The Apex Theory

For The Record: Quick News On Limp Bizkit, Wes Borland, Apex Theory, Coal Chamber, Rival Schools, Kiss & More

19 Nov 2002 03:59:00 EST

Wes Borland
Photo: Flip/Interscope

Though his old bandmates have yet to secure a new guitarist, ex-Limp Bizkit axeman Wes Borland has found a vocalist for his new project, Eat the Day. According to a post on the band's Web site, the group is in pre-production with the as-yet-unnamed new singer and is eyeing a summer release date for its debut album. ...

In a post on the band's official Web site, Coal Chamber vocalist Dez Fafara said he's patched things up with guitarist Meegs Rascon, who's currently writing three new tracks set to be included on a live album that should surface in the spring. The two had been publicly feuding in the months prior to the recent firing of drummer Mike Cox, but have since "been speaking every other day." ... Apex Theory have reached their peak with Andy Khachaturian. The singer and principal songwriter has parted ways with the group, which is in the process of auditioning new vocalists. With the white-topped singer, Apex Theory released their debut, Topsy Turvy, in April. ...

Ozzfest veterans Neurotica have called it quits. Vocalist Kelly Shaefer, who recently auditioned for the new band featuring former members of Guns N' Roses, has already begun writing for a new project. ... Twice the Sun have split up, despite the fact that they just recently signed a deal with Roadrunner Records. ...

Class is back in session for Rival Schools, who plan to hit upstate New York's Bearsville studios in February to record the follow-up to last year's United by Fate. So far the post-hardcore quartet has written a half dozen tracks for the LP, which is expected to drop in the spring or summer. ... When you're making out your Kissmas list and checking it twice, here's an item you might want to include: "Kiss: The Early Years," written by the band's Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, which will be issued November 26 by Three Rivers Press. The 192-page book features over 250 rare photos and chronicles the band's history from 1972 to 1982. ...

Like a killer Bond gadget, Flexplay's recently unveiled proprietary DVD technology self-destructs after just a few hours, or just long enough to give someone a taste of a movie or album before they purchase it. After the DVD is removed from its packaging, a dye between the DVD's layers is slowly released, eventually rendering it unreadable from minutes to days later; the technology had its debut at last month's MTV Video Music Awards Latin America. The technology was also recently employed to promote the new Bond flick, "Die Another Day." ...

11.18.02

R. Kelly will make a 90-minute appearance on his hometown urban radio station, WGCI (107.5 FM), between 8 and 10 p.m. Monday during the Bad Boyz show. Unlike rival WBBM, WGCI has been supportive of Kelly as he battles child pornography charges, agreeing earlier this summer to play his song "Heaven, I Need a Hug." ...

Jam Master Jay's widow, Terri Corley-Mizell, and brother Marvin came out on Sunday night to help kick off the inaugural H2O Hip-Hop Odyssey Film Festival at the Bronx Museum of the Arts in New York. Others on hand were radio DJ Doctor Dre, who paid tribute to the slain Run-DMC DJ, Afrika Bambaataa, Kool Herc, Redman and more. ...

Nirvana's recently released greatest-hits album has helped push the band's catalogue sales past 50 million units, while late singer Kurt Cobain's "Journals" will debut at #1 next week on the New York Times hardcover nonfiction best-seller list. ... The original, handwritten lyrics to P.O.D.'s "Youth of the Nation" will soon be hung among the illustrious words of Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix and Paul Simon in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum's Lyric Room. That's not the only piece of P.O.D. up against a wall: The Hard Rock Cafe in Las Vegas has put the jumpsuit frontman Sonny wore in the "Boom" video on display. ... While the surviving members of Drowning Pool continue to search for a new singer, Rob Zombie has recorded the tentatively titled song "The Man Without Fear" with the band for the soundtrack to the Ben Affleck flick "Daredevil." Drowning Pool's DVD, Sinema, featuring tributes to late singer Dave Williams, hits stores Tuesday. ...

Guns N' Roses will attempt to earn a spot in the "Guinness Book of World Records" next month when they play back-to-back shows at Philadelphia's First Union Center (December 6) and, in a just-announced show, neighboring First Union Spectrum (December 8) — and no, it's not the record for most riots. After an unsuccessful attempt to lobby the Guinness folks with a similar stunt in 1999, the venue's owners will try to persuade the record book to create a new entry for "The Shortest Distance Ever Traveled Between Arena Rock Shows," as the venues are only 758 feet apart. ... The surviving members of Control Denied plan to release a new album next year tentatively titled When Machine and Man Collide. The band's original frontman, Chuck Schuldiner (who also once fronted seminal death metal band Death), wrote most of the new material before he died from a brain tumor in December 2001. ...

A baseball-size wad of Elvis Presley's hair in a vacuum-sealed jar fetched $115,120 from an anonymous bidder in an auction held on Saturday. The hair was collected by Presley's late hairdresser, Homer "Mr. Gill" Gilleland. ... Former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman has asked American music journalist Bill Wyman of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution to cease using his given name or face legal action. The move came after the veteran music writer reviewed some recent Stones reissues for his paper, though, ironically, Stone Wyman was born William George Perks, changing his name to Bill Wyman in 1964, while writer Wyman was born in 1961. The writer has vowed not to change his name. ...

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Ashanti Beats Tweet To Debut At #1 On Albums Chart

10 Apr 2002 03:00:00 EDT

'Oops (Oh My)' singer's Southern Hummingbird comes in at #3.
By Abbey Goodman

Ashanti
Photo: MTV News

"I feel so crazy right now — just in the air," Ashanti said when she learned that her self-titled debut would claim the #1 spot on next week's Billboard 200 albums chart.

She heard the news while visiting a radio station in New York. Murder Inc. CEO Irv Gotti paged the R&B star with the SoundScan figures: #1 with more than 500,000 copies sold. The "Foolish" singer was so excited that she and her friends celebrated with a bottle of Dom Perignon live on the radio.

It was clear that Gotti was proud of Ashanti. "I'm a dreamer. I always say we can go beyond our expectations, but she went beyond my expectations," he said. "I've never been speechless in my whole career, but I'm speechless."

And with good reason. Ashanti's first-week numbers were so big, she outsold the #2 artist, Celine Dion, and #3 artist, Tweet, combined. Former chart-topper Dion's A New Day Has Come sold more than 260,000 copies. And Tweet, Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott's protégé and the artist billed as Ashanti's direct competition, flew Southern Hummingbird into third place, selling nearly 195,000 albums, according to SoundScan figures released Wednesday (April 10).

Although Now That's What I Call Music! Vol. 9 comes in at #4, the hits collection sold only about 193,000 copies — less than half of what it did the previous week. The "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack spends its 67th week on the chart at #5 with around 91,000 copies sold.

The bottom half of the top 10 holds no surprises. The Best of Both Worlds by Jay-Z and R. Kelly takes #6 (around 82,000 copies sold). Avant's Ecstasy moves into #7 in its second week, while "The Scorpion King" soundtrack holds steady at #8, and Ludacris and Pink round out the list, coming in at #9 and #10, respectively.

Aside from the two debuts — Ashanti and Tweet — only three artists in the top 100 sold more albums last week than the week before: Nappy Roots (Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz, up 13 spots to #28 with 39,000 copies sold), John Mayer (Room for Squares, up 23 spots to #38 with 28,000 sold) and the White Stripes (White Blood Cells, up 55 spots to #61 with 17,000 sold).

Other climbers include Jay-Z's The Blueprint, which makes a 51-notch jump to #137 in its 30th week, following the release of Jay's latest single, "Song Cry." The Baha Men, proving they're more than one-hit wonders, rise 31 places to #64 with Move It Like This. Drowning Pool's Sinner climbs 48 spots to #96, and Phantom Planet, whose "California" has been getting a lot of burn lately, jump 31 spots to #143 with The Guest.

Darren Hayes' Spin, meanwhile, is in a tailspin, plummeting 46 spots to #132. While volume nine is doing well in the upper reaches of the chart, volume eight of the Now That's What I Call Music! series drops 30 notches to #73. Also losing their footing are Jars of Clay, whose Eleventh Hour slips 29 places to #104.

In a pretty sparse week for chart debuts, standouts include Lil' J's All About J (#148), Apex Theory's Topsy-Turvy (#157) and Course of Nature's Superkala (#166). Even though it's not a new album, Res' How I Do squeezes onto the chart for the first time at #200.

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In Stores Now And Coming Soon: New Albums By Ashanti, Tweet, Apex Theory, Mars Volta & More

2 Apr 2002 07:56:00 EST

Ashanti
Photo: Def Jam

After seemingly nonstop radio and video rotation for both Ashanti and Tweet, their debut albums finally hit stores this week. If Ashanti's record-breaking three singles on the chart at the same time is any indication of what her self-titled album can do, this songbird is poised for big things — though maybe she should be called a songstress, since Missy Elliott's protégé Tweet is the official Southern Hummingbird. Tweet's ode to "self-love" (interpreted various ways) has many people celebrating her arrival on the scene. Time will tell if everything Missy touches turns to gold ... or platinum.

Slightly less sexy, but a flirtatious release nonetheless, is Wish You Were Here: Love Songs for New York City, presented by New York's downtown paper, The Village Voice. This musical tribute to the World Trade Center and the city features songs by Moby, Cornershop and Andrew W.K.

Finally, after touring with Radiohead, avant-garde New York hip-hop foursome Anti-Pop Consortium return home to release their third album, Arrhythmia, and prove they heart New York, too.

Out Tuesday, April 2:

31 Knots - Word Is Also a Picture of a Word (Fifty-Four Forty or Fight)

36 Crazyfists - Bitterness the Star (Roadrunner)

Absu - Tara (Olympic)

Anti-Pop Consortium - Arrhythmia (Warp)

Apex Theory - Topsy-Turvy (DreamWorks)
Read about it ... Apex Theory Offer 'Hope' To Metal — Diggy-Da

Craig Armstrong - As If to Nothing (Astralwerks)

Arch Enemy - Wages of Sin (Century Media)

Arson - Lacerate the Sky (Ressurection A.D.)

Ashanti - Ashanti (Murder Inc./Def Jam)
Read about it ... Ashanti Asserts Her Independence On Solo Debut

Atomic Bitchwax - Spit Blood (Meteor City)

Capitol City Dusters - Rock Creek (Dischord)

Cave Catt Sammy - Love Me Like Crazy (Rubric)

Citizen Bird - Citizen Bird (Stinky)

John Cowan - Always Take Me Back (Sugar Hill)

Cyclefly - Crave (Radioactive)

Devo - Essentials (reissue, Rhino)

Julie Doiron - Heart & Crime (Jagjaguwar)

Dukes of Hamburg - Some Folks (Gearhead)

El Guapo - Rock Creek (Dischord)

Fantômas/Melvins - Millennium Monsterwork (Ipecac)

Frankie Feliciano - Mix the Vibe (King Street)

Cathy Fink/Marcy Marxer - Pocket Full of Stardust(Rounder)

Foreigner - Foreigner (reissue, Rhino)

Foreigner - 4 (reissue, Rhino)

Lutz Glandien - Fifth Elephant (Rer)

Justin Harris - Some More Freaky Stuff: Home Taping Killing Music (Music for Freaks)

Tami Hart - What Passed Between Us (Mr. Lady)

Hellacopters - High Visibility (Gearhead)

High Fidelity - Demonstration (Freedom in Exile)

Tommy Hools - Shut Up! Early Works & Remixes (Recall)

J-Live - All of the Above (Coup D'Etat)

Jagged Edge - Jagged Little Thrill (reissue, Columbia)

Billy Joel - 3 Pak: Piano Man/52nd Street/Kohuept (Legacy)

Pat Kilbride - Nightingale Lane (Rounder)

Kinks - This Is Where I Belong: The Songs of Ray Davies & the Kinks (Rykodisc)

Kylesa - Kylesa (Prank)

Gabriel Le Mar - Right From the Heart (EFA)

Don Lennon - Downtown (Secretly Canadian)

Gordon Lightfoot - Complete Greatest Hits (Rhino)

Lil' J - All About J (Hollywood)

Harry Manx - Wise & Otherwise(NorthernBlues)

Mars Volta - Tremulant EP (GSL)

Medication - Medication EP (Sin-Drome/Ground Zero)

Milky Wimpshake - Lovers Not Fighters (Troubleman)

Shana Morrison - 7 Wishes (Vanguard)

M.R.I. - All That Glitters (EFA)

Nagisa Ni Te - Feel (Jagjaguwar)

Naona - Slope Drifting (EFA)

Necks - Hanging Gardens (Rer)

New Radiant Storm King - Winter's Kill (Rainbow Quartz)

Juice Newton - Every Road Leads Back to You (Image)

Opus - O.O.O. (Ozone)

Regency Buck - Deliverance (DreamWorks)

Residents - Petting Zoo (ESD)

Rockfour - Another Beginning (Rainbow Quartz)

Michelle Shocked - Deep Natural (Mighty Sound)

Soilwork - Natural Born Chaos (Nuclear Blast)

Bruce Springsteen - Greetings From Asbury Park (reissue, Legacy)

Stew - The Naked Dutch Painter and Other Songs (Smile/Image)

Swearing at Motorists - Along the Inclined Plane EP (Secretly Canadian)

Otis Taylor - Respect the Dead (NorthernBlues)

Techo Bass Crew - Presents ... Classic Techno Bass (Om)

Tribes of Neurot - Adaption & Survival (Neurot)

Tweet - Southern Hummingbird (Elektra)
Read about it ... Oh My — Tweet Loving Life At The Top

Twiztid - Mirror Mirror (Psychopathic)

XTC - Coat of Many Cupboards (Caroline)

David Zollo - The Big Night (Trailer/Rubric)

Various artists - Chillout in Ibiza Volumes 1-3 (Three-O-Three)

Various artists - Chillout Lounge Volume 3 (Water Music)

Various artists - Creamfields (Three-O-Three)

Various artists - "Joshua" soundtrack (WEA)

Various artists - Motion 2: Six Degrees to Dance Collection (Six Degrees)

Various artists - Punk Goes Pop (Fearless)

Various artists - Rarewerks Volume 2 (Astralwerks)

Various artists - 3 Pak: "Top Gun"/"Footloose"/"Sleepless in Seattle" soundtracks (Legacy)

Various artists - True Spirit 2: Tresor Compilation (EFA)

Various artists - Wish You Were Here: The Village Voice Presents Love Songs for New York City (Megaforce)

Coming Soon (Dates Subject to Change)

April 9:

Baldwin Brothers - Cooking With Lasers (TVT)
Bonnie Raitt - Silver Lining (Capitol)
Sloan - Pretty Together (RCA)
Ultrapull - From All Directions (Gold Circle)
Quarashi - Jinx (Columbia)

April 23:

Naughty by Nature - Iicons (TVT)
Tina Novak - Been Around the World (Arista)
Q-Tip - Kamaal the Abstract (Arista)
Sneaker Pimps - Bloodsport (Tommy Boy)

April 30:

Blackalicious - Blazing Arrow (MCA)
Donell Jones - Life Goes On (Arista)
Various artists - "Spider-Man" soundtrack (Columbia)

May 7:

Grandmaster Flash - Essential Mix (Warner)
Musiq Soulchild - Juslisten (Island/Def Jam)
Various artists - Family Values Tour 2001 (Elektra)

May 14:

Atticus Fault - Atticus Fault (Island/Def Jam)
Various artists - Now Presents Urban Hits (Columbia)

May 21:

Breeders - Title TK (Elektra)
Tommy Lee - Never a Dull Moment (MCA)
Raphael Saadiq - Instant Vintage (Universal)

June 4:

Lil' Romeo - Game Time (Universal/No Limit)

Read about it ... Lil' Romeo Battles His Evil Twin On B-Ball Court

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In Stores Now And Coming Soon: New Albums By Brandy, Echobrain, Natalie Imbruglia, Clinic & More

5 Mar 2002 07:56:00 EST

Expectant 'Moesha' bears fruits of a different labor.
By Abbey Goodman

Brandy
Photo: Gregg Delman / MTV.com

With the buzz surrounding her marriage and pregnancy now neatly behind her, the expectant Brandy returns her focus to her music, as this week she premieres the fruits of a different kind of labor: her Full Moon.

Also featured this week are sophomore LPs from Natalie Imbruglia (White Lilies Island) and British foursome Clinic (Walking With Thee). And finally, it looks like all of us have got another thing coming. Again. The seminal heavy metal band Judas Priest joins the fray of legendary artists looking to recycle their old gold (or, more appropriately, lead) as four reissues hit the streets.

Out Tuesday, March 5:

Rob Andrews - Host (Griffin)
Apex Theory - Random Bursts (DreamWorks)
Angel Dust - Of Human Bondage (Century Media)
Billy Bragg & the Blokes - England Half English (Elektra)
Blasters - Testament: Complete Slash Recordings (Rhino)
Boggs - We Are the Boggs We Are (Arena Rock)
Brandy - Full Moon (Atlantic)
Read about it ... Fans Will Get A New Taste Of Brandy On Full Moon
Brandtson - Dial in Sounds (Deep Elm)
Segun Bucknor - Revolution (Afrostrut)
Business - Hell to Pay (TKO)
Catheters - Static Delusions & Stone-Still Days (Sub Pop)
Clem Snide - Moment in the Sun (Spinart)
Clinic - Walking With Thee (Domino)
Conviction - Kill It (Thorp/Relapse)
Carl Cox - Global (Strictly Rhythm)
Christopher Cross - The Very Best of Christopher Cross (Rhino)
DJ Payback Garcia - Aztec Souls — Best in Latin Hip-Hop (Mixed Connections)
DJ Screw - Sentimental Value (Wreckless)
Echobrain - Echobrain (Surfdog/Hollywood)
Read about it ... Jason Newsted's Echobrain Make Very Un-Metallica Video
Entrain - Rise Up 1: Live (Rounder)
Faze Action - Abstract Funk Theory (Obsessive)
Fleetwood Mac - Show Biz Blues 1968-1970 (BMG)
Flying Luttenbachers - Infection & Decline (Troubleman Unlimited)
Frustrators - Achtung Jackass (Adeline)
Grip Weeds - Summer of a Thousand Years (Rainbow Quartz)
Iced Earth - Dark Genesis Box Set (Century Media)
Natalie Imbruglia - White Lilies Island (RCA)
Insision - Beneath the Folds of Flesh (Earache)
Jersey Street - After the Rain (Glasgow Underground)
Judas Priest - Painkiller (reissue, Columbia Legacy)
Judas Priest - Priest…Live! (reissue, Columbia Legacy)
Judas Priest - Ram It Down (reissue, Columbia Legacy)
Judas Priest - Turbo (reissue, Columbia Legacy)
Karate - Cancel/Sing EP (Southern)
Knodel - Dawn of the Butterfly (My Pal God)
Kosheen - Resist (Kinetic)
Ben Kweller - Sha Sha (Ato)
Lazy Dog - Lazy Dog 2 (Astralwerks)
Local H - Here Comes the Zoo (Palm)
Lo Fidelity Allstars - Don't Be Afraid of Love (Columbia)
M2M - The Big Room (Atlantic)
Marillion - Marillion.com (Sanctuary)
MC Solaar - Cinquieme As (Fifth Ace) (Elektra)
Marc Moreland Mess - Take It to the Spotlight (Kitchen Whore)
Meta-Matics - Complete Discography (Troubleman Unlimited)
Anika Moa - Thinking Room (Atlantic)
Modey Lemon - Modey Lemon (A-F)
Mokira (a.k.a. Andreas Tilliander) - Plee (EFA)
Nerissa & Katryna Nields - Love and China (Rounder)
NOFX/Rancid - Split Series Vol. 3 (BYO)
Oxbow - An Evil Heat (Neurot)
Party of Helicopters - Space ... & How Sweet It Was (Troubleman Unlimited)
Prevent Falls - A Newer More Shattered You (Equal Vision)
Quetzal - Sing the Real (Vanguard)
Bonnie Raitt - Give It Up (reissue, Rhino)
Bonnie Raitt - Glow (reissue, Rhino)
Bonnie Raitt - Green Light (reissue, Rhino)
Bonnie Raitt - Home Plate (reissue, Rhino)
Bonnie Raitt - Takin' My Time (reissue, Rhino)
Random Logic - Numrebs (EFA)
Red Flag - Red Flag: Fear Series Collection (Plan B)
Req - Sketchbook (Warp/Nothing)
Rinôçérôse - Music Kills Me (V2)
John Selway - Journeys by DJ: Lightwave (Shelter)
Tesla - Standing Room Only (Sanctuary)
TRS-80 - Mr. Kickass (Invisible)
Various artists - Afrika Underground (Counterpoint)
Various artists - "All About the Benjamins" soundtrack (New Line)
Various artists - Disney's Superstar Hits (Disney)
Various artists - Echoes of Pink: A Tribute to Pink Floyd (Lakeshore)
Various artists - "King of Kings" soundtrack (Rhino)
Various artists - "Longshot" soundtrack (Trinity)
Various artists - "Six Feet Under" soundtrack (Universal)
Various artists - "Taina" soundtrack (Nick/Jive)
Various artists - "Y Tu Mamá También" soundtrack (Volcano)
Virus Nine - What Are You Afraid Of (Af Recordings)
Vnv Nation - Futureperfect (Metropolis)
Wishbone Ash - Argus (expanded reissue, MCA)
Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society - 1919 * Eternal (Spitfire)

Coming Soon (Dates Subject To Change)

March 12:

B2K - B2K (Epic/Sony)
Read about it ... 'Uh Huh,' Ladies — B2K Are Single
The Corrs - VH1 Presents the Corrs Live in Dublin (Atlantic)
Destiny's Child - This Is the Remix (Columbia)
Read about it ... Destiny's Child Mix It Up With Remix Album
Eels - Souljacker (DreamWorks)
Hot Rod Circuit - Sorry About Tomorrow (TVT)
Indigo Girls - Become You (Epic/Sony)
Wu-Tang Killa Beez - The Sting (Koch)
Read about it ... Wu-Tang's Killa Beez Sting To Thrill With ODB

March 19:

Alice Cooper - Welcome to My Nightmare (expanded reissue, Atlantic)
Antibalas - Talkatif (Ninja Tune)
Grateful Dead - Postcards of the Hanging (Arista)
Jay-Z and R. Kelly - The Best of Both Worlds (Island/Def Jam)
Read about it ... Bootleggers Get The Best Of Jay-Z, R. Kelly
PPK - Resurrection (Tommy Boy)
Simple Plan - No Pads, No Helmets... Just Balls (Atlantic)
Read about it ... Alienation Lands Simple Plan On Movie Soundtrack, Warped Tour
Patti Smith - Land (1975-2002) (Arista)

March 26:

Celine Dion - A New Day Has Come (Epic/Sony)
Read about it ... Celine Dion Covers Old Tunes On New Day
Funky Green Dogs - Super California (MCA)
Rubyblue - Beyond Pink (BAB)

April 2:

Apex Theory - Topsy-Turvy (DreamWorks)
Read about it ... Apex Theory Offer 'Hope' To Metal — Diggy-Da
Tweet - Southern Hummingbird (Elektra)
Various artists - Loud Records 10th Anniversary (Loud)

April 9:

Baldwin Brothers - Cooking With Lasers (TVT)
Bonnie Raitt - Silver Lining (Capitol)
Quarashi - Jinx (Columbia)

April 16:

Ashanti - Ashanti (Island/Def Jam)
Jimmy Fallon - The Bathroom Wall (DreamWorks)
Lil' Romeo - Game Time (Universal/No Limit)
Various artists - "Spider-Man" soundtrack (Columbia)

April 23:

Naughty by Nature - Iicons (TVT)
Tina Novak - Been Around the World (Arista)
Q-Tip - Kamaal the Abstract (Arista)
Sloan - Pretty Together (RCA)
Sneaker Pimps - Bloodsport (Tommy Boy)

April 30:

Blackalicious - Blazing Arrow (MCA)
Donell Jones - Life Goes On (Arista)

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Apex Theory Offer 'Hope' To Metal — Diggy-Da

1 Mar 2002 07:53:00 EST

SnoCore newcomers find untranslatable track translates with audience.
By Jon Wiederhorn

Apex
Photo: DreamWorks

A lot of contemporary metal lyrics are impossible to understand. One song with a particularly puzzling passage is the Apex Theory's "Shhh ... (Hope Diggy)."

The track features a tribal beat, ringing, distorted guitars and the lyric "Hope-diggy-da/ Chicky-diggy-da/ Ras-pi-ran-te," which has driven many a fan to hit rewind. While it's easy to sing along to, it doesn't make any sense, even in Armenian, the language in which it was written.

"There's no literal translation," said vocalist Andy Khachaturian last week from a couch in his manager's office. "When I was really little, my dad would throw me up in the air and catch me and throw me up in the air again, and that's what he would be chanting."

The rest of the lyrics are in English and while they're also cryptic, they're nowhere near as lighthearted: "I can't take the squeaks any more than I can take you/ You say you're sick of me, well I'm sick of you too/ Haven't you gone far enough, my friend?"

"That's about how the people who are closest to you can end up really choking or restraining you, and sometimes they don't even know it or mean it," Khachaturian said. "They can hold you back and prevent you from doing what you want to do. I'm just saying we should allow each other to be free."

The duality between nonsensical and serious lyrics perfectly compliments the Apex Theory's multi-textured music, which combines metal, prog-rock, Mediterranean music and even jazz. And the off-kilter rhythm, skittering drums, whirlpool guitars and aggressive vocals of "Shhh ... (Hope Diggy)" are a perfect taster for the band's debut album, Topsy-Turvy, which comes out April 2.

"There were some people who had doubts about whether radio would even pick it up because of its intricacies," bassist David Hakopyan said. "But we figured introducing ourselves with this type of song would be a good way to make an entrance. If you like this, you'll probably like everything else we do. If you don't, you don't want to listen to a thing."

If you wanna listen, the Apex Theory are currently on the road with the SnoCore Tour, which ends March 27 in Boston.

Related Artists

The Apex Theory

Alien Ant Farm Lead SnoCore Charge At Philly Stop

19 Feb 2002 12:57:00 EST

Local H, Glassjaw, Apex Theory, more rock city's Electric Factory.
By Chris Jordan

Alien Ant Farm's Dryden Mitchell
Photo: DreamWorks

PHILADELPHIA — There were lessons to be learned at the SnoCore Rock festival stop Sunday at the Electric Factory.

Headliners Alien Ant Farm spent a portion of their lively, engaging and hard-rocking set educating the audience.

"We're not a heavy metal band,'' frontman Dryden Mitchell said. "With long hair I look like a girl and the heavy metal thing isn't happening anymore.''

Not angry enough for nü-metal, too smart for punk and too happy for hardcore, Alien Ant Farm seem to be building a stylistic anthill unto themselves. The quartet can deliver sweeping sonic blasts of sound, which it did Sunday on such songs as "Stranded" and "Summer." There was also a jazzy interlude when the band found a hep acoustic groove on "Solitude," and "Calico" had a thundering waltz time.

Perhaps what really sets the group (which also includes guitarist Terry Corso, bassist Tye Zamora and drummer Mike Cosgrove) apart is the band's sense of humor and dry wit. Zamora's stage antics included continuous facial mugging, playing his bass with one hand and slapping his belly with the other, and drooling. Mitchell, who wore a black T-shirt, black work pants and a white ski cap, more often than not assumed an arms-akimbo stance while singing, and often came out with non sequiturs between songs. At one point he advised the audience to listen to Philadelphia soul singer Jill Scott, an advisory all but lost on the largely teenage hard rock audience. Referring to the band's surprise hit cover of Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal," Mitchell said, "You hated Michael Jackson, but now you like him. If you still hate him go back and listen to him, because I like him!"

"They're not just musicians up there, that's an act," said SnoCore attendee Bill Griffith, 37, of Egg Harbor, New Jersey.

Later in the set, Alien Ant Farm delivered the hits "Movies" and "Smooth Criminal" from their DreamWorks Records debut, ANThology; a new rocker called "Bug Bytes" that, according to the band, will appear in the upcoming "Spider-Man" movie; and a track from their independently released debut, Greatest Hits, titled "S.S. Recognize."

The other bands on the festival bill taught the crowd a few things as well.

Local H, an Illinois alternative rock group known primarily for its mid-'90s hit, "Bound for the Floor," immediately preceded Alien Ant Farm. The group, technically a duo but accompanied by two other musicians live, will be releasing its first album in several years, Here Comes the Zoo, on March 5.

Original drummer Joe Daniels has been replaced by Brian St. Clair, and the band rocked out on its old tracks and new songs such as "Half-Life," which demonstrated that group leader Scott Lucas is still edgy, angry and able to create a tuneful explosion of angst.

Local H fans were happy. "The new drummer is faster," said Jason McCollam, 27, of Washington, D.C. "I hope now more people will listen to them."

The New York group Glassjaw performed their set in front of a banner that pictured the twin towers.

"Pay a little respect for what that beautiful city stands for," lead singer Daryl Palumbo said.

The group, a noisy mish-mosh of dissonance, clangs and Palumbo's off-key yelps, performed songs from its Roadrunner Records release Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence and an upcoming June release.

While Glassjaw fans were happy with the set, others in the audience were not.

"I couldn't hear the difference between the bass, guitar and vocals," said Amber Florence, 16, of Egg Harbor. "It sounded like my two-year-old sister playing with the pots and pans."

Los Angeles' Apex Theory performed a short set of material from their album Topsy-Turvy, due April 16. The quintet is a refreshing mix of emotional intensity, swirling rhythms and aural nuance, stemming from, in part, the band's Mediterranean influence. Explosive, throbbing rockers such as "Mucus Shifters" and "Shhh ... (Hope Diggy)" sent the crowd into a mosh.

Earshot are a new Warner Bros. band that combines the musical intensity of nü-metal with the good looks of a Calvin Klein model. Lead singer Wil Martin had a lesson about the future of the group's lead single, "Get Away," which was performed Sunday.

"It will be on the radio," he said.

Fenix TX were originally scheduled to be on the bill, but dropped off shortly before the tour began. Apex Theory were their replacement. A spokesperson for MCA Records, Fenix TX's label, said the band is planning a spring club tour instead.

This year's SnoCore Rock Tour has dates scheduled through March 30. Adema will join the outing March 1 in New York.

For the second year in a row, there is also a SnoCore Icicle Ball for more jam-oriented bands. That tour — featuring Karl Denson's Tiny Universe — runs through April 1.

Read about all of the shows we've recently covered in Tour Reports.

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