Ugly Kid Joe
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| Ugly Kid Joe | ||
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| Background information | ||
| Origin | Isla Vista, California, USA | |
| Genre(s) | Hard Rock/Heavy Metal | |
| Years active | 1989 – 1997 | |
| Label(s) | Mercury/Stardog | |
| Members | ||
| Whitfield Crane Klaus Eichstadt Dave Fortman Cordell Crockett Shannon Larkin |
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Ugly Kid Joe (UKJ) was a hard rock band from Isla Vista, California, USA. The band's name is a parody of the band Pretty Boy Floyd. The band made a name for themselves in the early 1990s with their mix of satire and hard rock/metal sound. UKJ was identified by their logo, a cartoon embodiment of an "ugly kid" wearing a backward baseball hat and giving the finger. They toured the US several times — their second tour was in support of Scatterbrain, and the tour after that was opening for Ozzy Osbourne.
They first sparked success with the song "Everything About You", which was later used in the movie Wayne's World. Further singles did not fare as well, but the positive response to the band's live performance of Harry Chapin's "Cat's in the Cradle" prompted a studio version, subsequently released as a well-received single that sold in excess of 500,000 copies in the United States alone.
After touring almost every continent in support of their 1992 full-length album America's Least Wanted, the band searched around for a replacement drummer, as Mark Davis left his sticks behind to settle down and get married.
They finally found Shannon Larkin, formerly of metal band Souls At Zero. His contribution to the band helped carve them a grittier and much more wholesome sound in their second album, Menace to Sobriety, which was released in the summer of 1995.
Menace to Sobriety received much praise from the press and fans, and UK rock magazine Kerrang! stated that it might be the "album of the year". But despite overall success worldwide, it failed in the USA and was not as successful as America's Least Wanted. The band's US label, Mercury Records, cut the band's deal not long after the album's release.
After a sold out European tour and several TV guest show appearances, Ugly Kid Joe returned to their native land and planned their next move.
Disheartened by their lack of support from former label, the band attempted to try their luck independently, forming Evilution Records. They used this with distribution support from Castle Communications to put out their final studio album, Motel California.
Motel California was released at the end of 1996, and again the band toured Europe, to smaller but never-the-less eager crowds. The tour was named "Late check-out Tour", underlining their biting wit and satirical take on life. Motel California is now considered a minor classic, but at the time, it received lukewarm reviews and poor sales. This steered the band into breaking up at the end of 1997. As of now, there are no plans for a possible reunion of the band anytime in the future.
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[edit] Members
- William Whitfield Crane III — vocals
- Klaus Eichstadt — guitar
- Roger Lahr — guitar
- Dave Fortman — guitar (replaced Roger Lahr)
- Cordell Crockett — bass
- Mark Davis — drums
- Shannon Larkin — drums (replaced Mark Davis)
[edit] Discography
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | As Ugly As They Wanna Be (EP) | Stardog |
| 1992 | America's Least Wanted | Stardog |
| 1995 | Menace to Sobriety | Mercury |
| 1996 | Motel California | Castle |
| 1998 | The Very Best of Ugly Kid Joe: As Ugly as It Gets | Polygram |
[edit] Trivia
- Ugly Kid Joe is heavily influenced by Black Sabbath, and has covered many of their songs, including, "Sweet Leaf" and "N.I.B."
