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Jackass: The Band

by: JA Dotcom

Some songs have hooks. Jackass songs have lassos... Compelling riffs that rope you in & won't let you go. With genuine "punk-ranchero" styled originals, combined with their infectious "cowpunk" sneer at bubblegum-pop-radio covers, this outfit is one of the most unique out on the road these days. And they're on the road a lot...

It's an entertaining and wildly unorthodox take on modern music, and Jackass's rowdy live shows exemplify both the bizarre paths that so-called "popular music" has taken through the decades, as well as the capabilities of its well-honed musicians. Having shared the stage with legendary artists like the late punk-rock poet laureate Joe Strummer (R.I.P.), X, The Reverend Horton Heat, Supersuckers, Bad Religion, The Blasters, Los Lobos, Hank Williams III, Manic Hispanic, Exene & The Original Sinners, Flogging Molly and Nashville Pussy, the boys in Jackass are making waves in the new music world, wherever and whenever they're playing.

With founding-member of Bad Religion Pete Finestone joining the group, the Jackass sound has evolved into an explosive and decadent version of "post-everything" American music. Finestone's high-energy percussion is enhanced by Toby Emery's undisciplined vocal approach and acoustic rhythms, & Big Dick Chevy's lucid electric guitar textures. And Ben Dayo plucks his amplified guitarrón with the force of a crazed mariachi on too much tequila, rounding out the driving rhythm section.

Overall, this is a dynamic and boisterous live show, and even first-timers will be blown away by Jackass renditions of Madonna's "Music," and the Backstreet Boy's "I Want It That Way." Their notable covers are converted into an intoxicating mix of country-western nostalgia with the power of the early west-coast punk movement.

So, you are now officially invited to one of the wildest honky-tonk shows that modern rock has ever seen. Bred from the scattered oilfields of the Southern California coastline, Jackass slings hard licks ranging from the down-home rebelliousness of American rock 'n' roll and C&W to classic punk, with a couple of ass-thumpin', teeth-grindin' dips into mainstream top-forty to boot.

For more information on Jackass, check out www.jackasstheband.com


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