By Chris Nixon
For The San Diego Union-Tribune
November 10, 2005
After co-founder Jimmy LaValle left Tristeza in 2003 to concentrate on his project the Album Leaf, the end seemed near for the local faves. But original members Christopher Sprague (guitar), Luis Hermosillo (bass) and Jimmy Lehner (drums) instead added Alison Ables (guitar) and Sean Ogilvie (keyboards) and forged ahead.
On "A Colores" (Better Looking Records, four stars), the band's third full-length studio album, the San Diego-based quintet expands upon its legacy. Intertwining guitar laces effortlessly with Lehner's percussive musings and atmospheric keyboards. Tristeza will celebrate the release of the album at the Casbah, 2541 Kettner Blvd. in Middletown, on Dec. 2 ($10; casbahmusic.com).
San Diego is woefully underrepresented in the hip-hop game. Straight outta Serra High School, hip-hop quartet the KneeHighs proudly represent the city on its new release "Global Warming" (self-release, three stars). Name-dropping B.A. Baracus and Blu Blocker sunglasses, three MCs and one DJ unite to spread the good about San Diego, sunshine and party vibes throughout their 10-track debut disc.
On tracks like "America's Finest" (Welcome to the streets of San Diego, welcome to the sunny side of life) and "All Around the World" ("Now we bring it back to Cali with the sun on my face, now we run it like a race because there's ladies in the place"), the MCs exhibit excellent flow, and GarGar lays down smooth, funky tracks while espousing the benefits of living in this town of ours. So if you dig on the hip-hop, check out the KneeHighs next time they grace a local stage.
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer. Localese, a monthly column focusing on new local music releases, runs the second Thursday of every month in Night&Day.
Thursday, November 10, 2005
In N&D: Staind's Aaron Lewis
Family shifts Staind frontman's outlook
By Chris Nixon
For The San Diego Union-Tribune
November 10, 2005
'I'm still scared, afraid of failing, anticipating the ride to end before the wheels begin to move sings Staind songwriter and vocalist Aaron Lewis in "Run Away," the opening track from the band's 2005 release "Chapter V."
The 33-year-old singer doesn't wear his heart on his sleeve: He vents his innermost insecurities and angst in his lyrics and in his songs.
"It's the only way I'm able to express my feelings and emotions to that extent," said the even-keeled Lewis during a recent phone call from the unlikely tour stop of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. "I tend to internalize everything and overflow after a while. It's usually the overflow that is the lyrics to the next record."
For Lewis, the ride is really just beginning. With wife Vanessa, the couple gave birth to a daughter, Zoe, in 2002 and most recently added another girl, Nyla Rae, this summer. The family lives in the idyllic confines of the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts, serving as a backdrop to Lewis' familial lifestyle away from Staind. The concept of family and fatherhood has completely shifted his perspective on his music and his life.
"Having kids changes your perspective on everything," said Lewis, currently on tour with Chula Vista's P.O.D. and Taproot on the Fall Brawl Tour, which lands at SOMA on Tuesday. "For me – and I hope it's not just me – having kids answered all the questions of 'What's the point?' Now I know what the point is. I know the whole reason I'm here in the first place. That is to make sure that my kids are prepared to go off into this world when the time comes. That's the only real responsibility that I have in life."
In a decade, Lewis' band Staind has elevated itself from regional heroes to internationally known rock stars. When Lewis bumped into guitarist Mike Mushok at a keg party in the band's hometown of Springfield, Mass., the duo had no idea their 1995 chance meeting would evolve into a powerhouse rock group. Along with bassist Johnny April and drummer Jon Wysocki, Staind recorded the self-produced 1996 release "Tormented" within a year of Lewis and Mushok's meeting.
Crunching guitars and Lewis' pained vocals drove the band's sound, catching the eye and ear of Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst. Durst championed Staind's cause, leading to the band's 1999 major-label debut "Dysfunction." But 2001's "Break the Cycle" propelled the four guys from western Massachusetts into the pop culture limelight.
Riding the crest of the nu-metal wave (along with Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park), singles like "Open Your Eyes," "For You," "Fade" and, especially, the semi-acoustic track "It's Been Awhile" shot up the charts.
"It's kind of funny, but in my life as a musician it kind of made it more difficult," Lewis said. "Now, everybody on the other end of things – record labels, radio stations and everything else – have that success (of 'Breaking the Cycle') to compare everything else to.
"Even though every single record we've put out has gone platinum or better, that one record ensured that every record after it – even though they all went platinum – were viewed as a failure."
"Breaking the Cycle," 2003's "14 Shades of Gray" and "Chapter V" have debuted at Billboard's No. 1 spot, but record sales isn't the reason Staind stays alive.
"Our fans are the only reason we're still here," Lewis said. "Casual listeners come and go; that was made very apparent on 'Break the Cycle.' Your true core fan base is really what decides whether it's time for you to come or whether it's time for you to go. We have some pretty amazing fans, and I think we appreciate them more than they know."
Chris Nixon is a San Diego writer.
By Chris Nixon
For The San Diego Union-Tribune
November 10, 2005
'I'm still scared, afraid of failing, anticipating the ride to end before the wheels begin to move sings Staind songwriter and vocalist Aaron Lewis in "Run Away," the opening track from the band's 2005 release "Chapter V."
The 33-year-old singer doesn't wear his heart on his sleeve: He vents his innermost insecurities and angst in his lyrics and in his songs.
"It's the only way I'm able to express my feelings and emotions to that extent," said the even-keeled Lewis during a recent phone call from the unlikely tour stop of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. "I tend to internalize everything and overflow after a while. It's usually the overflow that is the lyrics to the next record."
For Lewis, the ride is really just beginning. With wife Vanessa, the couple gave birth to a daughter, Zoe, in 2002 and most recently added another girl, Nyla Rae, this summer. The family lives in the idyllic confines of the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts, serving as a backdrop to Lewis' familial lifestyle away from Staind. The concept of family and fatherhood has completely shifted his perspective on his music and his life.
"Having kids changes your perspective on everything," said Lewis, currently on tour with Chula Vista's P.O.D. and Taproot on the Fall Brawl Tour, which lands at SOMA on Tuesday. "For me – and I hope it's not just me – having kids answered all the questions of 'What's the point?' Now I know what the point is. I know the whole reason I'm here in the first place. That is to make sure that my kids are prepared to go off into this world when the time comes. That's the only real responsibility that I have in life."
In a decade, Lewis' band Staind has elevated itself from regional heroes to internationally known rock stars. When Lewis bumped into guitarist Mike Mushok at a keg party in the band's hometown of Springfield, Mass., the duo had no idea their 1995 chance meeting would evolve into a powerhouse rock group. Along with bassist Johnny April and drummer Jon Wysocki, Staind recorded the self-produced 1996 release "Tormented" within a year of Lewis and Mushok's meeting.
Crunching guitars and Lewis' pained vocals drove the band's sound, catching the eye and ear of Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst. Durst championed Staind's cause, leading to the band's 1999 major-label debut "Dysfunction." But 2001's "Break the Cycle" propelled the four guys from western Massachusetts into the pop culture limelight.
Riding the crest of the nu-metal wave (along with Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park), singles like "Open Your Eyes," "For You," "Fade" and, especially, the semi-acoustic track "It's Been Awhile" shot up the charts.
"It's kind of funny, but in my life as a musician it kind of made it more difficult," Lewis said. "Now, everybody on the other end of things – record labels, radio stations and everything else – have that success (of 'Breaking the Cycle') to compare everything else to.
"Even though every single record we've put out has gone platinum or better, that one record ensured that every record after it – even though they all went platinum – were viewed as a failure."
"Breaking the Cycle," 2003's "14 Shades of Gray" and "Chapter V" have debuted at Billboard's No. 1 spot, but record sales isn't the reason Staind stays alive.
"Our fans are the only reason we're still here," Lewis said. "Casual listeners come and go; that was made very apparent on 'Break the Cycle.' Your true core fan base is really what decides whether it's time for you to come or whether it's time for you to go. We have some pretty amazing fans, and I think we appreciate them more than they know."
Chris Nixon is a San Diego writer.
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