neil Young or Willie Nelson was a b-boy.' Attitude wise, Johnny Cash is a b-boy. Some of the ideas on the records were like, 'What would happen if Ritchie Blackmore met Timbaland?' Seeing Wyclef do his thing with the guitar I was like, 'That's cool, but what about writing something original?' We've seen the rap karaoke thing one too many times.

Now cats take an entire old song, put a few updated slang words in it and it's the hip thing. Too many fifteen year old kids think Puffyand Mase rhyming over 'The Message' is the hottest shit they ever heard, and they ain't never even heard the real 'Message.'"

Whitey Ford was put together by Dante Ross and John Gamble - the Stimulated Dummies - E-Swift produced one track and so did Divine Styler. Guest appearances include Sadat X of Brand Nubian and Prince Paul, with some fresh bass lines courtesy of Norwood Fisher from Fishbone.

Everlast played all the guitars on the record, and wrote most of the album with the exception of samples. Hip Hop purists may wonder what the hell's going on here, but Everlast deserves props for coming up with some deep material that's guaranteed to stand the test of time. "I'm a little older and the music is more mature," he reflects. "It's different from House Of Pain - which was drinking beers and slamdancing."

Needless to say, Whitey Ford was thrown into disarray a few months ago when Everlast needed emergency open-heart surgery. He was born with a heart defect, and during the last dayof making the record, tore a muscle in his heart and was rushed to the hospital, where he got a heart valve replacement. "It was ill," he explains. " One minute I'm in my house and then I wake up in the hospital four days later." That near-death experience was a huge wake-up call.

Everlast reflects on the eerie coincidences found throughout the album: "After the heart attack, I listened to the record and there's a lot of death on it. 'Death Comes Callin' is a song about watching what you do andwhat you say because you never know when death's gonna knock on your door. The song 'Painkillers' is all about winding up in the hospital. The funny thing about 'Painkillers' is that it's a fabricated story but there's a part of it that is so near-to-life as far as me getting wheeled into the hospital.

One of my buddies said, 'You should die at the end of that story.' I said, 'Nah man, that's tempting fate.' It makes you wonder how much your mind knows that you don't know consciously. I listen to the record - and my mind and my spirit obviously knew something was coming.

Everlast's tasty guitar work and deep blues-flavored linguistics are most evident on the album's first single 'What It's Like,' an acoustic/electronic blue-collar jam of hard-livin' in real-life Americana. "It's three little stories based on experiences I've had in my life. The first verse is about this guy shitting on this bum, telling him to a get job.

That was me one day back when," explains Everlast. There are two songs back-to back at the album's onset called 'Dollar Bill' and 'Ends.' "They're both about money, but they're two different attitudes towards money. 'Dollar Bill' is about 'I gotta have it. I need it' and 'Ends' is about the dark side of it, what happens if you get too much of it." Other highlights include the slammin' spirituality of 'Praise The Lord' and a Roy Ayres-flavored groove called 'Today.'

"The f***ed up thing about blowing up with a band is that you can only do it once," Everlast reflects. "Even if you stay huge forever, you only go through that process once - and I'm looking for that feeling again. You know, that thing that puts butterflies in your gut before you go onstage. It got to the point with House Of Pain where it was a machine.

Get on stage. Do the show. Get off. Go to the hotel. It was too routine. The only reason I was going on the road was to make money. Once I stopped getting butterflies, that's when I knew things where going to get boring. I just got to a point where I wasn't having much fun and I needed to quit." These House Of Pain tours were incredibly influential, through which Rage Against The Machine and Korn first came to national attention.

"I can't wait to make another record," Everlast offers. "I'm just finding a style now. Everything that I thought was limited before weren't limitations, they were just fears. I'm not scared to try shit or act like a fool. That's what this record is about, shedding any fears. People are either going to love this record or think I've lost my mind. Either one of those is okay with me."

"This time I wanted to do that scary thing - that if you don't do it you're gonna be like, 'Damn, I wonder what would've happened if I tried that.' I got sick of hearing 'rapper Everlast.' You never hear the word 'musician' and I thought that was bugged out because a lot of hip hop cats are true musicians. To me, what I'm doing is no different than hip hop. I hate to sound too artsy-fartsy about it, but there's emotion on this record. People who like what I've done and know what I've been about in this game will dig it."

Everlast explains his alter-ego as represented in the album title: "In rap music, all these guys have aliases. 'So And So a.k.a. This Is That.' Half the guys in the rap game wanna be Italian mafiosos and that struck me as funny. If I had an alias, what would it be? I was trying to be really outrageous, and 'Whitey Ford' is real peckerwood. It evokes an imagery right away. I love the bluntness of it. Whitey Ford Sings The Blues is code for 'Everlast is bugging the f*** out.'"

Dropkick Murphy's Biography

The Dropkick Murphys' uncompromising spirit and matchless energy surge through Blackout, the Boston-based, Celtic punk outfit's triumphant new album. From the urgent and irresistible opener "Walk Away" – which takes to task a father who abandons his family – to the superb, bagpipe doused blue collar homage "Worker's Song," the Dropkick Murphys continues to build off of the musical blueprint it began with back in 1996.

Perhaps the hard charging, chant along "Gonna Be A Blackout Tonight" best represents just how far the Dropkick Murphys have come. When approached a year ago by Woody Guthrie's daughter Nora with the prospect of putting some of her legendary father's unpublished lyrics to music, the net result was the fiery punk firecracker that became the title track to DKM's fourth studio set.

Rooted in the sounds of The Clash, The Pogues, AC/DC and Stiff Little Fingers, the Murphys started with humble but enthusiastic means, self releasing early recordings and touring to support them. Just two years later, the band's hard work aligned them with Hellcat Records, Tim Armstrong's new imprint for Brett Gurewitz's Epitaph label. The resulting Do or Die, produced by Armstrong's Rancid-mate Lars Fredriksen, lit the musical fuse that would soon explode inside the punk community. Chronicling DKM's innovative fusion of blistering rock & roll, melodic Irish folk, and a deep loyalty to the working class, Do or Die rendered sales of 150,000 largely due to word of mouth in the underground and forged a path in punk rock that turned a whole new generation of kids onto Celtic & traditional folk music although in this case with a much bigger kick in the ass!

Inspired by the overwhelming success of their Hellcat debut, which became a must have record for any self respecting punk fan, the Dropkick Murphys pointed their collective middle fingers sky high at mainstream radio's nay sayers and ploughed ahead with the following year's The Gang's All Here. Introducing the vocal exchanges of Al Barr and Ken Casey that would go on to signify the group's late model sound, DKM's second long player also represented its maturation as songwriters. A rigorous tour schedule followed, helping to expand the outfit's already sizable worldwide fanbase.

2001's ambitious Sing Loud Sing Proud incorporated more instrumentation than any previous effort. Defining the Murphys' position as leaders of a new sub-genre that could only be concocted in the heart of Boston, the disc's hometown anthems and whiskey soaked melodies earned the group even wider acclaim. Continuously surprising industry pundits by outdrawing even high profile mainstream acts as headliners on major tours and festival participants on four continents, DKM landed high profile slots on the Warped and Punk-O-Rama tours, plus achieving personal goals by performing at the Sex Pistol's infamous Silver Jubilee gig and on the Boston born Conan O'Brien Show in the wake of Sing Loud.

The Dropkick Murphys incendiary live performances were the subject of their next release, 2002's Live On St. Patrick's Day From Boston, MA. An exhibition of the group's infamous, annual homecoming gigs, these events find ale swilling hooligans standing alongside punk rock supporters of all ages. The concerts have become so popular, in fact, that 2003 saw the Murphys move an unprecedented 8,000 tickets for four shows, shattering the venue sales record previously held by the legendary Ramones.

With Blackout, the Dropkick Murphys deliver their finest record to date. No mere "punk rock" album, its lack of pretension and honesty puts it much closer to the works of Bragg, and even Springsteen. As impressively innovative and broad in musical scope as ever, Blackout finds DKM's persevering spirit and heartfelt approach to music omni-potent…………….BLACKOUT will be released on June 10th.

U.S. Bombs Biography

Punk rock explosives specialists The U.S. Bombs have accepted a new musical assignment for 2003 and it’s called Covert Action. Boasting the head knockin’ first single “Roll Around,” plus anthems like “Shot Down” and “Youth Goes,” this disc – their fourth for Hellcat – instantly yanks you by the collar.

Extolling the virtues of classic punk, where razor sharp riffs cut ardent rants into little sticks of musical dynamite, the Duane Peters-steered U.S. Bombs are a boulder of truth and authenticity in a sea of slick poseur sewage. “I don’t give two fucks what anybody thinks,” Peters barks. “We’re real punk rockers.”

At a time where the genre is littered with dumb songs about cars, girls and bong hits, that declaration is a fact. Politically informed, the streetwise and outspoken punks in The U.S. Bombs use their microphones, guitars and drums like an anti-establishment battering ram. “I choose not to be asleep,” Duane proclaims. “I’m not content on trading in my rights as an individual for safety like the rest of the useless eaters in this country.”

”Framed,” for instance, takes a distinctive look at the Oklahoma Bombing and points the finger back at the government. “I’ve done my research,” says Peters, who thinks outside the box on subjects like Waco, Ruby Ridge and 9/11. “If people get offended, it just shows how easily they are manipulated into believing whatever they’re told.”

Voicing his disdain for the ruling class on “John Gotti,” which suggests that the Mob would have better success running the White House, before railing against experimental science on “Lab Rats,” Peters’ penchant for free thought is never alone. Augmenting such incendiary messages, the rest of the Bombs detonate in the recording studio. Machine gun guitar chords fire away in dual attack mode courtesy of founding member Kerry Martinez and newcomer Curt Gove (on loan from Les Stitches). In tandem, veteran member Wade Walston unleashes rock bottom bass lines as fresh faced kit man Jamie Reidling beats out cracking drum rolls.

Not just politically valiant, The U.S. Bombs exhibit an impressive musical courage and depth on Covert Action. Reviving the classic formula of 1980s hardcore on “Art Kills” and then detouring into the ska-flavored territory of “The Gow” before assuming a new style with effortless beauty – as they do on the Latin-flavored instrumental “Phil Spectator” – these Bombs never fizzle.

That spirit carries over into everything about Duane Peters. A skateboarding legend and the first man to ever complete a loop in a full pipe, the singer also finds time to run his own label, Disaster Records, produce other punk bands and keep up on history, conspiracies and current events. “I just stay busy, playing catch up for all the years I wasted away almost being your standard punk rock statistic,” he explains. “Remember, the Government wants you strung out and drunk. The C.I.A. agents all have nice houses and bank accounts because we need the weed and all the mind numbing shit they bring in to keep us down and controllable.”

Biography Tiger Army

Formed in California's East Bay in the dying embers of 1995, Tiger Army played their first show in March 1996 at the legendary 924 Gilman Street in Berkeley with AFI. More shows throughout Northern California that year saw them on bills with various touring and local punk/rock'n'roll bands, even playing a gig with English psychobilly legends The Meteors. 1997 saw a little more playing and recording, as well as the band's first release, a three-song vinyl EP.

A period of unwelcome dormancy followed, at least as far as most knew -- but behind the scenes frontman Nick 13 never stopped writing songs or working to make the band's first full-length album a reality. With the belief and help of Rancid's Tim Armstrong who'd signed the band to his label Hellcat Records (a partnership with Epitaph’s Brett Gurewitz), the perseverance was not in vain.

Days before Halloween '99, the band's self-titled debut CD/LP Tiger Army finally hit the stores and the band returned with a vengeance. The first album's lineup was led by Nick 13 on guitar and vocals, with Rob Peltier (of seminal U.S. psychobilly band The Quakes) on stand-up bass and Adam Carson of AFI on drums. Dark, melodic and aggressive, the songs were a hybrid of modern psychobilly, hardcore punk and 1950's rockabilly/rock'n'roll that the band simply dubbed "American Psychobilly."

After the first album's release, Nick 13 joined forces with longtime friend Geoff Kresge (stand-up bass). The pair did a California mini-tour to promote the first record's release in late '99 with the help of drummer and friend Joe Fish. Shortly thereafter, Geoff moved to Tiger Army's new home of Los Angeles where he became a permanent member. With the addition of London May (ex-Samhain) on drums the band began to gig on a regular basis, continuing to establish a reputation for fiery, hard-hitting live sets. As their loyal following of psychobillies, punk rockers, skinheads, greasers, hardcore kids, deathrockers and other misfits continued to grow, Tiger Army began headlining various sold-out shows at Southern California venues like the Troubadour and Galaxy Theatre, as well as sharing stages with such renowned bands as Social Distortion, X, The Polecats, TSOL and AFI.

In early 2001, the band entered the studio to begin work on their second album for Hellcat, entitled Tiger Army II: Power of Moonlite. The album was released that summer and its nocturnal energy, aggressive stand-up bass and spine-chilling melody further defined the American Psychobilly sound, bringing Tiger Army many new fans. May left the band shortly before the second album's release and was quickly replaced by the newest member of the Tiger Army family, drummer Fred Hell (formerly of NorCal punk rock’n’roll outfit Union of the Dead). Hell's solid, powerful style and visual flair immediately became an asset to the band onstage.

With the release of TAII and a strong lineup in place, the band embarked on a period of relentless touring that began in late June 2001 and concluded in late November 2002, during which the band played almost 170 shows (including two visits to Europe, one to Japan and Canada, and multiple U.S. tours, both regional and full). Highlights include supporting or opening slots on tours with bands such as Dropkick Murphys, The Damned, Reverend Horton Heat, TSOL, playing part of the 2002 Warped Tour, headlining portions of Hellcat’s “Punks vs. Psychos” tour (with labelmates the Nekromantix and the Distillers), as well as appearances at various festivals devoted to psychobilly, punk/hardcore or roots music such as the Tokyo Big Rumble and Kentucky’s Krazy Fest 5 in 2001, and California’s Hootenanny and the 10th Satanic Stomp in Germany in 2002. Particularly memorable among the band’s headlining shows was a sold-out performance on Halloween night 2002 at the Hollywood House of Blues.

Most recently Tiger Army has released a six-song EP entitled the Early Years, a reissue of the band’s much sought-after and long-out-of-print first vinyl release that’s been remixed and augmented with additional unreleased material from the band’s early recording sessions in 1996 and ‘97. The band’s also recently completed a video for the song “Incorporeal” from Tiger Army II: Power of Moonlite -- their second, and the second to be directed by frontman Nick 13 (the first, “Cupid’s Victim,” was a stylish black-and-white piece that was even played several times on MTV2, a small coup for a low budget, self-directed video from a band on an independent label).

After the extensive touring of the previous two years, Tiger Army took a break from the road in 2003; their focus shifted from playing live to practicing new material for the next full-length album (the working title: Tiger Army III). In a horrible turn of events, drummer Fred Hell was shot four times on March 10th, including a wound to the chest and a bullet in the brain, yet he miraculously survived. After multiple surgeries and a several-day stay in the hospital, he was released to home care and is now recovering at an amazing rate considering the severity of his injuries. So far it seems that a full recovery will be possible with time. Songwriting for the new album was not complete at the time of the shooting and still continues as the band awaits the day that they can enter the practice room as a whole to resume preparations for entering the studio later this year.

Welcome to Tiger Army’s official website! There’s a lot of material here for you to see, hear and read. Anything you want to know about news, touring, and so on, just check out all the different sections of this site! Remember -- if you're with us, you are one of us -- TIGER ARMY NEVER DIE!

Biography Reverend Horton Heat

Jim "Reverend Horton" Heath: guitar, vocals
Jimbo Wallace: upright bass
Paul Simmons: drums

Recently, the Reverend Horton Heat, aka Jim Heath, had something along the lines of what he calls an epiphany.

He's a little tired of being taken so seriously-well, maybe not seriously, exactly, but you get the idea-and lately he's noticed that some of his funnier, country-tinged songs were his biggest crowd pleasers. Besides, being entertaining is what this is all about, right?

So, ladies and gents, roll your smokes up in your sleeve and hold on to your cowboy hats, it's time to take a trip back to a time before slick, over-produced country became the norm-a time when outlaws wrote songs about being without a pot to piss in-or at least about psycho exboyfriends and deadbeat girlfriends that spend your paycheck faster than you can say Lone Star.

Welcome to Laughin' and Cryin' with the Reverend Horton Heat a record full of country-heavy tunes about bad habits, well-meaning but clueless husbands, ever-expanding beer-guts and, well, Texas. It wouldn't be a Reverend Horton Heat record without a song or-in this case, two-about the Lone Star State. And, while Laughin' and Cryin' marks a detour from the hard driving punkabilly of the Rev's last record, 2004's Revival, this time tending toward honk, there's still some shit-kickers ["Death Metal Guys"] to let you know that Heath and crew still mean business.

"I really wanted to capture the feelings of recordings of the late '50s, early '60s," Heath said of the songs on the new record.

Exhibit A: Beer Holder, a honky-tonker about a guy who finds the table by his chair a bit too far of a stretch-so he opts for a new "beer holder," his growing gut. While this guy finds his solution genius, his woman thinks otherwise.

"[The record is] kind of from a regular guy point of view," Heath said. "You know, I like to do stuff that's kind of tongue-in-cheek that makes fun of the good old boy thing as much as trying to glorify the country boy thing."

Heath originally conceived the new record as the product of an alter ego, Harley Hog, a sort of "laughing and crying" singer.

"I was trying to develop this vocal style where I was always either laughing or crying. It was really over- exaggerated," Heath said.

The problem once they got in the studio, however, "we wouldn't get that far because the guys were just laughing so hard. It was really kind of ridiculous."

Without a doubt, the mighty Reverend has won a cult following around the world these past 20+ years with a nearly endless touring ethic and musical style that's equally as rooted in tradition as it is in breaking it. He's one of the lynchpins of the neoroots movement and responsible for moving the genre forward and garnering it a whole new generation of fans. Mix that with a mythic stage presence and you've got a live act that turns rock clubs into psychobilly tent revivals across the country 300 days a year.

Heath, who personally loves good old, mid-20th century country music, cautions that the record was not born out of a desire to introduce his audience to a new set of influences-it's just meant to have a little fun. Besides, he warns, his next record may just be a set of "avant-garde versions of Swahili folk songs done on homemade instruments."

"Never say never," Heath said.

Profil Suicidal Sinatra

Terbentuk di Bali pada tahun 1996 awalnya dengan mengusung nama S.O.S. (Soul Of Speed) yang jika dilihat dari namanya tegas menyiratkan genre musik yang diminati yaitu Heavy Metal utamanya Helloween.

Pada fajar 2001 S.O.S. pelan-pelan bergeser dari genre Heavy Metal menuju Rockabilly a la Living End serta diramu dengan Psychobilly tipikal Tiger Army & Reverend Horton Heat (campur sari ini mereka istilahkan sebagai “Rockabilly Nu Skool”). Sampai kemudian 14 Februari 2004 S.O.S. merilis album indie pertama bertajuk “Valentine Ungu”. Album yang berisikan 8 lagu ini seakan mendeklarasikan S.O.S. telah resmi pindah jalur ke Rockabilly Nu Skool.

Album Valentine Ungu sendiri mendapat respon positif dari pasar, dimana 700 keping segera saja ludes habis terjual. Beberapa media massa nasional memberi komentar cukup baik terhadap Valentine Ungu. Sementara komunitas Indie di Jakarta sempat pula mencicipi dahsyatnya performa mereka saat mengguncang GOR Jakarta Utara dan hajatan kampus Universitas Sahid pada pertengahan 2004 silam.

Untuk melengkapi perubahan identitas musikal dari Heavy Metal ke Rockabilly Nu Skool maka pada 16 Agustus 2004 S.O.S. formal berubah wujud menjadi SUICIDAL SINATRA (terjemahan bebasnya : Frank Sinatra dalam versi yang lebih garang/nekat ). Sinatra—dengan personil terakhir Opix Sinatra (biduan, gitar pendamping), Leo Sinatra (gitar utama), Kappe Sinatra (bass betot), Ajie Sinatra (drum)—di saat hampir bersamaan pada akhir 2004, menyabet gelar prestisius sebagai kelompok musik terbaik di ajang Indie bergengsi “Skool Of Rock” sesi ke II yang diselenggarakan oleh Hard Rock Café, Bali.

Tepat setahun setelah dirilisnya Valentine Ungu, pada Februari 2005 Sinatra menerbitkan mini album ”Love Songs & Stinkin’ Cheese” dengan 5 tembang cadas bertempo sedang: “White Shoes”, “No Money No Honey”, “Can’t Be Ur Man”, “Going Old With You”, serta “Kentang”.

Eksistensi “Love Songs & Stinkin’ Cheese” ternyata sanggup menculik perhatian jajaran media nasional berpengaruh mulai dari Hai, Trax, Ripple, hingga Rolling Stone. Malah Rolling Stone secara tegas memberi Sinatra gelar terhormat dengan menempatkan Sinatra sebagai “Artists to Watch” di salah satu edisinya. Ekspose yang demikian gencar akhirnya menggugah para event organizer untuk mengundang Sinatra tampil dalam konser-konser bergengsi. Yang patut dicatat di antaranya adalah kehadiran mereka sebagai band panggung utama di Soundrenaline Bali pada Agustus 2005. Sementara single “White Shoes” penetrasinya cukup jauh hingga mencapai Jepang. Single tersebut disertakan dalam album kompilasi “Tropicalize II” disatukan dengan artis-artis besar macam Pennywise & Jack Johnson. Dan videoklip “White Shoes” juga menorehkan jejak prestasi fenomenal dengan meraih juara pertama dan bertahan hingga beberapa minggu di chart videoklip indie Global TV.

Pada 2007 Sinatra akhirnya merilis album–yang frontal mengekspresikan pilihan genre mutakhir mereka—bertajuk “Boogie Woogie Psychobilly”. Benar, Sinatra telah mengukuhkan dirinya sebagai band pioneer Psychobilly di Indonesia.

Boogie-Woogie-Psychobilly… Drink whiskey and cheap Martini…


ARTIST DETAILS
Nama: SUICIDAL SINATRA
Tanggal/Tahun Berdiri : 16 Agustus 2004
Genre: Psychobilly/Rockabilly Nu Skool

Personnel:
1. Leo Sinatra (gitar & vokal)
2. Kappe Sinatra (stand up bass, vokal latar)
3. Ajie Sinatra (drum)


DISKOGRAFI
1. Valentine Ungu
Rilis: 2004

2. Love Songs & Stinkin’ Cheese (EP)
Label: Electro Hell Records
Rilis: 2005

3. Boogie Woogie Psychobilly
Label: Electro Hell Records
Rilis: 2007

4. Tropicalize vol. II (kompilasi)
Lagu: White Shoes
Label: (label dari Jepang)
Rilis: 2006

5. Moshpit Mavericks (kompilasi)
Lagu: Iblis Surga
Label: The Blado Beatsmith
Rilis: 2007

ADDITIONAL INFOS
Influenced by: The Living End, Tiger Army, Mad Sin, Reverend Horton Heat, The Clash, Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra

Gigs Terbaik:
1. Panggung Utama Soundrenaline, Denpasar, 2007
2. Tour bersama 7Crowns, Bali-Malang-Surabaya-Gresik-Yogya, 2006
3. Panggung Utama Soundrenaline, Denpasar, 2005
4. Thursday Riot at Parc, Jakarta, 2005

Interview Report with Psychofun

* Who run this page?
The page is run by tonki the band's guitarist and the band from his laptop.

* Where do u guys come from?
Actually the band come from Semarapura,east Bali. But now we stay in Denpasar,Bali-Indonesia.

* When will you play in our city?
All confirmed show will be updated on our myspace page. we would love to play in your town, we will play in your town when there's event organizer who invite us to do show in your town, then we will come. Or perhaps you can organize it for us? for sure, please contact our manager to get the band rider.

* Where to get your records and merch?
You can get our latest album in your town, please take a look at our blog where is our records distributed. If those shops is not near you, please do mail order to us via email: info@psychofun.com and you will get the step to get our album. We are working on a new design right now for our merchandise, please stay tune.


* About top friend on myspace page.
We don't put top friend in a particular order, we only put someone in our top friend because we know them and we like them.

* How do you describe your music?
Our music is basically rock, but we put alot of element on it so it's become Psychofun's music.

Devildice Biography

Formed in 1997 in the middle of sins and happenings of Kuta (Bali), Devildice was put together by Jerinx (guitar/vocal) and Kuzz (bass), and formerly used the name Culture On Fire, which chose to be cover version of Social Distortion, their favorite punk old skool band. With the help of friends in drum and guitar, Culture On Fire entertained the Bali underground music scene.

With Jerinx as the drummer and songwriter of Superman Is Dead (SID), gave this band the impression of a ‘halfhearted band’ and comfortable with the status of cover version band.

In 2002, Jerinx realized that he had many wrote many songs, which were not the character of SID songs but he could use them as songs of Culture On Fire, which was more dark than SID. He, then decided to be more serious in running his second band. After, there were few personnel changes and the rename of the band to be “Devildice”, eventually Jerinx and his friends released their first album ‘In The Arms Of The Angels’ in 2004. This album was produced independently with their own cash and label.

Now (2009), with the formation of Jerinx (vocal/guitar), Kuzz (bass), Cash (guitar), T.R (drum), and Dr.F (trumpet), Devildice has performed in variety of music festivals, charity concerts, skate, surf, tattoos, and bike competitions at stadiums, beach, courts, bars, clubs in Bali.

Devildice has also been involved in few environment campaign projects, compilation album, skate video, surf video and many more.

In making music, Devildice is influenced by old ganster/mafia movies, kustome kulture, and the exotic of tropical punk.




Terbentuk 1997 di tengah keramaian dosa dan peristiwa di Kuta [Bali], Devildice yang dibentuk oleh Jerinx [gitar/vokal] dan Kuzz [bass] awalnya memakai nama Culture On Fire dan memilih menjadi band cover version Social Distortion, band punk old skool idola mereka. Dibantu oleh beberapa kawan yang mengisi posisi drum dan gitar, Culture On Fire rajin meramaikan acara-acara musik yang bersifat underground di Bali.

Kesibukan Jerinx yang juga drummer/penulis lagu di Superman Is Dead [SID] membuat Culture On Fire makin terproyeksi menjadi band yang 'agak kurang serius' dalam berkarir dan nyaman dengan status band cover version.

Tahun 2002, Jerinx menyadari ia punya banyak stok lagu yang tidak masuk dalam karakter SID namun bisa ia masukkan ke dalam karakter Culture On Fire yang lebih gelap. Ia pun memutuskan untuk lebih serius lagi menjalani proyek band keduanya ini. Setelah mengalami bongkar pasang personel dan perubahan nama menjadi Devildice, Jerinx dan kawan kawan akhirnya merilis mini album perdana Devildice 'In The Arms Of The Angels' tahun 2004 dengan biaya dan label sendiri.

Hingga kini [2009] Devildice yang diperkuat Jerinx, Kuzz, Cash [gitar], T.R [drum] dan Dr.F [trumpet] telah bermain di ratusan festival musik, acara amal, skate, surf, tattoos dan motor di stadion, pantai, lapangan, bar/club di Bali.
Devildice juga terlibat dalam beberapa proyek kampanye lingkungan, album kompilasi, skate video, surf video dan lain lain.

Dalam berkesenian, Devildice banyak dipengaruhi film-film gangster/mafia jaman dulu, kustom kulture dan eksotisme khas punk tropikal.

Navicula Biography

Navicula was formed in 1996 in Denpasar, Bali by two musician activists: Robi and Dankie. After changing personnels numerous times, the current formation is: Rob (vocals, guitar), Dankie (guitar), Made (bass), and Gembull (drums). The name Navicula was inspired by a type of single celled golden algae, which is shaped like a small ship (in Latin Navicula means small ship).Their music has a grunge rock undertone, but is combined with many other genres of sound, such as ethnic, psychedelic, alternative, progressive, and straight forward rock. The band's lyrics are heavy with activism messages of Peace, Love and Freedom.

Though the band has always been active in the indie music scene, in 2004 they signed a contract with Sony-BMG, a major label. Navicula released their 4th album, Alkemis, with sony-BMG. But, in 2007 they released their 5th album, Beautiful Rebel, independently and returned to following their ideals through the indie music scene. Navicula is based in Bali, but as an independent band, they continue to keep up a national profile. Since releasing their 5th album they have already began promotion through Java. Though distribution of the album isn't as widespread, it is available on i-tunes or it can be ordered through the band's myspace site or email: navicula.bali@gmail.com

Navicula didirikan tahun 1996 di Denpasar, Bali oleh dua aktivis musik: Robi dan Dankie. Setelah melewati beberapa kali pergantian personil di tahun-tahun awal band ini dibuat, hingga terbentuklah formasi terkini yang terdiri dari: Rob (vokal, gitar), Dankie (gitar), Made (bass) dan Gembull (drum). Nama Navicula diambil dari nama sejenis ganggang emas bersel satu, berbentuk seperti kapal kecil (dalam bahasa Latin, Navicula berarti kapal kecil).

Band ini mengusung grunge sebagai warna dasar musik mereka, berpadu dengan beragam warna etnik, psychedelic, blues, alternatif, folk, progresif, dibalut rock murni. Liriknya sarat dengan pesan aktivisme dan semangat tentang Perdamaian, Cinta dan Kebebasan.

Navicula lebih dikenal aktif sebagai band indie musik, walau sempat kontrak dengan major label Sony-BMG di tahun 2004. Bersama Sony-BMG, Navicula merilis album ke-4 mereka yang berjudul, Alkemis. Namun di tahun 2007, album ke-5 mereka, Beautiful Rebel, dirilis secara independen dan band ini kembali mengobarkan semangat idealisme mereka melalui jalur indie.

Musik Navicula dipengaruhi kuat oleh alternatif rock 90-an, terutama grunge / seattle-sound dari band-band macam Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, dan Nirvana. Namun, yang membuat musik mereka menjadi sedemikian unik adalah pekatnya pengaruh budaya Bali saat ini sebagai melting-pot dunia (tempat bercampurnya beragam budaya), dan kesempatan untuk berkreasi di suatu kondisi yang sangat kontras ini.

Melalui percampuran banyak elemen, dari budaya spiritual klasik Bali, pengaruh para seniman internasional yang menetap di Bali untuk menimba inspirasi, dan modern kultur di sejumlah internasional spot yang ada di Bali, band ini memperoleh rasa asli mereka, rasa ‘golden green grunge’, rasa Navicula.

Nymphea Biography

Sari (Vocals), Sogol (Guitars), Arie (Bass Guitars), Risky (Drums), formed NYMPHEA in January 2005. An Alternative Rock Band, from Bali, Indonesia.

People say that Nymphea has a female vocalist with powerful character which combines gracefully with the music arrangements and sounds. But now it would be, of course, your turn to decide whether that is true or not.

The first month of their existence, they have written five songs which then they recorded, duplicated, and gave out for free to friends, event organizers, and to local medias. They spread out up to 500 CDs.
After a couple of weeks, the jobs came. They started to get gigs, interviews, and most important, fans.

The seriousness of the whole "band thing" started rising. Then, in 2007, two of their members resigned. Arie and Risky had to leave to meet up to their parents' expectations, which was obviously not being a member of a rock band. They were replaced by Sodick and Guzt. 2008, another member left. Sogol had to start focusing more on the business he had started. He was replaced by Sony. So, after 4 years, Sari is the only one left of the former members.
But, guess what. The spirit didn't leave Sari at all. As the main song writer of the band, Sari actually found it easier to cooperate with the new guys. GREAT!!

So now, the formation is :
• Sari (Vocals)
• Sony (Guitars)
• Sodick (Bass Guitars)
• Guzt (Drums)

August 2008. At last Nymphea released their first album, titled "Malaikatmu", under two indie labels Petslooser and Proton Records. It contains 12 tracks, 3 English songs and the rest Indonesian. Distribution by one of Indonesia's major labels, Virgo Ramayana Records.
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Nymphea, terbentuk pada tanggal 4 Januari 2005, adalah sebuah band berasal dari Bali, Indonesia. Menurut beberapa pengamat musik, Nymphea merupakan band yang memiliki vocal wanita dengan karakter yang kuat dan enerjik, serta dibalut dengan musik yang cadas bernafaskan Rock. Musik mereka banyak mendapat pengaruh dari musisi ataupun band-band berbasis Rock seperti Sugarcult, AFI, Nirvana, Bjork, Hole, Foo Fighters, Dream Theatre, Rancid, Social Distortion, Jewel, No Doubt, dan banyak lagi yang lainnya. Karena banyaknya variasi pengaruh dari musik berbasis rock inilah, akhirnya Nymphea terbentuk menjadi band yang mengusung aliran Alternative Rock.
Nama Nymphea berasal dari kata “nymph” (Inggris), yang berarti bidadari, dan di bubuhi huruf “e” dan “a” untuk mempermudah pelafalannya.

Sebulan berjalan, belum pernah mencicipi manis pahitnya panggung, Nymphea telah menciptakan 5 (lima) lagu, semua berbahasa Inggris, dan memutuskan untuk membawanya ke dapur rekaman. Mengumpulkan semua modal yang ada, mencetak cover CD ala “home-made-sablon”, mengkopi CD secara manual siang dan malam, mereka berhasil menduplikasi mini album bertitel “Farewell” tersebut sebanyak 500 keping CD. Mini album itu awalnya dibagikan secara gratis kepada teman-teman, media lokal, dan event organizer, tetapi pada saat vocalist-nya, Sari, ke Perth, Australia, untuk menyelesaikan urusan perkuliahannya, dia mampu menjual sampai hampir 100 keping CD seharga AU$5. Sedikit bantuan pengembalian modal awal yang sangat membanggakan bagi mereka yang merasa diri sebagai band yang masih sangat muda.

Seminggu setelah pembagian mini album berlangsung, Nymphea sudah mulai menerima panggilan tugas ke medan perang para musisi, “Akhirnya kita bakal manggung!” kata mereka pertama kali mendapat tawaran mengisi sebuah acara. Melalui berbagai macam event, terkumpullah dukungan yang kuat dari para penggemar, teman, media dan pengamat musik. Berkat dukungan itu, pada bulan Agustus 2008, Nymphea dengan bangga merilis album perdananya “Malaikatmu”.

Band yang awalnya dibentuk hanya untuk pelepasan dahaga bermusik, setelah merasakan indahnya rasa diatas panggung, mulai terasa keseriusannya. Seiring waktu, datanglah cobaan yang merupakan salah satu cobaan terberat yang dapat dialami sebuah band. Pergantian personel.

Formasi awal Nymphea : Sari (vocal), Sogol (guitar), Arie (bass), Risky (drum). Tahun 2007, Nymphea kehilangan 2 (dua) personelnya. Karena tuntutan pekerjaan dan orang tua, mundurlah Arie yang kemudian digantikan oleh Sodick, dan Risky yang digantikan oleh Guzt. Kemudian pada akhir tahun 2008, Sogol juga harus meninggalkan Nymphea untuk memfokuskan pikiran pada usaha keluarganya. Nymphea kemudian mengangkat Sony sebagai guitarist pada awal 2009.

Jadi, formasi Nymphea sampai saat ini :
• Sari (Vocal)
• Sony (Guitar)
• Sodick (Bass)
• Guzt ( Drum)

Screaming Factor Biography

Screaming Factor [SF] dibentuk di kota Malang pada bulan Maret 1997 dengan formasi awal Evi [vokal], Harry [vokal], Yoyok [gitar], Andre [bass], dan Lucky [drum]. Di awal karirnya, konsep musik SF lebih kepada oldschool hardcore/punk, dan sering mengkover lagu-lagu asing milik Sick Of It All, 25 Ta Life, atau Vision of Disorder. Pada tahun 1999, SF merilis singel pertama yang bertitel We Born In Pain untuk album kompilasi lokal bertajuk For The Truth [Youth Frontline records]. Lalu di awal tahun 2000, mereka kembali merekam singel yang berjudul Wake Up. Singel ini masuk dalam kompilasi With Pain We Born [Never End records].

Setelah sempat vakum dan mengalami beberapa pergantian personil, akhirnya SF dalam formasi Novi [vokal], Udin [gitar], Yoyok [gitar], Adon [bass] dan Ayok [drum] kembali merekam demo lagu The Fire That Burns In My Heart di studio Nero [Malang]. Lagu ini masuk dalam sampler CD Solidrock Magazine 3 [2004] dan menjadi soundtrack film independen yang berjudul Jana [2005]. Di penghujung tahun 2005, SF akhirnya merilis debut album di bawah label Fukyu Records. Rilisan self-titled itu dipasarkan ke seluruh Indonesia melalui jalur independen, dan meraup respon publik yang lumayan positif. Sejak album ini, musik mereka sedikit ada pengaruh ke arah metalik. Aransemennya menjadi lebih kompleks dan progresif. Intensitas punk/hc yang liar menyambut nuansa rock-metal, mathcore, metalcore, sampai post-hardcore. Singel berjudul The Fire That Burns In My Heart juga sempat masuk dalam kompilasi nasional, Cadas Tanpa Batas [Dapross Records, 2007]. Majalah TRAX dalam edisi metal issue [Januari 2006] menempatkan mereka sebagai salah satu dari 15 band lokal Indonesia yang mampu mendefinisikan heavy metal di abad 21.

Novi dkk telah melewati berbagai jenis dan skala pertunjukan musik di kota Malang, Sidoarjo, Surabaya, Blitar, Jogja, sampai Denpasar. Mereka juga sudah berbagi panggung dengan Extreme Decay, Keramat, Antiphaty, Primitive Chimpanzee, Begundal Lowokwaru, Brigade 07, Breath of Despair, Crucial Conflict, Moment of Pain, Mortal Combat, Hands Upon Salvation, /RIF, Burgerkill, Beside, Seringai hingga Efek Rumah Kaca. Paska proses rekaman materi musik terbaru di awal tahun 2008, Adon [bass] keluar dari band dan posisinya digantikan oleh Harry [eks Kimono]. Setelah sempat jadi opening act dalam konser band asing seperti SOL [Jerman] dan Ingrowing [Ceko], Screaming Factor kembali dipercaya membuka konser Walls of Jericho [USA] di kota Malang.
Pada pertengahan tahun 2008, SF melepas mini album bertajuk Welcome Pieces yang dirilis secara digital melalui ReloadYourStereo, sebuah proyek netlabel milik Apokalip.com. Hingga kemudian kiprah SF mulai dilirik oleh publik dan media nasional. Majalah Rolling Stone menyebut mereka sebagai salah satu Bands To Watch dalam rubrik khusus Malang Rock Trip [edisi Februari 2009]. Novi dkk juga sempat terpilih sebagai salah satu band cadas Indonesia yang diulas dalam majalah Hai Star edisi Metalcore – di mana lagu singel Welcome Pieces juga masuk dalam CD sampler edisi majalah tersebut. SF lalu bergabung dalam proyek kompilasi Tribute To Koil ; Kami Percaya Kaupun Terbakar Juga yang diproduksi oleh Bakar Kolektif [Bandung] dan dirilis secara digital oleh RYS/Apokalip pada bulan Juni 2009. Di album kompilasi tersebut Novi dkk mengusung lagu lawas Koil yang berjudul Ini Semua Hanyalah Fashion. Saat ini SF sedang menyiapkan materi musik terbaru untuk karya rekaman yang rencananya bisa dirilis pada akhir tahun 2009… [solidrock]

Begundal Lowokwaru Biography

Is it a history or a scandal? Is it a revolution or a destroyer of monotonous tradition? A massive wave that came from little district in Malang, and the story became bigger than its place. That place named Singosari, a place where Ken Arok revolutionize the history decades ago.

As ten years ago, “Begundal Lowokwaru” was just chatter of Indra Binatang and Ustad Chipeng, that revolution isn’t meant to be done in either big city or metropolis, everything can be started; depend on what we have to start first. From those chatter, a band without personnel was born. The band that somewhat influenced by rascal local bands who had clear statement about punk fashion, at that time, i.e. Laga Bara, Runtah, and also bands from early era of street punk community, i.e. Realino, Sriwedari, Meruya, and many more.

It was a short trip for Indra Binatang and Ustardz Chipeng to celebrate New Year eve in Klayatan, around 8pm, 31st December 1998, during the trip. The name for the band was born, “Begundal Lowokwaru” with two personnel. And in the next following day, the other personnel were recruited to help this uncertain project, they are: Buyung Mukembe, Age' Pipo Pilipo A.K.A Panda, Sableng, Fordi and Koko Ombat. Based on songs that they’ve created in Sidodadi Junction (place near Singosari traditional market), Begundal Lowokwaru began to perform in small punk events or sometime get leftover time from their close relative, a skapunk band “Skatoopid”. Eventually, Begundal’s songs such as “Road to the bottle (equality)”, “oi!seplok”, or “saudara sebotol” already take place in the local scene. Begundal Lowokwaru elevated street issues with straight and frank lyric-writing style; they began to get larger fans and audience, even though there still many of them questioned or even criticized their subject matter. After created some songs and gathered enough personnel, they planned to record their first album. Begundal Lowokwaru recorded their first album at Nada Musica Surabaya, this album contains 11 songs straight to the point street punk anthem, with personnel; ustardz Chipeng (vokal), John Gembel Gua Selarong (Guitar), Sableng Tangisan Boot (bass), Gopel Titisan Kiley (drum), and aided by Paduan suara Punkemiz Antartika Sidoarjo, This album was released under Street drunk rock records label in late 1999.

After this album had released, song that before was sung by local audience and relatives, now began to proclaimed in some punk communities which at that time so-called early era of punk, they rocked all the performing enquiries from Jakarta to “Island of Deity” Bali. 2000 copy album sale was a phenomenal achievement for the band from small town with mediocre music skill.

The big success in their first album brought the opportunity for Begundal Lowokwaru to collaborated with the elder of Sayidan Skinhead "the Sardonic", this album was developed in Yogyakarta, contains 11 songs from both bands, and released by Realino Records Yogyakarta, and also released with very limited copy, it was only 75 copy!. After split album release, a lot of changes occurred in the band. John Gembel resigned from the band, Age' Pipo Pilipo rejoined as bassist and Sableng filled rhythm guitar position, and Begundal Lowokwaru also invited Antok Celeng for lead guitar. With the current formation Begundal Lowokwaru began to work on their second album, at last, 11 songs which most of it written in English was released in early 2003, titled "Suburban legion", this album was an musical exploration and maturing development for Begundal Lowokwaru, a traditional instrument usually use by Arbanat (Traditional Food) seller was used in their music, made Begundal Lowokwaru became new concept for Indonesian punk scene.

This was turning point for Begundal Lowokwaru, the band hit by life necessity, Sableng and Celeng had to work in Bali, Ustardz Chipeng went to Borneo, and Gopel also went to Sumatra In this Phase, with aid from friends, Indra Binatang strived to keep Begundal Lowokwaru in motion, Begundal Lowokwaru’s vacuum phase occurred in a long time, in these time, Begundal Lowokwaru only produced one song for compilation album released by patriot 666 records Bali, titled “And the bottle for all”, this song also released by Realino Records titled “Oi! Penalti”.

In late 2004, Ustardz Chipeng return in Malang, fortunately, Antok Celeng also went back to Malang, some songs began to set in motion with band formation Ustardz Chipeng, Antok Celeng, Age' Pipo Pilipo, Bansheng Blokotok, and Udin Bach Cock(screaming factor). four songs had been made with this formation, and this time, the song contains lightweight instrument yet neat and so Begundal-ish recorded in studio ANTZ Malang, four song they produced began it’s journey fron one computer to another with mp3 format, even though, it was demo song, nevertheless it became anthem for this cold city.

Early 2006, personnel changes happened again, Bansheng Blokotok resign because the heavy tour schedule which usually crashed with his work, meanwhile, Udin Bach Cock determinate to get serious with his own band “Screaming Factor”, later on, their position filled again by “The Lost Boy” Indra Binatang who was idle because of Skatoopid was in vacuum phase, and his friend in Diskoteror project “diskopunk”, and drum position filled by an independence drummer, Rosi Kobra (played for many significant bands in local scene).

With this current formation, material for the next album was worked on; even they were still in city to city tour. Later on, in WW Studio, they recorded 20 songs for the third album, after all basic recording finished, mixing and mastering processed in GG Studio. Only nine songs added to their newest album. Titled “Punk Is A Threat Not A Fashion Tips( Goin' Traditional ), the album hit the market march 2008, just two months after released 1000 copy has been sold, this album was the answer for the thirst of Begundal Lowokwaru’s fans who longing for their work. In this phase, Indra Binatang had to vanish once more to get married. His position temporarily replaced by all-around guitarist Acoy Geboy (SATCF, kids next door, soldiers embrace) and Fat Feri (dive into summer); with this latest formation they wiped out Java-Bali on April till July 2008. And now,,,,, they are still working, recording, practicing, guitar fingering, drum practicing and rehearsals the new materials for the 4th album.

Papa Roach Biography

Papa Roach is...
Coby Dick - Vocals
Jerry - Guitar
Tobin - Bass
Dave - Drums

I'm super-flamboyant, super-happy, and super-pissed-off," understates Papa Roach frontman Coby Dick. "I'm off the hook at shows. I've done stupid things where our lawyer was going, 'You can't be doing that!' but I've also hugged a million kids. How Nirvana was when they came out - that new edge of giving kids a release of emotions - that's how I hope people connect with Papa Roach's music. I want to cause every emotion in people. I want them to fight, to fuck; I want to bring out their violence, their sadness, and their happiness." Singer-Songwriter Dick, Guitarist Jerry Horton, Bassist Tobin Esperance, and Drummer Dave Buckner acheive Dicks estimable goals with INFEST.

Produced by Jay Baumgardner (whose worked with Coal Chamber and System of a Down), Papa Roach's major label debut "is about dealing with everyday struggle,"according to Dick, whose lyrics for songs like "Broken Home," "Never Enough," "Binge," "Thrown Away," and "Last Resort," infest's first radio track are intensely personal and darkly seductive. Inspired from everything from Divorce ("Broken Home"), struggles with alcohol ("Binge"), Attention Deficit Disorder ("Thrown Away"), and suicide. ("Last Resort") Dick tends to write in the first person. "I deal a lot with the line between good and evil. And I tiptoe down that line myself," he confesses.

"I have a side that's responsible, a part that knows right from wrong, and I have my punk rock, 'fuck everything' side." Says Horton of the band's sound; "We lean more towards hip hop, punk and funk, and we also have a rock influence, but we're not really rap-core. The songs have a pop structure, and they're very melodic, with a lot of layers and orchestration." For his part, Dick listens to hardcore bands, digs underground hip hop, played clarinet in his High Schools prize-winning wind ensemble and names Faith No Mores Mike Patton as one of his biggest influences.

Press raves, too, bare out Papa Roach's diverse approach. Las Vegas City Life praised the quartet for it's "surprising moments of vulnerability and sensitivity in it's cathartic opera-core, [Dick] sounding almost pleading in the world weary voice of youth betrayed"; the publication also informed, "Papa Roach stakes out it's territory" (May 20, 1999). Sacramento's News & Review, meanwhile voted the band "most likely to show up Rage Against the Machine at their own gig" (June 3, 1999), and the San Jose Mercury News commended the foursome's "sheer urban grit" and Dick's "randy, alluring and apocalyptic" vocals (Aug. 5, 1999). Not bad for a kid who began "playing" music in his garage with "garbage cans and baseball bats" (and who later moved out while still in high school and began working at an airforce base hospital to support himself).

Growing up in the Northern California town of Vacaville - for the moment best known as the onion capital of the world. P-Roach, as their legion of fans call them, formed in high school (Horton did not attend school with the others; he met them via an ex-girlfriend who was a P-Roach fan.) At the teens' first gig, a 1993 school talent show, Dick's mom overheard a judge mutter, "I hope they don't quit their day jobs." The band improved by leaps and bounds, however, and was soon selling out 300-500 seat venues (some of which would have required fake IDs had the band members been patrons). Despite their youth, the members of Papa Roach brought a wealth of experience to their developing sound.

Buckner, a Los Angeles native whose first instrument was violin, was taking drum lessons from a 70-year-old female jazz drummer by the time he reached junior high. He quickly made first chair in concert band but shortly thereafter got his first drum kit (for Christmas) and proclaimed: "I'm sick of this school band crap - I wanna play rock 'n' roll!" His next move? "I sat down with [Led Zeppelin's] Physical Graffiti and a set of headphones and went to work." He says of his influences: "I remember being three years oldand listening to [Pink Floyd's] The Wall on car rides with my Mom. Later I would kick it at my aunt and uncle's with Suicidal Tendencies and Metallica on vinyl. My friends in grade school got me into Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys, and junior high was all about classic rock. In high school, I was into a whole range of stuff, from John Coltrane to Fugazi.

That's when I discovered all the great and beautiful music that isn't part of the mainstream. I've kept my mind open since then. Esperance - who joined P-Roach at 13 - grewup watching his Dad play bass. "He got me my first bass when I was 10, " he recalls. His fingers blistered from the heavy bottom end he provides P-Roach, Esperance continues: "I had friends who were into jazz and reggae, and I took those and lumped them together. My Mom and I would listen to the same jazz music, or the Doors, or Duke Ellington. Then I had my punk rock category. He confirms that Papa Roach's music takes a similarly melting-pot tack, commenting: "People put us in the rap-rock category. I don't care what they call us, but we definitely do it differently from anyone out their right now."

Though Infest is Papa Roach's major-leagues bow, the band has been spewing music to the masses via CD for several years. Their first recording adventure was 1995's Caca Bonita, whcihc was followed by Old Friends From Young Years. "That's what the future is, " Dick says of the title. "We wanna have longevity, and by putting that idea in the cosmos - it's sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy." Two more independent CD's also issued on the band's Onion Hardcore Recordings, built on the momentum: 1998's 5 Tracks Deep (which featured the song "Revenge" [formerly "Revenge In Japanese"], heard on an episode of MTV's "Road Rules") and 1999's "Let 'Em Know". Cranking these out at a steady pace did not keep P-Roach rom the stage, however.

On the contrary, the band gigged steadily all over California - sometimes mounting as many as 14 shows a month - with acts like Kid Rock, Static-X, Incubus, Bad Brains and other such compadres on The Warped Tour. One of the questions most frequently aimed at the band concerns their moniker. It seems Buckner had a CD by jazz musician Pancho Sanchez called Papa Gato. The title struck a chord with Dick, whose grandfather's last name was Roatch - he was "Papa Roatch" to his family.

Still, according to Dick: "For the longest time, it's had nothing to do with my grandpa. We drew up this cockroach logo because we wanted to avoid the weed thing. Weed's okay, but it's not what we're about; we're kinda like the cockroach that can survive anything - we're tough, warrior soldier band. We get out there and put the work in." The band also takes pride in their familial orientation. "We're a team," Dick insists. "Some bands are like, 'We just fired our guitar player.' We don't do that shit; we don't fire people. We're family - you get booted out!" Esperance concurs: "We get along better than most any other band in the world. If you were to hang out with us, you'd wonder what the hell was wrong with us. We're constantly laughing, then getting in arguments, telling each other to fuck off, then we're best friends again in the next minute. We can't really agree on a whole lot, except the music and the band. We're real different people, but P- Roach is where we come together.

And come together they do, especially in a live setting. They're pretty goodat getting the audience to join together with the band: At any given show, the fans are onstage and airborne nearly as much as Papa Roach. The four piece has incited this mania over and over, headlining major clubs from San Francisco to Los Angeles, playing more than 400 shows since 1993. Despite such seasoning, Infest represents the beginning of this young band's journey. As the title track promises, these Roach's are "coming to infest." Those who prefer enlightenment to escapism will surely want to invest. "Pop music like Britney Spears is existence in the dark," Dick argues. "Its' candy. I don't want to escape reality - I want to go deeper into it."

Bio #2

In the small Northern California town of Vacaville, four high school friends, Jacoby Shaddix, Jerry Horton, Dave Buckner, and Will James, decided to start a band. In 1993, they became Papa Roach, a band whose influences included prominent Bay Area acts such as Faith No More and Primus. Papa Roach quickly rose to the top of the Vacaville music scene with their blending of hip-hop, groove-funk, and hardcore.
After a couple of years of playing coffeehouses, pizza joints, and keg-parties, they were headlining such places as the Cactus Club in San Jose, the Cattle Club in Sacramento, and the Berkeley Square in Berkeley.

Due to the antics of unpredictable Shaddix, and the raw power supplied by the band in live performances, Papa Roach captured the attention of younger audiences. In turn, kids showed their appreciation for the band by faithfully attending all the band's shows. In these early years, Papa Roach was able to support the Deftones on two shows, and have bands such as Incubus, Snot, Far, Human Waste Project, Downset and Fu Manchu open for them.

In the summer of 1996, while realizing athat they had something special, Papa Roach decided to make changes necessary to reach the next level. First, the band replaced bass player Will James because his commitment to church summer camp that would have prevented the band from practicing and playing any shows over the summer. Papa Roach did not have to go far to find their new bass player. Tobin Esperance, who was only 16 years old and who had been a roadie for Papa Roach since age 13, readily became the new bass player. Second, the band hired a manager, Bret Bair, to help them with bookings, promotions, and merchandising. With a new bass player and management in place, Papa Roach decided to enter the studio to record a full-length CD.

"Old Friends From Young Years" was recorded for $700 at E.S.P. Studios in Pittsburg, California, and was subsequently released in February of 1997. The CD contains 13 tracks, including the songs "Orange Drive Palms", and "Liquid Diet". Without any push from the band or management, many smaller independent and college radio stations in Chico, Davis, San Jose, Sacramento, and the Bay Area added Papa Roach to their playlists. To the bands' surprise, Papa Roach charted number one as Cal-State Sacramento's most requested band for five consecutive weeks. Papa Roach celebrated the release of their first album with several CD release shows. The Vacaville CD release show was attended by 700 kids, while CD release shows in Berkeley and Sacramento were attended by 400 and 300 kids, respectively.

Papa Roach's emerging popularity did not escape the eyes and ears of promoters, who started booking the band as a support act on many larger national shows. In March of 1997, Papa Roach played main support to Suicidal Tendencies in front of 1,000 people in Sacramento. They also either headlined or supported many of today's up and coming acts in the aggressive rock genre, including Incubus, Snot, Far, Human Waste Project, (hed) p.e., Sevendust, WIll Haven and Powerman 5000. Papa Roach has also played Southern California on a frequent basis, and is now becoming a regular at such reknowned clubs as the Troubador in Hollywood, and Soma in San Diego.

In April 1998, Papa Roach released "5 Tracks Deep", and E.P. containing five songs which sold 1,000 copies within the first month after its release. This CD exemplifies the natural growth in musicianship and song-writing ability within band since "Old Friends From Young Years" was recorded 18 months earlier. The songs "Revenge in Japanese" is a perfect example of the Papa Roach trademark sound where hip-hop verses lead to a catchy radio-friendly chorus. This results in a song with both energy and emotion that will attract diverse crowds of people.