Ugly Kid Joe was a rock band from Isla Vista, California, USA. The band’s name is a pun on the band Pretty Boy Floyd. UKJ's sound touched on a range of styles, including hard rock, southern, funk, rap & thrash. In conclusion to the band's overall sound & vision, the members of the band have cited many times, that they were simply a manifestation of their environment & lifestyles -- mounting from their geographic location of Southern California.
The band enjoyed popularity in the early to mid 1990s with their mix of satirical humor and metal sound. Their logo was a cartoon embodiment of an “ugly kid” wearing a backward baseball hat and giving the finger. Heavily influenced by Black Sabbath & AC/DC, they covered several of their songs, including, “Sweet Leaf”, “N.I.B.” and “Sin City”. They toured the US several times — their second tour was in support of Scatterbrain, and later opening for former Black Sabbath vocalist Ozzy Osbourne.
Ugly Kid Joe first gained success with “Everything About You,” which peaked at #3 in the UK Singles Chart. Later the song was used in the movie Wayne's World. Further singles did not fare as well, however the positive response to the band’s live performance of Harry Chapin’s “Cats in the Cradle” prompted a studio version, subsequently released as a well-received single that sold over 500,000 copies in the United States alone and peaked at #7 in the UK Singles Chart. After a world tour in support of their 1992 full-length album America's Least Wanted, the band searched around for a replacement drummer, as Mark Davis left to pursue a life away from the spotlight. Davis was eventually replaced by Shannon Larkin, formerly of the metal band Souls At Zero. His contributions led to a grittier sound for the second album Menace to Sobriety, released in the summer of 1995.
Menace to Sobriety received much praise from the press and fans, and UK rock magazine Kerrang! ranked it as a contender for “album of the year.”[citation needed] Despite success overseas and a successful European tour, the album was given little encouragement from Mercury Records & subsequently failed in the United States.
After being dropped by Mercury Records, Ugly Kid Joe formed their own independent label Evilution Records for the release of their next album. With distribution support from Castle Communications, the album Motel California was released at the end of 1996, and again the band toured Europe to smaller crowds. The tour was named “Late check-out Tour”, underlining the band's characteristic sense-of-humor. Motel California, an album the singer described as "heavy, funky & has everything in it", initially received lukewarm reviews and sold poorly, though it has gained a minor cult following in recent times.
Ugly Kid Joe disbanded 1997, and as of 2007 have not expressed plans for reuniting. Drummer Larkin is currently a member of Godsmack, while singer Crane has collaborated with some Godsmack members on a new project called Another Animal.
The band enjoyed popularity in the early to mid 1990s with their mix of satirical humor and metal sound. Their logo was a cartoon embodiment of an “ugly kid” wearing a backward baseball hat and giving the finger. Heavily influenced by Black Sabbath & AC/DC, they covered several of their songs, including, “Sweet Leaf”, “N.I.B.” and “Sin City”. They toured the US several times — their second tour was in support of Scatterbrain, and later opening for former Black Sabbath vocalist Ozzy Osbourne.
Ugly Kid Joe first gained success with “Everything About You,” which peaked at #3 in the UK Singles Chart. Later the song was used in the movie Wayne's World. Further singles did not fare as well, however the positive response to the band’s live performance of Harry Chapin’s “Cats in the Cradle” prompted a studio version, subsequently released as a well-received single that sold over 500,000 copies in the United States alone and peaked at #7 in the UK Singles Chart. After a world tour in support of their 1992 full-length album America's Least Wanted, the band searched around for a replacement drummer, as Mark Davis left to pursue a life away from the spotlight. Davis was eventually replaced by Shannon Larkin, formerly of the metal band Souls At Zero. His contributions led to a grittier sound for the second album Menace to Sobriety, released in the summer of 1995.
Menace to Sobriety received much praise from the press and fans, and UK rock magazine Kerrang! ranked it as a contender for “album of the year.”[citation needed] Despite success overseas and a successful European tour, the album was given little encouragement from Mercury Records & subsequently failed in the United States.
After being dropped by Mercury Records, Ugly Kid Joe formed their own independent label Evilution Records for the release of their next album. With distribution support from Castle Communications, the album Motel California was released at the end of 1996, and again the band toured Europe to smaller crowds. The tour was named “Late check-out Tour”, underlining the band's characteristic sense-of-humor. Motel California, an album the singer described as "heavy, funky & has everything in it", initially received lukewarm reviews and sold poorly, though it has gained a minor cult following in recent times.
Ugly Kid Joe disbanded 1997, and as of 2007 have not expressed plans for reuniting. Drummer Larkin is currently a member of Godsmack, while singer Crane has collaborated with some Godsmack members on a new project called Another Animal.
Former members
* Whitfield Crane — vocals
* Erik Phillips — -guitar and song writer. Years:1987-early 1991
* Klaus Eichstadt — guitar, vocals
* Cordell Crockett — bass guitar, vocals
* Dave Fortman — guitar (replaced Roger Lahr)
* Shannon Larkin — drums, percussion (replaced Mark Davis)
* Roger Lahr — guitar
* Mark Davis — drums, percussion
* Bob Fernandez — drums, percussion
Discography
1991 As Ugly As They Wanna Be
1992 America's Least Wanted
1995 Menace to Sobriety
1996 Motel California
1998 The Very Best of Ugly Kid Joe: As Ugly as It Gets
2002 The Collection Spectrum
Official Website: http://www.myspace.com/uglykidjoetheband
Listen to Ugly Kid Joe Music!
Watch Ugly Kid Joe Video!
Neighbor
I Hate Everything About You
Everything About You (Live)
Cats in The Craddle (Live)
Unplugged 96
Milkman Son (Live)
Panhandlin Prince (live)
Cats In The Craddle (Unplugged)
Busy Bee (unplugged)
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