With its U.S. tour still pending, 311 has just signed on to perform with Our Lady Peace and Angie Aparo at an environmental benefit concert slated for February 26 at the Fox Theater in Atlanta.
Dubbed the "99X Chinese New Year" concert, the event is being co-sponsored by local radio station WNNX, with proceeds going to benefit the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper Fund.
The Riverkeeper Fund was started in 1994 and is dedicated to advocating and protecting the Chattahoochee River, its tributaries, and watershed -- primarily the 200 miles that run through the north Georgia mountains to West Point Lake.
For more on the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper Fund and other related causes, be sure to check out the organization's official Web site. (www.chattahoochee.org)
As for 311, the benefit one-off will come less than a week into the band's planned outing with Jimmie's Chicken Shack, a tour that will start on February 21 in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The Nebraskan band has also just issued a new track, "Flowing," as the second single from its newest album, "Soundsystem," and the song has already ebbed its way into the top 30 of the "R&R" Alternative charts.
Thursday, December 14, 2000
311, Zebrahead To Launch Fall Tour (MTV)
The road continues to stretch onward for 311, which will launch its final outing of the year in early October with special guest Zebrahead.
According to 311's management, the bands will spend six weeks on an all-ages tour that will total roughly 35 concerts.
311 has been touring steadily since releasing its "Soundsystem" album last October, most recently returning from several dates in Japan in early August. The band is set to play the Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Denver on September 30 and the giant Smoke Out festival on October 7 in San Bernardino, California, before the official kickoff with Zebrahead at the Warfield in San Francisco on October 9.
In other news, the band has remixed the Black Eyed Peas track "B.E.P. Empire" for an upcoming BEP maxi-single, according to the official 311 Web site. In addition to supplying the music behind BEP's vocals, 311 recorded and mixed the track in its portable bus studio while on the road.
The band hasn't limited recording its future output to its portable facility, as the group spent its August downtime writing, rehearsing, and recording in a brand new studio recently purchased in Los Angeles.
Orange County, California's Zebrahead, meanwhile, is touring to support its just-released new album, "Playmate Of The Year." The CD features guest appearances by members of Lit, Reel Big Fish, and No Doubt, and the 2000 "Playboy" Playmate Of The Year, Jodi Ann Paterson, graces its cover.
The band has released the title track as the album's first single, and the accompanying video, appropriately enough, was shot at the Playboy Mansion. The band is currently enjoying an extensive cross-promotion campaign with "Playboy" that includes the distribution of special CD-ROM singles, appearances with Playmates, and other gimmicks.
Here's how the "Soundsystem" fall tour itinerary shapes up to date:
•9/30 - Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
•10/7 - San Bernardino, CA @ National Orange Show
•10/9 - San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
•10/11 - Las Vegas, NV @ Hard Rock Hotel - The Joint
•10/13 - Grand Junction, CO @ Two Rivers Convention Center
•10/16 - Sioux Falls, SD @ Sioux Falls Expo Center
•10/17 - Columbia, MO @ Blue Note
•10/18 - Omaha, NE @ Sokol Auditorium
•10/19 - Omaha, NE @ Sokol Auditorium
•10/20 - Joplin, MO @ Joplin Memorial Hall
•10/22 - Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theatre
•10/23 - Dallas, TX @ Bronco Bowl
•10/24 - Austin, TX @ Austin Music Hall
•10/25 - Houston, TX @ Aerial Theatre At Bayou Place
•10/28 - New Orleans, LA @ Voodoo Music Festival
•10/30 - Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House Of Blues
•10/31 - Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
•11/1 - Myrtle Beach, SC @ House Of Blues
•11/3 - New York, NY @ Roseland
•11/4 - Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
•11/5 - Boston, MA @ Avalon
•11/6 - Hartford, CT @ Webster Theatre
•11/8 - Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room
•11/9 - Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart's
•11/10 - Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
•11/11 - Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theatre
•11/12 - Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre
•11/14 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
•11/16 - Missoula, MT @ Adams Event Center
•11/17 - Bozeman, MT @ Montana State University
•11/18 - Boise, ID @ Boise State Pavilion
•11/20 - Salt Lake City, UT @ SaltAir Pavilion
•11/22 - TBA
According to 311's management, the bands will spend six weeks on an all-ages tour that will total roughly 35 concerts.
311 has been touring steadily since releasing its "Soundsystem" album last October, most recently returning from several dates in Japan in early August. The band is set to play the Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Denver on September 30 and the giant Smoke Out festival on October 7 in San Bernardino, California, before the official kickoff with Zebrahead at the Warfield in San Francisco on October 9.
In other news, the band has remixed the Black Eyed Peas track "B.E.P. Empire" for an upcoming BEP maxi-single, according to the official 311 Web site. In addition to supplying the music behind BEP's vocals, 311 recorded and mixed the track in its portable bus studio while on the road.
The band hasn't limited recording its future output to its portable facility, as the group spent its August downtime writing, rehearsing, and recording in a brand new studio recently purchased in Los Angeles.
Orange County, California's Zebrahead, meanwhile, is touring to support its just-released new album, "Playmate Of The Year." The CD features guest appearances by members of Lit, Reel Big Fish, and No Doubt, and the 2000 "Playboy" Playmate Of The Year, Jodi Ann Paterson, graces its cover.
The band has released the title track as the album's first single, and the accompanying video, appropriately enough, was shot at the Playboy Mansion. The band is currently enjoying an extensive cross-promotion campaign with "Playboy" that includes the distribution of special CD-ROM singles, appearances with Playmates, and other gimmicks.
Here's how the "Soundsystem" fall tour itinerary shapes up to date:
•9/30 - Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
•10/7 - San Bernardino, CA @ National Orange Show
•10/9 - San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
•10/11 - Las Vegas, NV @ Hard Rock Hotel - The Joint
•10/13 - Grand Junction, CO @ Two Rivers Convention Center
•10/16 - Sioux Falls, SD @ Sioux Falls Expo Center
•10/17 - Columbia, MO @ Blue Note
•10/18 - Omaha, NE @ Sokol Auditorium
•10/19 - Omaha, NE @ Sokol Auditorium
•10/20 - Joplin, MO @ Joplin Memorial Hall
•10/22 - Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theatre
•10/23 - Dallas, TX @ Bronco Bowl
•10/24 - Austin, TX @ Austin Music Hall
•10/25 - Houston, TX @ Aerial Theatre At Bayou Place
•10/28 - New Orleans, LA @ Voodoo Music Festival
•10/30 - Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House Of Blues
•10/31 - Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
•11/1 - Myrtle Beach, SC @ House Of Blues
•11/3 - New York, NY @ Roseland
•11/4 - Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
•11/5 - Boston, MA @ Avalon
•11/6 - Hartford, CT @ Webster Theatre
•11/8 - Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room
•11/9 - Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart's
•11/10 - Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
•11/11 - Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theatre
•11/12 - Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre
•11/14 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
•11/16 - Missoula, MT @ Adams Event Center
•11/17 - Bozeman, MT @ Montana State University
•11/18 - Boise, ID @ Boise State Pavilion
•11/20 - Salt Lake City, UT @ SaltAir Pavilion
•11/22 - TBA
311 Sue Label, Announce Tour (Billboard)
311 is suing Atlanta-based Capricorn Records, alleging that the label breached its agreement with the band by failing to provide marketing, promotion, and support for the group's albums at a "major label" level. Filed Monday (Aug. 28) in Los Angeles Superior Court, the suit seeks termination of the band's recording contract with the label, based on "mutual mistake" and "frustration of purpose."
A spokesperson for Capricorn had no comment.
The band claims that since it signed with Capricorn in 1992, the label has moved through three record label partnerships (with Warner Bros., Mercury, and then the Universal Music Group after it acquired Mercury), and several distributors, "culminating in an unstable atmosphere which has demonstrably been to the detriment of 311's career."
The suit also alleges that Capricorn caused "irreparable harm to [311's] musical career," when it drew up the band's recording contract and "used its superior bargaining power and knowledge to structure the terms... in an attempt to monopolize [311's] career," by forcing the band "to spend extended periods of time on the road... coupled with the short time between the recording commitments" in the band's contract.
Within the suit, the band says that as of Friday (Sept. 1), it will no longer "be performing services under the agreement."
311's last release, 1999's "Soundsystem," debuted at No. 9 on The Billboard 200 and featured the single "Come Original," which hit No. 6 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart. The 1997 album "Transistor" fared even better, debuting and peaking at No. 4.
In total, the band has sold approximately 5.5 million albums in the U.S., according to SoundScan. Its self-titled third album, released in 1996, accounts for the majority of those sales, at 3 million, followed by "Transistor" (855,000), "Music" (1993, 580,000), "Grassroots" (1994, 540,000), and "Soundsystem" (425,000). 311's 1998 "Live!" album has sold 170,000 copies.
"We've told the label many times we were unhappy with their handling of our careers," 311 frontman Nick Hexum said in the statement. "After several years of complaints and Capricorn's unfulfilled promises, we decided we had to take legal action. The band will carry on through touring."
To that end, 311 has announced a six-week U.S. fall theater tour with Zebrahead supporting. The run will kick off Oct. 7 at the Warfield in San Francisco, following two festival appearances: Sept. 9 at the Red Bull Rock 'n' Air Festival at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colo., and Oct. 7 at Cypress Hill's Smoke Out Festival in San Bernardino, Calif. The tour also includes an Oct. 28 appearance at New Orleans' annual Voodoo Music Festival.
The band, formerly based in Omaha, Neb., is preparing for the tour at its recently acquired Hive Studios in Los Angeles, and working on new material. According to its official Web site, "the band has been staying busy writing and rehearsing five days a week. Already they have nearly 10 new song ideas."
A spokesperson for Capricorn had no comment.
The band claims that since it signed with Capricorn in 1992, the label has moved through three record label partnerships (with Warner Bros., Mercury, and then the Universal Music Group after it acquired Mercury), and several distributors, "culminating in an unstable atmosphere which has demonstrably been to the detriment of 311's career."
The suit also alleges that Capricorn caused "irreparable harm to [311's] musical career," when it drew up the band's recording contract and "used its superior bargaining power and knowledge to structure the terms... in an attempt to monopolize [311's] career," by forcing the band "to spend extended periods of time on the road... coupled with the short time between the recording commitments" in the band's contract.
Within the suit, the band says that as of Friday (Sept. 1), it will no longer "be performing services under the agreement."
311's last release, 1999's "Soundsystem," debuted at No. 9 on The Billboard 200 and featured the single "Come Original," which hit No. 6 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart. The 1997 album "Transistor" fared even better, debuting and peaking at No. 4.
In total, the band has sold approximately 5.5 million albums in the U.S., according to SoundScan. Its self-titled third album, released in 1996, accounts for the majority of those sales, at 3 million, followed by "Transistor" (855,000), "Music" (1993, 580,000), "Grassroots" (1994, 540,000), and "Soundsystem" (425,000). 311's 1998 "Live!" album has sold 170,000 copies.
"We've told the label many times we were unhappy with their handling of our careers," 311 frontman Nick Hexum said in the statement. "After several years of complaints and Capricorn's unfulfilled promises, we decided we had to take legal action. The band will carry on through touring."
To that end, 311 has announced a six-week U.S. fall theater tour with Zebrahead supporting. The run will kick off Oct. 7 at the Warfield in San Francisco, following two festival appearances: Sept. 9 at the Red Bull Rock 'n' Air Festival at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colo., and Oct. 7 at Cypress Hill's Smoke Out Festival in San Bernardino, Calif. The tour also includes an Oct. 28 appearance at New Orleans' annual Voodoo Music Festival.
The band, formerly based in Omaha, Neb., is preparing for the tour at its recently acquired Hive Studios in Los Angeles, and working on new material. According to its official Web site, "the band has been staying busy writing and rehearsing five days a week. Already they have nearly 10 new song ideas."
Wednesday, December 13, 2000
311 File Suit Against Record Label (Rolling Stone)
Members of 311 filed a breach of contract lawsuit Monday against Capricorn Records, claiming their record label is jeopardizing the band's career by failing to provide them with major marketing, promotion and support for the group's most recent albums.
According to singer Nick Hexum, 311 hopes to terminate their contract because Capricorn has failed to compromise with the band "regarding any of the concerns we've had. Basically," he said, "it's irreconcilable differences.
"There's always been quite a bit of friction between us and Capricorn," he continues. "We've always kept our disputes with Capricorn private. We're musicians and would prefer to only discuss our music. We didn't even want to [file the lawsuit], but when someone refuses to compromise with you, then your hands are tied."
At issue is Capricorn's changing partnerships with its distributors, which caused 311 to be bounced around from label to label (actually, between three different label partnerships and four different record distributors). When 311 first signed with Capricorn back in 1992, the label had a joint venture agreement for distribution via Warner Bros., an arrangement that ended after the release of 311's 1993 debut, Music (which sold 525,000 copies). Capricorn then linked up with Mercury Records in 1995, and the following self-titled album hit No. 12 on the Billboard pop chart and sold 2.7 million copies. However, Transistor, the band's 1997 follow-up wasn't as successful, moving 855,000 copies.
Nearly two years ago Mercury was swallowed by the Universal Music Group, which brought Capricorn under the label group's large umbrella. 311's suit contends that when Capricorn voiced its desire to dissolve ties with Universal the distribution group became unwilling to expend much energy on Capricorn artists. Subsequently, 311's most recent effort, 1999's Soundsystem, has sold a mere 430,000 copies.
Capricorn's arrangement with Universal officially ends at the end of the month. According to Hexum, Capricorn has lagged on finding a new distributor and the band wants out. "We've written them a number of letters to that effect, and we've told them a couple of times that it wasn't working out, and that we wanted to be let off the label."
It's not just the prospect of being without distribution that bothers the band -- it's also how distribution has been procured in the past. 311's suit contends that the band, considered the label's most successful, has been used as a "bargaining chip" to get past financing, which, even then, has been scarce. As a result, "[Capricorn] has fired or otherwise lost most of its remaining staff and has lost its second and third most successful bands, Cake and Widespread Panic ," 311's suit reads. "Put simply, [Capricorn] continues to spiral towards failure, and [311] cannot withstand the damage to their careers and livelihoods by being pulled down with them."
Although 311 signed the contract in California -- which would allow them to take advantage of a California law that limits personal service contracts to a maximum of seven years -- a clause in the original Capricorn recording contract says that the agreement is governed by the laws of Tennessee. Regardless of which state's laws are applicable, 311 say that they will no longer honor the contract with Capricorn after Sept. 1.
"Our music is going to continue," Hexum says, "no matter the outcome of this lawsuit, through touring, and we're going to keep making and recording new music. We're hoping through this lawsuit to get more control of our careers, which will ultimately make creating our music for enjoyable for us, and therefore more enjoyable for our fans."
A spokesperson for Capricorn had no comment on the lawsuit. 311 kicks off their tour with Zebrahead Oct. 9.
According to singer Nick Hexum, 311 hopes to terminate their contract because Capricorn has failed to compromise with the band "regarding any of the concerns we've had. Basically," he said, "it's irreconcilable differences.
"There's always been quite a bit of friction between us and Capricorn," he continues. "We've always kept our disputes with Capricorn private. We're musicians and would prefer to only discuss our music. We didn't even want to [file the lawsuit], but when someone refuses to compromise with you, then your hands are tied."
At issue is Capricorn's changing partnerships with its distributors, which caused 311 to be bounced around from label to label (actually, between three different label partnerships and four different record distributors). When 311 first signed with Capricorn back in 1992, the label had a joint venture agreement for distribution via Warner Bros., an arrangement that ended after the release of 311's 1993 debut, Music (which sold 525,000 copies). Capricorn then linked up with Mercury Records in 1995, and the following self-titled album hit No. 12 on the Billboard pop chart and sold 2.7 million copies. However, Transistor, the band's 1997 follow-up wasn't as successful, moving 855,000 copies.
Nearly two years ago Mercury was swallowed by the Universal Music Group, which brought Capricorn under the label group's large umbrella. 311's suit contends that when Capricorn voiced its desire to dissolve ties with Universal the distribution group became unwilling to expend much energy on Capricorn artists. Subsequently, 311's most recent effort, 1999's Soundsystem, has sold a mere 430,000 copies.
Capricorn's arrangement with Universal officially ends at the end of the month. According to Hexum, Capricorn has lagged on finding a new distributor and the band wants out. "We've written them a number of letters to that effect, and we've told them a couple of times that it wasn't working out, and that we wanted to be let off the label."
It's not just the prospect of being without distribution that bothers the band -- it's also how distribution has been procured in the past. 311's suit contends that the band, considered the label's most successful, has been used as a "bargaining chip" to get past financing, which, even then, has been scarce. As a result, "[Capricorn] has fired or otherwise lost most of its remaining staff and has lost its second and third most successful bands, Cake and Widespread Panic ," 311's suit reads. "Put simply, [Capricorn] continues to spiral towards failure, and [311] cannot withstand the damage to their careers and livelihoods by being pulled down with them."
Although 311 signed the contract in California -- which would allow them to take advantage of a California law that limits personal service contracts to a maximum of seven years -- a clause in the original Capricorn recording contract says that the agreement is governed by the laws of Tennessee. Regardless of which state's laws are applicable, 311 say that they will no longer honor the contract with Capricorn after Sept. 1.
"Our music is going to continue," Hexum says, "no matter the outcome of this lawsuit, through touring, and we're going to keep making and recording new music. We're hoping through this lawsuit to get more control of our careers, which will ultimately make creating our music for enjoyable for us, and therefore more enjoyable for our fans."
A spokesperson for Capricorn had no comment on the lawsuit. 311 kicks off their tour with Zebrahead Oct. 9.
311 Give Up 411 on Next Album (Rolling Stone)
Since 311's tour wrapped with Incubus a short while ago, the band has already written a whole new album, filed a lawsuit against their label, Capricorn Records, and built a recording studio. "We had a real busy summer," singer/guitarist Nick Hexum laughs.
And just because the band is already on tour again (this time with Zebrahead, which kicked off Oct. 9), the recording pace isn't about to relent. Hexum says that he's taking the studio on the road to fine-tune songs for the band's next album, which they hope to have finished shortly after the tour wraps Nov. 22.
"I've done that before on our past two tours, and that's where a lot of the songs get started," he says. "We did a remix with Black Eyed Peas -- we had them come and re-do the vocal, all on the bus. It was pretty crisp, because we've got Pro-Tools. Recording is more portable than it ever was before. You don't need a $200,000 mixing board to record an album anymore."
So far, he says, 311 have written nineteen songs in all, nine of which already have the vocals finished. Working with producer Ron Saint Germain again (who manned the boards for the band's self-titled breakthrough in 1996, also known as the Blue album), Hexum says this latest album, the band's sixth, with Germain's aid, is a "real return to the balls-to-the-wall approach to our first couple of albums."
"It's a natural progression," Hexum says. "We've always had such an exploratory attitude about these things. We've done weird, esoteric dub styles, real dreamy kind of things, and maybe some kids want some stuff like that, but we've gotten back to that place where we're writing hard and fast, hip-hop, not as much reggae on this album, almost none, plus funk, punk, metal, rap and one ska song for good measure. It's really all about the energy and letting more energy flow through it."
So far, there is no album title, but working song titles include "You Get Worked," "From Chaos," "You Wouldn't Believe" and "We Do It Like This." Some of the songs will be debuted on tour, but only a few, bassist P-Nut says, because "it's kind of walking a fine line between giving the fans what they want, what they expect, and throwing too much of a curveball. We always kinda write songs that take a little bit of understanding before you can really get it, so we're just going to ease them into the set slowly."
Though legal questions remain whether 311 can actually release the album, since their lawsuit against Capricorn is still pending, they're trying not to let that distract them from continuing the course. Instead, Hexum says the band's focus is just on letting the songs evolve, not how they'll be released. "When you play a song live, it goes to its most rocking level ever," he says. "We try to let that take place before we record the song, so we would be smart to bust out as many new songs as the crowd seems into. There's nothing better than giving it to them live."
And just because the band is already on tour again (this time with Zebrahead, which kicked off Oct. 9), the recording pace isn't about to relent. Hexum says that he's taking the studio on the road to fine-tune songs for the band's next album, which they hope to have finished shortly after the tour wraps Nov. 22.
"I've done that before on our past two tours, and that's where a lot of the songs get started," he says. "We did a remix with Black Eyed Peas -- we had them come and re-do the vocal, all on the bus. It was pretty crisp, because we've got Pro-Tools. Recording is more portable than it ever was before. You don't need a $200,000 mixing board to record an album anymore."
So far, he says, 311 have written nineteen songs in all, nine of which already have the vocals finished. Working with producer Ron Saint Germain again (who manned the boards for the band's self-titled breakthrough in 1996, also known as the Blue album), Hexum says this latest album, the band's sixth, with Germain's aid, is a "real return to the balls-to-the-wall approach to our first couple of albums."
"It's a natural progression," Hexum says. "We've always had such an exploratory attitude about these things. We've done weird, esoteric dub styles, real dreamy kind of things, and maybe some kids want some stuff like that, but we've gotten back to that place where we're writing hard and fast, hip-hop, not as much reggae on this album, almost none, plus funk, punk, metal, rap and one ska song for good measure. It's really all about the energy and letting more energy flow through it."
So far, there is no album title, but working song titles include "You Get Worked," "From Chaos," "You Wouldn't Believe" and "We Do It Like This." Some of the songs will be debuted on tour, but only a few, bassist P-Nut says, because "it's kind of walking a fine line between giving the fans what they want, what they expect, and throwing too much of a curveball. We always kinda write songs that take a little bit of understanding before you can really get it, so we're just going to ease them into the set slowly."
Though legal questions remain whether 311 can actually release the album, since their lawsuit against Capricorn is still pending, they're trying not to let that distract them from continuing the course. Instead, Hexum says the band's focus is just on letting the songs evolve, not how they'll be released. "When you play a song live, it goes to its most rocking level ever," he says. "We try to let that take place before we record the song, so we would be smart to bust out as many new songs as the crowd seems into. There's nothing better than giving it to them live."
311, Pennywise Rock Out Colorado Extreme Sports Festival (Rolling Stone)
There almost wasn't any air at Red Bull Rock 'N' Air, an extreme sports music fest held at Red Rocks Saturday in Morrison, Colo., outside Denver. But though the ski and snowboard competition, one of the event's main attractions, was canceled just before doors opened, the remaining exhibitions and concerts by 311 and Pennywise more than made up for the lack of gravity-defying snow sport.
The night before the event, organizers had turned 150 tons of block ice into snowflake-like shavings via a woodchipper and loaded the "snow" onto a colossal wooden ski jump and landing. The jump was built on an eighteen-foot scaffolding over part of the amphitheater stands, stopping right in front of the stage, to afford a close up view of both the concert and the athletes. This, organizers said, was partly what set this soon-to-be-annual event apart from other sport and music fests.
But overnight, the snow's weight caused the scaffolding to start to collapse, and by morning, a routine safety check determined that the jump was "structurally unsound." Organizers then re-arranged the event's schedule of remaining events, pushing back door time for several hours. The added wait and cancellation of the snow sport frustrated waiting attendees, some of whom had driven as far as from California and Pennsylvania for the sold-out event. The twenty athletes who were to compete were disappointed as well, though they got to divvy up the prize money, scoring about two grand each. "I didn't get to jump once," said free-skiing contender Shane McConkey. "It's a bummer. And the jump looked so cool . . . We did all this and we didn't even get to chuck our meat."
At the fifty-foot vertical ramp in the Core Village in the parking lot, pro skaters and BMX bikers added extra time to their exhibition, and they did not disappoint. Though most of the vert riders and boarders displayed an amazing amount of grace and agility, skate vet Tony Hawk stole the show when he successfully struck a front side 900. The trick -- a two-and-a-half midair rotation -- has been Hawk's signature ever since he made skateboarding history at last year's X Games when he executed the world's first 900. Hawk had never executed the move perfectly, always landing with his knees bent or in a squat. But this weekend he nailed the maneuver as he landed standing up.
"This is a new beginning for me," the Carlsbad, Calif., skating legend said. "I've never stood up after that extra spin. You have to shift your weight so it sends it to a different axis, so you're not so top heavy. And you never know until you're in the middle of it if you can do it. You have to start spinning without the intention to land. You have to do it without fear."
"No fear" could've also been the slogan for Pennywise's set, shortly following the skate/vert exhibit, since the band toyed with dangerous security situations, taunting the audience to break down the barrier between them and the stage, and finally inviting so many onto the stage during "Bro Hymn" that the band members were impossible to spot in the swarm.
Poking fun at the unused snow jump -- still a few feet from the stage -- guitarist Fletcher Dragge riled up the crowd with jokes about being "structurally sound," urging crowd members to find other means to launch themselves in the air. "This is where we get sued," he joked. "But fuck it, let's have a good time." "Shit, no, we didn't say that," singer Jim Lindberg quickly added, trying to do damage control.
Lindberg and Dragge made much use of their stage time to rail on corporate product pop and other ills of society, but didn't resort to juvenile gags or heavy political poses to do so. Instead, they turned the show into Punk Ed 101, taking the opportunity to educate the largely teen audience about bands from Black Flag (from their shared hometown of Hermosa Beach, Calif.) to Nirvana (via a vehement rendition of "Territorial Pissings"). And though the anarchist-themed "My Own Country" and "Society" are especially appropriate during the election season, Pennywise opted to emphasize with their between-song banter the songs' Nietzschean aspects, about living by one's own rules rather than bowing down to established belief systems. And then, immediately after saying something thought-provoking, Pennywise would blast back into a melodic gust of buzzing guitars.
Where Pennywise's set was meant to incite as well as be insightful, 311 brought the crowd down to a less demanding place with their party-time cross-genre musical mix. No insurrectionary asides here, just laid back rhythms and grooves that shifted easily and quickly from ska to hip-hop to dancehall to funk to metal and back, with glistening minor chords and delicate melodies.
Instead of saying much other than the usual "Wassup?", frontmen Nick Hexum and S.A. Martinez communicated to the crowd mostly through their dance moves, Hexum smooth and fluid, Martinez herky-jerky and exaggerated. Their vocal styles, too, were just as opposite, as the two alternated between Hexum's melodic funk crooning and Martinez's quicker raps. Most of the largely self-referential songs ("All Mixed Up," "Down") from 311's middle period were a collage of style that went down easily, but also blended too easily with each other. But their newer material, like their earlier songs, kept a harder edge that suited the band better.
The focus on pure rhythm became most evident during what seemed like a Chad Sexton drum solo that mutated into a drummer's circle of sorts, as the rest of 311 came out and did drum rolls along with their bandmate. Sexton kept the underlying, complex beat going as the others took it into synchronized new directions. It sounded somewhat tribal, if not primal, and made the rest of their music seem somewhat tame by comparison. If only they could hold onto that essence and spirit, and somehow allow that to translate into their more mellow material, then putting them on an "extreme" bill would really make sense.
The night before the event, organizers had turned 150 tons of block ice into snowflake-like shavings via a woodchipper and loaded the "snow" onto a colossal wooden ski jump and landing. The jump was built on an eighteen-foot scaffolding over part of the amphitheater stands, stopping right in front of the stage, to afford a close up view of both the concert and the athletes. This, organizers said, was partly what set this soon-to-be-annual event apart from other sport and music fests.
But overnight, the snow's weight caused the scaffolding to start to collapse, and by morning, a routine safety check determined that the jump was "structurally unsound." Organizers then re-arranged the event's schedule of remaining events, pushing back door time for several hours. The added wait and cancellation of the snow sport frustrated waiting attendees, some of whom had driven as far as from California and Pennsylvania for the sold-out event. The twenty athletes who were to compete were disappointed as well, though they got to divvy up the prize money, scoring about two grand each. "I didn't get to jump once," said free-skiing contender Shane McConkey. "It's a bummer. And the jump looked so cool . . . We did all this and we didn't even get to chuck our meat."
At the fifty-foot vertical ramp in the Core Village in the parking lot, pro skaters and BMX bikers added extra time to their exhibition, and they did not disappoint. Though most of the vert riders and boarders displayed an amazing amount of grace and agility, skate vet Tony Hawk stole the show when he successfully struck a front side 900. The trick -- a two-and-a-half midair rotation -- has been Hawk's signature ever since he made skateboarding history at last year's X Games when he executed the world's first 900. Hawk had never executed the move perfectly, always landing with his knees bent or in a squat. But this weekend he nailed the maneuver as he landed standing up.
"This is a new beginning for me," the Carlsbad, Calif., skating legend said. "I've never stood up after that extra spin. You have to shift your weight so it sends it to a different axis, so you're not so top heavy. And you never know until you're in the middle of it if you can do it. You have to start spinning without the intention to land. You have to do it without fear."
"No fear" could've also been the slogan for Pennywise's set, shortly following the skate/vert exhibit, since the band toyed with dangerous security situations, taunting the audience to break down the barrier between them and the stage, and finally inviting so many onto the stage during "Bro Hymn" that the band members were impossible to spot in the swarm.
Poking fun at the unused snow jump -- still a few feet from the stage -- guitarist Fletcher Dragge riled up the crowd with jokes about being "structurally sound," urging crowd members to find other means to launch themselves in the air. "This is where we get sued," he joked. "But fuck it, let's have a good time." "Shit, no, we didn't say that," singer Jim Lindberg quickly added, trying to do damage control.
Lindberg and Dragge made much use of their stage time to rail on corporate product pop and other ills of society, but didn't resort to juvenile gags or heavy political poses to do so. Instead, they turned the show into Punk Ed 101, taking the opportunity to educate the largely teen audience about bands from Black Flag (from their shared hometown of Hermosa Beach, Calif.) to Nirvana (via a vehement rendition of "Territorial Pissings"). And though the anarchist-themed "My Own Country" and "Society" are especially appropriate during the election season, Pennywise opted to emphasize with their between-song banter the songs' Nietzschean aspects, about living by one's own rules rather than bowing down to established belief systems. And then, immediately after saying something thought-provoking, Pennywise would blast back into a melodic gust of buzzing guitars.
Where Pennywise's set was meant to incite as well as be insightful, 311 brought the crowd down to a less demanding place with their party-time cross-genre musical mix. No insurrectionary asides here, just laid back rhythms and grooves that shifted easily and quickly from ska to hip-hop to dancehall to funk to metal and back, with glistening minor chords and delicate melodies.
Instead of saying much other than the usual "Wassup?", frontmen Nick Hexum and S.A. Martinez communicated to the crowd mostly through their dance moves, Hexum smooth and fluid, Martinez herky-jerky and exaggerated. Their vocal styles, too, were just as opposite, as the two alternated between Hexum's melodic funk crooning and Martinez's quicker raps. Most of the largely self-referential songs ("All Mixed Up," "Down") from 311's middle period were a collage of style that went down easily, but also blended too easily with each other. But their newer material, like their earlier songs, kept a harder edge that suited the band better.
The focus on pure rhythm became most evident during what seemed like a Chad Sexton drum solo that mutated into a drummer's circle of sorts, as the rest of 311 came out and did drum rolls along with their bandmate. Sexton kept the underlying, complex beat going as the others took it into synchronized new directions. It sounded somewhat tribal, if not primal, and made the rest of their music seem somewhat tame by comparison. If only they could hold onto that essence and spirit, and somehow allow that to translate into their more mellow material, then putting them on an "extreme" bill would really make sense.
311 dazzles fans with funk reggae show (Deseret News, Salt Lake City)
311 with JIMMIE'S CHICKEN SHACK at Saltair, April 1; one performance only.
Not even eight months ago, 311 rocked Salt Lake City with an energetic and intimate show at Club DV8. Well, the funk/reggae/rock band took a larger audience to the brink when it made a stop at Saltair Saturday night.The 3,200 music fans waited patiently for the lights to dim, and once they did, it all went down with contagious energy, rocking tunes and a dazzling light show.
Guitarist Timothy J. Mahoney, DJ/vocalist S.A. Martinez, vocalist Nick Hexum, drummer Chad Sexton and bassist P-Nut -- collectively known as 311 -- opened their set with the chewy rumble of "Freeze Time," from the new album "Soundsystem."
Up next was "Freak Out," which was followed at some point by "Come Original."
Mahoney's guitar cut cleanly through the mix as Hexum's vocals rode the crest of P-Nut's and Sexton's percussive lines. Martinez, when he wasn't scratching off funky cuts on the turntables, was out in front bobbing and chatting.
New tunes such as "Large In the Margin" and the cosmic "Flowing" were mixed with older tunes as "Omaha Stylee and "Light Years." The ultimate crowd-pleasers, however, were earlier cuts -- "Down" and the reggae splattered "All Mixed Up."
Another nice surprise was the smoking "Who's Got the Herb?"
Throughout the evening, colored stage lights highlighted the band with pink, yellow, green and blue hues. And during the musically intense segments -- such as Hexum's drum solo -- the lights went into super speed-strobe mode.
Jimmie's Chicken Shack riled up the audience with its eclectic form of funk-rock.
The band -- vocalist Jimi Haha, bassist Che' Lemon, guitar Double D and drummer Sipple -- cranked out such romps as "Let's Get Flat," "Trash," "Lazy Boy Dash" and a righteous remake of Nine Inch Nails' "Sanctified."
There was a time when Jimmie's Chicken Shack's set lacked a bit of luster, but once Haha started chanting the chorus for "Let's Get Flat" (". . .Everything I knew was just a lie. . ."), he and the audience got the excitement back on top.
The combination of 311 and Jimmie's Chicken Shack brought a throng of excited mosh-hungry fans to the forefront Saturday. And there's no doubt when 311 returns to Saltair on June 2, the fans will be there waiting to bounce to the beats.
Not even eight months ago, 311 rocked Salt Lake City with an energetic and intimate show at Club DV8. Well, the funk/reggae/rock band took a larger audience to the brink when it made a stop at Saltair Saturday night.The 3,200 music fans waited patiently for the lights to dim, and once they did, it all went down with contagious energy, rocking tunes and a dazzling light show.
Guitarist Timothy J. Mahoney, DJ/vocalist S.A. Martinez, vocalist Nick Hexum, drummer Chad Sexton and bassist P-Nut -- collectively known as 311 -- opened their set with the chewy rumble of "Freeze Time," from the new album "Soundsystem."
Up next was "Freak Out," which was followed at some point by "Come Original."
Mahoney's guitar cut cleanly through the mix as Hexum's vocals rode the crest of P-Nut's and Sexton's percussive lines. Martinez, when he wasn't scratching off funky cuts on the turntables, was out in front bobbing and chatting.
New tunes such as "Large In the Margin" and the cosmic "Flowing" were mixed with older tunes as "Omaha Stylee and "Light Years." The ultimate crowd-pleasers, however, were earlier cuts -- "Down" and the reggae splattered "All Mixed Up."
Another nice surprise was the smoking "Who's Got the Herb?"
Throughout the evening, colored stage lights highlighted the band with pink, yellow, green and blue hues. And during the musically intense segments -- such as Hexum's drum solo -- the lights went into super speed-strobe mode.
Jimmie's Chicken Shack riled up the audience with its eclectic form of funk-rock.
The band -- vocalist Jimi Haha, bassist Che' Lemon, guitar Double D and drummer Sipple -- cranked out such romps as "Let's Get Flat," "Trash," "Lazy Boy Dash" and a righteous remake of Nine Inch Nails' "Sanctified."
There was a time when Jimmie's Chicken Shack's set lacked a bit of luster, but once Haha started chanting the chorus for "Let's Get Flat" (". . .Everything I knew was just a lie. . ."), he and the audience got the excitement back on top.
The combination of 311 and Jimmie's Chicken Shack brought a throng of excited mosh-hungry fans to the forefront Saturday. And there's no doubt when 311 returns to Saltair on June 2, the fans will be there waiting to bounce to the beats.
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