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UGLY
KID JOE Ugly name... great band! Funny thing is, not a one of them’s named Joe! Who are they, and why are they here? Rarely - and only then - does a band come along and set fire to the imaginations of music lovers across the board - different ages and ethnic compositions, different economic levels and political beliefs. But Ugly Kid Joe seems to have done just that - cut across all boundaries to become one of the hottest, most talked-about bands to ever headbang! To know the origin of the band's name is to know the band, themselves. The quintet is a killed blend of talents: lead singer Whitfield Crane, bassist Cordell Crocket, drummer Mark Davis, guitarist Klaus Eichstadt and guitarist Roger Lahr. See what we mean? Not a "Joe" among them! So, who - or what - is Ugly Kid Joe? That's like asking why is a Leppard Def?! (Coincidentally that's exactly with whom they toured all summer - the mighty Def Leppard!) But back to this mystery guy, Joe.. Vocalist Whitfield and his four cohorts in crime are intimately acquainted with Joe. 'He's a scrappy kind of a kid.. .a real brat!" he chuckles. 'He likes to drink and get crazy and go up against so-called authority, but in a way, everybody sort of likes him.... even though they also sort of hate him, too!" "Joe was always the kid in school who got himself in deep s**t!" the band members chime in. "He'd do the real dumb things, the real stupid pranks... but you ended up thinking he was pretty cool anyway." So, there you have it - it's easy to catch on to the idea here that Ugly Kid Joe is a first-class fun band! But don't for a moment get the idea these guys are some overnight sensation just waiting to rake in some easy cash and then splitting for greener pastures elsewhere. Guitarist Roger states, "We're very serious about what we do. There's no way on earth we're just in this thing to make a quick buck here! I know I speak for the whole band when I say we want to see some longevity in this business for Ugly Kid Joe." What else can you figure out about Ugly Kid Joe? Well, their infectious song "Everything About You" was catchy enough to be included in the soundtrack to the hit movie Wayne's World, which catapulted their debut EP, As Ugly As They Wanna Be, high up the music charts. And by the time they released their debut LP - America's Least Wanted, their audience was primed and ready for more UKJ magic... and they made the album a platinum-seller. In fact, the band is donating the royalties of their "Panhandlin' Prince" song to the Fred Jordan Mission in Los Angeles, a shelter for homeless women and children, and the money generated from the song will go toward building housing for those who need it so desperately. But on the personal side, they say their image, such as it is, is pretty much what they really are. "We're all from California," they explain. "We all wear shorts, and we all like way-cool clothes." They're not the kind who go out after a gig and get plastered; instead, you're more likely to find the guys playing a friendly game of football or Frisbee in-between recording sessions or shows. Their camaraderie is evident in their music and stage presence; these are guys who really like each other, music aside! "We're a pretty close band," they all smile. But they do admit their incredible success (no, they call it "fantastic success!") has left them without much time off at all just to hang out. Somehow, though, the guys manage to find time to answer some of the fan mail they've been receiving (and it's A LOT!), though they wish they could personally respond to every letter of support. The band wants to be accessible to their fans, no matter how huge they get. "We never want the kids to be afraid to approach us," they agree. "We want them to come up to us and feel that they can really talk to us, you know? Because, after all, where in the world would this band be without them?!"
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