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News:
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30/06/2006
La frase sul sito dei Plus 44 è cambiata di nuovo ed è stata aggiunta una foto con tutti è 4 i componenti: Mark, Travis, Shane, Craig e come sapete già Carol non c'è più.
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26/06/2006
So, you're Tom DeLonge out of Blink 182, and
Angels And Airwaves are NOT a supergroup. Got that?
TOTP: Are you happy for Angels And Airwaves to be referred to as a supergroup?
Tom: Oh, God! I worked as hard as I could to not have this even be a
supergroup of any sorts. The last thing in the world that I wanted was anything
about this being, just, marketing value, y'know? I actually had people calling
me from bands who've sold millions of records, but I wasn't into it. I needed
this to be a very organic thing because of the message and because of what it is
we're trying to accomplish.
TOTP: We've seen Angels & Airwaves abbreviated down to AVA. How does that
work?
Tom: Well the V is actually an upside-down A, it's three As. But my
daughter's name is Ava, so I loved the idea that it somehow mapped up with my
daughter's name. I've always loved the geometry of three triangles like that, y'know.
I'm very much an armchair architect [dissolves into laughter]. But if people
don't want to believe that the middle letter is an A, and they ask what the V is
for, I say it's for Victory.
TOTP: So, the angels have victory over the airwaves?
Tom: Ha! I think so...
TOTP: You're probably really happy with who's who in your band, but be honest,
there's definitely people who are better, but have other jobs, or are dead. Who'd
be in your dream supergroup?
Tom: Jeez, I'm gonna have to grab...Peter Gabriel, Bono and Robert Smith,
probably.
TOTP: Wow! I did NOT expect that answer...
Tom: Why, who'd you think it would be?
TOTP: I was guessing that somewhere down the line you'd pick John Bonham (Led
Zeppelin's drummer)...
Tom: Oh yeah, Bonham...I guess I need a drummer, huh? Er, yeah, he'd
probably be pretty perfect for this.
TOTP: Who'd you get in on bass?
Tom: Well, Robert Smith. He plays a six-string bass though, so it's kind
of half-way to guitar.
TOTP: And is Peter Gabriel the lead singer?
Tom: I dunno, he might just be in charge of the theatrical element! [laughs]
TOTP: How does one go about recruiting for a supergroup? Do you go through
your CDs and pick members of bands you already like?
Tom: No, it was very much like starting a normal band, y'know? David, I
played in a band called Box Car Racer with him. Ryan was in the Distillers in
San Diego and David knew him. And Atom grew up down the street from David, so
it's very much like a normal band coming together. But there's a lot of
experience in this band, so we can't really call it our first album, y'know?
TOTP: Is it a good idea to go for people whose previous bands sound broadly
similar? Or try and get as wide a range of influences as possible?
Tom: We're trying to create a new sound, a new style of music, based on
40 years of our favourite bands' existance. And we definitely try to be as
diverse as we can but we really wanted to have our band identified with a
particular message and a sound, and that being something that's very universally
atmospheric and futuristic in nature.
TOTP: Is there a minimum level of fame someone should have when applying for
the post of supergroup member? One hit album? One hit single? One good review in
Kerrang!?
Tom: No, they just can't be as handsome as I. That is the only rule, you
can't be better looking than me or you're out!
TOTP: Is there a pecking order in a supergroup that the person with the
biggest former band is in charge?
Tom: No, no. I would have to say that I'm very much the captain of the
team, but it is a team effort. It has to be because if you want longevity, there
has to be a mutual respect and everyone has to be working toward the same goal.
You can't let ego get involved.
TOTP: In our experience, if you want a sensible answer during an interview
you should ask the drummer. Is that something you consciously look for when you're
hiring one?
Tom: Ha ha! You know Atom's a pretty smart, sensible dude, actually, but
you've gotta think about it, they beat things for a living. I don't know how
evolved those people are.
TOTP: This is years of working with Travis Barker speaking, yes?
Tom: Yeah, but he's probably the greatest drummer in the world, but he
never said a thing in interviews [laughs].
TOTP: As proven by the White Stripes, the bass guitar is very much music's
Sam Gamgee, reliable, solid, a bit thick, and not all-together necessary. What
does that say about bass guitarists?
Tom: Yeah, well, bass guitar is very much the foundation of a song, right
above the drums, and if you don't have it, you'll miss it extraordinarily. It's
definitely the butt of a lot of jokes, but if used correctly it can be a force
to be reckoned with.
TOTP: A wise answer. Very...er...I can't remember the name of the wizard in
the Lord of the Rings suddenly...
Tom: Oh...er...
TOTP: GANDALF! A very Gandalfian answer.
Tom: [Laughs] Everything I say is very Gandalf...
TOTP: In a band with two guitarists, does the one with the smallest 'stack'
get 'amp envy'?
Tom: Ha ha! No, but it's really great having a second guitarist for the
first time in my life really - besides Box Car Racer. But now I get to
concentrate on singing half the time and it's a bit like walking and chewing gum,
you have to concetrate to do both at the same time, so I'm quite happy about it.
TOTP: Have you ever pretended to turn your amp down when asked to, rather
than actually turn your amp down?
Tom: [Laughs] I've done that SO often in the past 13 years with my
last band, they'd always tell me to turn my amp down, and I'm like "yeah,
totally" and I never would!
TOTP: Is there a weird anti-climactic moment when you've got your supergroup
together, you're all in a room for the first time, someone yells "1,2,3,4!" and
you play, and it sounds like cack?
Tom: Oh man, that's part of being in a band. Every single band has had
that problem, even the best bands in the world. If you watch that Metallica
movie ('Some Kind Of Monster'), it shows them writing songs and things fall
apart quite easily, even with a band as incredible as that. So I'm sure it's
very, very common.
TOTP: Do you spend your 'down-time' sitting about with 'the guys' making
bitchy jokes about the lead-singers in all of your former bands?
Tom: Errr, No. You know what though? We do have our 'takes' once in a
while, and it definitely brings us closer together. There's a camaradarie in
past experience, but we pretty much look towards the future. We're pretty happy.
TOTP: Spoken like a true lead singer. What are they doing now?
Tom: They're talking about ME!
TOTP: Finally, do super-groups have super-groupies?
Tom: [Whistles through teeth] We do. So far they seem to be pretty
good-looking, so I think we're on to something here...
TOTP: Do they have powers?
Tom: Yes, they fly and they solve crimes.
- Fraser M (BBC.co.uk/TOTP)
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26/06/2006
Take a little Blink 182, a dash of Offspring and
garnish with a few new faces and what do you get? Angels and Airwaves! They
might be new kids on the block, but they’re old hands at writing great music.
Angels and Airwaves is a new project for you guys, is it all going well?
It really is. It’s going as well as you could even hope for it to go. People at
the shows have been incredibly receptive and really excited to be there. And
people are just singing along with every song before the record’s even out,
which is quite freaky.
Have you managed to tap into your fan base from previous bands?
I definitely think that people took notice of what we were doing perhaps more so
than a regular ‘baby’ band (or whatever you call a new band) because of our
history and our past and everything. That’s definitely given us a little bit of
head start. But I like to think that if they didn’t like it they wouldn’t hang
around just because of who is in the band.
How did you guys get together?
Do you know, it’s the least exciting story on the planet. It’s really just a
matter of a few dudes who just knew each other and grew up together and who are
all from the same area. It was really just a matter of being in the right
headspace at the right time, and having the right attitude towards life and
music. That’s what made us all come together the way we did. We all have the
same goals and the same priorities.
So there haven’t been too many teething problems?
It’s been incredibly easy. Again, it’s really boring. There have been no fights,
no drama, no fights or screaming matches. It’s just been a piece of cake.
Can’t you sex it up for us a bit?
You know, we usually don’t need to because people are so taken aback that we’re
sitting there naked.
Tom DeLonge said that the music is designed to inspire hope in dark times.
Would you agree?
There’s a lot of doom and gloom in the music out there, and we’re really of the
mindset that it’s ok to feel good about who you want to be and who you can be.
We’re just trying to get rid of that old person that you’ve been stuck within;
you know, if you’re stuck in a shell of a person and doing a job that you don’t
really like, or if you’re with someone that you’re not truly happy with. You can
be whatever you want to be, you’ve just got to make it happen.
What is the art of being a good drummer?
I think that you have to really love what you’re doing. I think there are a lot
of drummers out there who think ‘oh gosh, I’m stuck in the back and not getting
the attention I want to get’. I play the drums and I play the parts that reflect
the person that I am. I’m not trying to be the centre of attention and I’m not
trying to make a big splash. I’m trying to support my people and give them a
foundation for the song.
So are drummers the most important people in a band?
Well, yeah I guess so. But you could say that about anyone. If anyone stops
playing then it’s like ‘oh, something’s missing here’. But yeah, you’ve got to
establish a solid foundation before you can build a house.
Your website seems very orientated towards the military. Is that something
you’re championing?
Not really. The record is really an entire collection of metaphors based upon
the conflict of love and war. War being the most horrific thing that man can do
and that humanity has been a part of over the years. Love being the greatest
thing that we have to offer each other. It sounds cheesy, but it’s the truth.
We live in a time defined by conflict. Does music have a role to play in
waking people up to that?
I don’t want to self-profess our power, but we definitely know that if you’re
selling millions of records and touching people on a level that they’re singing
along to and getting emotional about, then you do have some kind of power to get
inside people’s heads and maybe inspire them to take a more pro-active approach
to voting or to being aware of what candidates represent – I’m speaking about
American politics. If people could just get a little more aware and a little
more pro-active then maybe we can make somewhat of a difference because we’ve
inspired a bunch of individuals.
That’s not to say that the whole world will change because of a record, but if
you can get a couple of people to feel a certain way and they can get a couple
of people to feel a certain way it spreads.
So we love the fact that we could reach a certain amount of people and make a
difference because things are pretty f**ked up right now.
Do you think musicians should try and influence people?
I think it’s hard to say that that should be your main focus or your main
inspiration because you’re a musician. You haven’t studied politics in most
cases, or you haven’t done the research to be able to speak about things up on a
soapbox and project your ideals. So I think it needs to be used sparingly and I
think that in order to establish any kind of credibility you need to pick your
times of speaking out.
Where did the name Atom come from?
When I was in Rocket from the Crypt I was 16 and we all had different names and
that was mine. So it’s always been my rock and roll name.
Do you have favourite atom?
All mine. All my atoms are good ones as are my wife’s – she’s got a few good
ones in there too.
-
ITV.com
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25/06/2006 Mark alla prima de "La maledizione della prima luna 2"
Sabato Mark era alla prima de "La maledizione della prima luna 2" con sua moglie. C'è un video di un intervista fatta a lui dal red carpet su MSN.com. Per vedere quando viene intervistato lui bisogna posizionarsi a un'ora e nove minuti dall'inizio. Per vedere il video bisogna avere Internet Explorer. Nell'intervista rivela che ai Plus 44 mancano circa due mesi di registrazione da fare.
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25/06/2006
Ciao raga, ho bisogno di un colllaboratore grafico e quindi ho aperto un concorso:
- create un banner o 468X60 o 88X31 per questo sito e inviatemelo a allblink182@altervista.org
- io sceglierò quale sarà il migliore e il vincitore diventerà collaboratore grafico di questo sito e avrà molti video inediti dei Blink in regalo
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25/06/2006
Ho aperto questi 2 siti ma sono in costruzione, quindi andateci giusto per vedere la pagina iniziale, vi avviserò quando verranno aperti ufficialmente: www.allangelsandairwaves.tk e www.allplus44.tk
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24/06/2006
Ecco la prima parte del video degli Angels and Airwaves a Milano, cliccate qui per scaricarlo e poi ho aggiornato la sezione downloads
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24/06/2006
Cambia ancora la scritta nella home dei Plus 44
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23/06/2006 Meet the Barkers House For Sale
Another reality television house has hit the market. This time it's the home of Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker and his wife Shanna who starred in "Meet the Barkers." The home is located in the wealthy Bel Air Crest area. It has eight bedrooms, garages for ten cars and over 12,000 square feet of living space total. If you've ever seen the show (especially when the couple first moved in) you know that this new home is so spacious that it echoes. The Tuscan'styled home is not particularly distinctive but it is large. It is listed for $9.5 million. More visuals of the rock star life after the jump.
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22/06/2006
Clicca qui per vedere gli Angels & Airwaves al Backstage Pass di mtvU
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21/06/2006
Blink-182's Travis Barker and Mark Hoppus
hope to release the Interscope debut from their latest project, +44, on Oct. 24,
Barker said Tuesday night in L.A. at the launch party for T-Mobile's Sidekick
III.
"Jerry Finn worked on the last couple of Blink records, so he's executive
producing it with us," Barker said of the as-yet-untitled record. While no live
dates are confirmed, Barker says fans in Southern California might get a chance
to see +44 sooner rather than later.
Barker says there are already a few tracks he's looking forward to busting out.
"'Little Death' is going to be awesome," he says, adding that he's also partial
to a song called '155.'
+44 is not the only thing keeping Barker busy these days. He's got a band called
Expensive Taste with rappers Paul Wall and Skinhead Rob. Their album should be
out soon as well. "We're just figuring out our label situation," he reported. "I
did all the production and beats and stuff, and we have guests from Slim Thug
and Bun B. to Mitchy Slick."
It's apparent that Barker is having a blast making music -- any kind. "I just
did a Buck Owens tribute at the Country Music Awards," he said. "I was playing
with Billy Gibbons and Dwight Yoakam, and I had the time of my life. I never
thought as a kid I would play country music."
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21/06/2006 Tom DeLonge in Kerrang article
In his most personal interview ever, Tom DeLonge
discusses Blink 182, his troubled childhood, and why he believes he has a
"special purpose"..
What do you remember of your childhood?
"My parents would fight all the fucking time. My dad left us when I was 18 and
my sister was 12. My older brother was away too - he was in the army fighting
wars. Also, my mom lost her job at that point. Right then, at that moment, I
moved out. I felt like I had to start my life. My mom and sister were left
asking, 'What happened to our family?'."
You have a wife and a daughter now. How much do your childhood experiences
affect your attitudes to your own family?
"I always knew that I wanted to have a good family life after my childhood.
Sometimes that's a really hard thing to do. My daughter is three years old now,
but for the first two years of her life I was recording and on tour with Blink.
She really knew her dad wasn't around. My daughter is the most addictive drug -
she's absolutely the reason for living and I don't want to miss another two and
a half more years of her life. I can't ask my wife and daughter to sleep on a
moving tour-bus all night long because that sucks. I have an opportunity to make
the best family in the world."
Blink 182 were renowned for their irresponsability. Now you talk about saving
the world and the importance of family. Are you trying to force yourself to care
more about your surroundings?
"Absolutely. Blink 182 really had no message whatsoever - and we prided
ourselves on that - but now I want an absolute message. Every little detail of
Angels and Airwaves was painstakingly thought out. You have one life and what
what are you going to do when you're 90 years old? Are you going to look back
and wish that you'd tried harder, are you going to wish that you were happier,
that you should have looked at the world differently, or that you should have
quit that job? I'm at that point where I don't want any regrets."
You seem very focused and sure of yourself. Is that a trait of yours?
"Yes and it's a trait I just figured out that I have. A lot of it came from a
will to survive and to keep my music career going after Blink split. When you
turn 30, you think you know everything about yourself. But I really discovered a
lot about myself this year."
Like what?
"I'm very much an optimist, an idealist and a visionary. I am those things. I
can see something and I can figure out how to get there. That's very much what
happened with Angels And Airwaves."
Do you think that sometimes your focus can make you selfish?
"Absolutely. I think artists always get caught up in themselves."
Are you someone who needs to be in control?
"I work better that way. I set really high standards for myself. If I'm in
control of something, I want to do it better than anyone else can do it. If I
don't have control of it, I'll become enormously lazy and not take any
responsability. In Blink, we all obviously shared the responsability. That was a
comfort because when anything went wrong, we could all laugh about it together,
we were all to blame."
Does this mean Angels and Airwaves is frightening because it's just down to
you?
"It's one of those things where you have to be careful what you wish for,
because at the end of the day, I'm the only one putting myself out there.
No-one's going to come to the other guys and say, 'You fucked up'. For the most
part they're all going to come to Tom"
What happens if you let yourself down? Does it hurt?
"I don't know yet. The closest I came to that was when I let my mouth off at the
beggining of this record. I told everyone that this would be the biggest record
in 20 years and made all those crazy statements. I did it for a variety of
reasons. The first reason was because I knew it was a fucking awesome album. The
second was that I wanted to say some pretty big stuff because I wanted to build
up the tension so I really had to perform. I knew that if the whole world was
going to judge me then it would make me then it would make me have to try my
absolute best."
You have said in the past that you had a special purpose. Do you see yourself
as some kind of preacher?
"Yes but I don't think I'm better than anybody, I'm just more ambitious than
alot of people. I think that I'm more willing to put myself out there than most
people. In no way, shape or form do I think that I'm better or that know more
than anyone else."
Do you think that you thought that in the past? That you chased your
ambitions to the detriment of other people's feelings?
"No. I don't think I ever chased my ambitions really. I think that I was
probably held back to a degree because I was scared of putting myself out there,
or I was scared of upsetting the status quo."
It seems like you feel a need to prove yourself now. Do you know what's
caused that in you?
"I don't know. That's such a good question. Maybe it's because I was the middle
child, maybe it's because I was in a family that didn't talk to each other who
had their share of problems. Maybe it's because I feel that I could really be
here to create something special but I'll never really know if that's the case."
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21/06/2006 wednesday
today is awesome. i am
typing this post to all of you great humans on the new sidekick3. and of course
it rules. we went to the release party last night and the futureheads played.
awesome surprise! i was bummed i missed she wants revenge.
anyway, i am sitting here at the studio with my new device. i don't know what to
do first - take photos, download music, IM someone, or gloat that i have one and
you don't. there are oh so many possibilities.
and today we are recording AND doing a photo shoot. that's called multitasking.
i even brought an extra clean t-shirt. hey, maybe i'll take some pictures too
with my new sidekick3. did i mention that i got a new sidekick3? did i mention
it was free?
mark
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21/06/2006
Aggiornata la sezione downloads, in questo periodo sarà aggiornata spesso perchè ho avuto nuovi video dei Blink 182 molto divertenti e altri live
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20/06/2006
Aggiunte quasi tutte le traduzioni delle canzoni degli Angels and Airwaves
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20/06/2006
Ho notato che molti sono in possesso di materiale del concerto degli Angels and Airwaves a Milano, se siete in possesso di foto o video del concerto, potete inviarmi tutto o aggiungendomi ad msn e inviandomi il materiale oppure via e-mail: ema77thebest@tiscali.it, grazie
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19/06/2006
Ringrazio Aleb182 per i video del concerto di Milano degli AvA:
- Down
- Down 2
- Good Day
- There Is
- The War
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19/06/2006
Mark viene arrestato nel video di Pepping Tom della canzone Mojo
17/06/2006
Ho avuto il video del concerto degli Angels and Airwaves a MIlano, tra massimo 2 giorni lo metterò online
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16/06/2006 Intervista di MTV agli AvA
Esaurite le rispettive esperienze in alcune delle
band di punta della scena punk mondiale, Tom DeLonge (Blink 182), David Kennedy (Box
Car Racer), Atom Willard (Offspring) e Ryan Sinn (Distillers)
decidono di scindere le loro strade dai gruppi che li avevano resi famosi, per
trovare una nuova strada da percorrere. L'incontro dei quattro genera
"Un'istantanea reazione chimica, ma più tra persone che tra musicisti", spiega
Tom, voce e chitarra degli Angels And Airwaves. "Per tutti noi",
ribadisce, "era fondamentale voler fare le stesse cose, sia nella vita che con
la nostra professione. Non volevamo ripetere ciò che avevamo già fatto con i
nostri vecchi gruppi, volevamo invece avere simili abiettivi da raggiungere".
L'alchimia pare aver funzionato alla perfezione e si concretizza in "We Don't
Need To Whisper" primo lavoro a nome Angels And Airwaves.
L'LP è stato anticipato dal singolo "The Adventure" scelto dalla band per
motivi più pratici che artistici. Adam racconta, "Qualcuno in Rete era già in
possesso di alcuni brani prima dell'uscita del disco, tra questi pezzi c'era
anche "The Adventure". Ha avuto ottimi risultati di download, per questo
l'abbiamo scelto come primo singolo. L'intero disco è potenzialmente pieno di
singoli". Le grandi aspettative intorno al progetto e alle persone che vi hanno
preso parte sono sfociate in una curiosità di pubblico tale da realizzare il
tutto esaurito ai primi concerti statunitensi. "I primi concerti erano sold-out
e il disco non sarebbe uscito che il mese successivo", racconta Ryan, "Ma i
ragazzi nel pubblico erano impazziti, probabilmente l'avevano scaricato da
Internet e gli era piaciuto".
Quando chiediamo loro di spiegarci l'idea dietro al tema spaziale legato agli
Angels And Airwaves, Tom allarga i confini fino a toccare tematiche di rilevanza
mondiale: "Al giorno d'oggi, da un lato curiamo il cancro, mandiamo satelliti su
marte e sulle comete, studiamo la fisica dei quanti e ipotizziamo anche la
possibilità di viaggiare nel tempo, dall'altro non abbiamo altre soluzioni se
non quella di gettare bombe quando c'è un problema da qualche parte del mondo".
Punk fatto con testa e cuore? Ecco la nuova frontiera di AAA!
Guarda e ascolta l'intervista
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14/06/2006
Clicca
qui per
scaricare il video di There Is suonano dagli Angels And Airwaves al Rolling
Stone di Milano il 6 giugno 2006 (registrato da Claudio "Cla-182").
Clicca
qui per scaricare un'intervista agli Angels And Airwaves fatta sempre a
Milano.
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13/06/2006
Clicca qui per scaricare il concerto degli Angels And Airwaves al Fritz Club di Berlino del 10 giugno 2006 (registrato da Cenrution & Asthenia).
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113/06/2006 himynameis...chris
hello everyone. I present to
you all the newest installment of the himynameismark podcast. i shouldn't even
be writing this introduction as chris holmes took the helm while i was sick last
week. i feel a change in personnel on the horizon...
this time we have some kick ass songs from blackpool lights, smoosh, and the
jealous sound. i have the best taste in music.
also, the new regina spektor album is out today, and judging from the singles i
have heard from it, you should be on your way to the store or clicking to
purchase it right now.
and now i must leave you. enjoy the podcast and may the force be with you. but
mostly with me.
mark
-
Hi, My Name Is Mark
Download Podcast #17
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12/06/2006
Ecco tutto il concerto degli Angels And Airwaves al Trabendo di Parigi del 7 giugno 2006
Valkyrie Missile
It Hurts
Distraction
Good Day
Down
The Adventure
A Little's Enough
There Is
Do It For Me Now
Start The Machine
The Gift
The War
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12/06/2005
Ecco alcune foto del concerto degli Angels and Airwaves a Milano fatte da Marty_AvA:
http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/5169/immagine0134rx.jpg
http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/407/immagine0155uj.jpg
http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/5364/immagine0197ys.jpg
http://img48.imageshack.us/img48/4402/immagine0232nl.jpg
http://img92.imageshack.us/img92/4972/immagine0081fh.jpg
http://img107.imageshack.us/img107/3456/immagine0344km.jpg
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12/06/2006
Clicca qui per scaricare il concerto degli Angels And Airwaves al Melkwek di Amsterdam del 9 giugno 2006 (registrato da Astrid/Maarten).
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Ecco le bonus track di We Don't Need To Whisper:
The Gift (Live at Whisper's Studio)
The Adventure (Live at Electric Ballroom)
The Adventure (Live at Whisper's Studio)
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11/06/2006
Cambia ancora la scritta nella home dei Plus 44
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09/06/2006
Tom DeLonge may be best known for his mischievous
antics with pop-punk trio Blink-182, but now he's turning heads for a different
reason.
Last week, DeLonge's new band Angels & Airwaves debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's
Top Rock Albums chart and No. 4 on The Billboard 200 with "We Don't Need To
Whisper" (Suretone/Geffen). The first single, "The Adventure," is No. 5 on the
Modern Rock chart.
More than a year after Blink-182 announced its indefinite hiatus, the vocalist/guitarist
has been able to shape his own sound with AVA, as the band refers to itself.
"I felt pressure after selling so many records and having a band that was
selling out arenas across the world," DeLonge tells Billboard.com. "I really had
to figure out who I wanted to be and what I wanted to do with my music and find
my reason for doing music rather than just writing pop songs. So going into the
studio I had a whole different mindset and a whole different set of goals, and
it became quite an inspiring process -- as well as a massive amount of therapy
to get over the depression of the breakup of my last band."
Following in the footsteps of Blink-182 may not be the easiest task considering
that the band has sold more than 20 million records worldwide. But DeLonge isn't
shy about being ambitious and shooting for the moon with this new project.
"It was time for me to make an album that was a timeless piece of art that was
really representative of who I am right now," he says. "I think I really touched
something more magical and spiritually enlightening with my art that I've never
touched before."
To create this sound, DeLonge enlisted his former Box Car Racer partner/guitarist
David Kennedy, former Offspring drummer Atom Willard and former Distillers
bassist Ryan Sinn.
In the end, the music was mature, personal and seemingly politically charged --
things not usually associated with DeLonge's previous endeavors.
"I knew that people would apply current events to this record," he says, "But
that's really not where I was going with it. It is about a conflict between love
and war, which is a thinly veiled metaphor for what happened in my life and
finding something good out of something bad. From song to song, it's kind of the
chronological order of what I went through with the breakup of the band, losing
my best friends and rebuilding my life.
"Angels & Airwaves is meant to bring together the most epic music with the most
epic production and give everyone a sense of weightlessness and ascension," he
adds. "I really think that it is going bridge the gap between the punk-rock
scene that Blink and Green Day and all those types of bands are in and the crowd
that likes Coldplay and U2. It's somewhere in the middle."
Throughout the whole process, though, DeLonge kept Blink fans in mind. "I was
very aware that my fans would like this," he notes. "I knew that this was the
best stuff I ever did [and] that my fans would like it, but I was very aware
that this was an ambitious risk that I was taking. I knew that it would possibly
be open to a much larger demographic of people, and at the end of the day you
don't know if those people are going to like it or not."
As for the status of Blink-182, whose members went their separate ways in early
2005 and haven't been in touch since, DeLonge offers, "I'm happy where I'm at
right now."
Then after a moment he adds, "I didn't want that band to end. It's not like I
had some agenda. When it happened I was forced to find opportunity in a crisis.
It was survival, and I ended up finding something a lot more powerful within me.
I just find myself being me completely, which is good. It makes me really
happy."
- Katy Kroll (Billboard.com)
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07/06/2006
Il concerto è stato stupendo, Tom ha cantato da Dio e sono stati tutti molto bravi. Clicca qui per scaricare tutta la registrazione del concerto fatta da me e a giorni metterò il video del concerto fatto da un mio amico.
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06/06/2006
Clicca qui per leggere un articolo su Jennifer e Tom DeLonge che aspettano un figlio.
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06/06/2006
Stasera gli AvA suonano al Rolling Stone e io ci sarò :)
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05/06/2006
Se sei una delle persone fortunate che ha ordinato del merchandising dei Plus 44, potresti ricevere una copia dell'edizione limitata del singolo di No It Isn't. Ci sono 500 copie di questa versione limitata.
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04/06/2006
La frase sul sito dei Plus 44 è cambiata di nuovo.
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03/06/2006
I Plus 44 stanno per realizzare un singolo. Una persona del forum di blink-182online.com ha ricevuto una copia del singolo di No It Isn't da Travis dopo averlo incontrato al Wahoos Fish Taco's.
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03/06/2006 Angels & Airwaves: Who Can It Be Now?
Tom DeLonge's new band plays our blindfold
game, sounding off on Green Day, Arctic Monkeys, and ... Def Leppard?
Who knew that Tom DeLonge, blink-182's potty-mouthed master of teen angst, had
an inner Bono waiting to emerge? Ask DeLonge about his new band Angels and
Airwaves, and the singer-guitarist explains how he's chasing after "an element
of the human soul that hasn't been in American rock 'n' roll in a long time."
Anybody out there got a white flag?
Yep, Fall-Out Boy can keep the party punk. With impressive songs both political
and sincere, A&A are tackling the U2 and Coldplay turf. Their We Don't Need to
Whisper debut sounds like The Joshua Tree if it was recorded in a San Diego
garage. VH1 spun a handful of unidentified songs for DeLonge, guitarist David
Kennedy, drummer Atom Willard and bassist Ryan Sinn. The guys guessed at the
artists, and passed judgment on punk past, punk present, and world-beaters of
all stripes.
Buzzcocks -- "Ever Fallen in Love?" Love Bites (1978)
David Kennedy: Alkaline Trio! [Laughs] This is old f*cking punk rock. I've
heard this before. It's like the Buzzcocks ...
Tom DeLonge: There were only a few punk rock bands before my time that I
was really into. The first song I ever tried to play was by [L.A. hardcore group]
the Descendents. Everything about my guitar playing is from them.
David: I learned how to play "Hope." That seemed like a Descendents song
that was conveniently easy.
Atom Willard: Mine was Minor's Threat's "Seeing Red." But drums are a
different thing. Drums are easy.
Ryan Sinn: The first punk rock song I learned was The Germs, "Lexicon
Devil." It was just an easy song.
What was more important back then - anger or catchiness?
Tom: I never really liked angry music - which I gues is a product of
living in a sunny city in California. I was looking for melodic sensibility.
That was very much my thing. The Descendents could write a kick-ass song. Dude,
if their records came out now, it would be completely current.
U2 -- "The Unforgettable Fire" from The Unforgettable Fire (1984)
Tom: I think The Unforgettable Fire was my first U2 record. "Where the
Streets Have No Name" and "With Or Without You" are two of the greatest songs
ever. There's no mystery about my fascination with that band. Any band that has
as many rad songs as they do, and are still writing good songs at this time in
their career [is inspiring].
David: By the time I was in high school, man, none of their stuff made
sense to me.
Why not?
David: At that time they were doing the Zootopia thing. All I cared about
was bands like The Misfits, Uniform Choice, Insted, Minor Threat, a lot of New
York hard core. I was trying to figure out who I was and those bands made me
feel comfortable.
Tom: I think it took U2 a while to discover themselves what everyone knew
they were. U2 is not the only band that had this kind of inner spiritual
awakening. There's a lot of that idea in Angels and Airwaves, but the difference
is that our band sonically sounds like what rock 'n' roll could be like in the
future.
Arctic Monkeys -- "Fake Tales of San Francisco" from Whatever People Say I
Am, That's What I'm Not (2006)
Tom: Sounds like Franz Ferdinand.
David: Oh, it's the f*cking Arctic Monkeys.
Not a fan?
David: I don't know anything about them. I just know people talk about
them a lot.
Tom: David had the best way to describe it. There's this thing that goes
on in England where they're so proud to be English. Rightfully, because it's one
of the most f*cking amazing countries on earth. But a lot of times they hype
what they have for no other reason than that there's nothing else to hype.
They seem to be singing about experiences English teens can relate to, which
is sort of what blink did for SoCal teens.
Tom: blink sang about details of teenage living for a decade. I don't
think that's ingenious, because the Descendents did it before we did. I get
skeptical when someone says X is the next biggest, greatest, raddest thing. I
just go, "F*ck, I don't have the chills yet." Give me the chills!
Atom: That's what we wanted when we made our record - giving ourselves
the chills. Getting so excited about what we're doing that we freak ourselves
out.
Tom: I truly hope that the Arctic Monkeys do well because as far as punk
rock goes, it really is different. I would much rather see a band like them
succeed and do well then just the same old version of what I've been doing for
the past decade.
When you listen to the radio do you hear the children of blink?
Tom: Oh yeah. But at the same time I'm not asshole enough to think that
I'm their f*cking influence. It's just the natural chain of events. We were the
first band that really spoke for the middle class white kid that was on a
computer that really didn't hate his life, but didn't like everything about it
either. We were the first ones to do funny stupid videos. But now there's a
whole industry made off that kind of world. It's interesting to want to be out
of it and look back in.
Def Leppard - "Hanging on the Telephone" from Yeah! (2006)
Tom: Sounds like The Replacements. Who is this? What, Def Leppard? This
is ca-ca, dude! But when I was a kid I did think "Pour Some Sugar on Me" was
epic.
David: Sure, but they need to make that record again not this record [of
cover tunes].
Tom: Look how they're posing [on the album cover], like it's still a
brand new thing. [The one-armed drummer is] putting up two fingers, so it's cool.
Did you do covers when your messing around in the rehearsal studio?
David: I don't know how to play any songs. Ryan taught me some good ones.
Tom: The only cover songs I've ever been a part of are a Descendents song
and Dinosaur Jr. song. And Barry Manilow when I was in Boxcar Racer!
David: We f*cking did "Mandy." It was good, though.
Tom: I loved that song. I think it's one of the most beautiful melodies
ever written. [Sings] "Oh, Mandy/ You came and you gave without taking/ But I
sent you away." It's so good.
Atom: I didn't join this band to play "Mandy."
Green Day -- "American Idiot" from American Idiot (2004)
All: Green Day!
Green Day write successful political pop songs. Did you follow their lead to
a degree?
Tom: I haven't even heard that album! I only heard whatever [made it to]
the radio. I love the fact that it got people psyched. But Angels and Airwaves
is very much an extension of what I did on my last blink record, where we really
dived into this Pink Floyd sort of world. I'm inspired by Green Day's success,
but their music doesn't really touch me. It's not my kind of music.
Does a time of conflict lend art more urgency?
Tom: It's always the job of an artist to be aware of the world around
them and communicate it back to for people to digest. John Lennon got shot for
really challenging the way people think during a massively controversial war.
Van Gogh cut off his ear because he couldn't express what he was trying to
express. Artists have a job to try and up the ante every time, especially right
now, when things aren't that good.
What's the closest you've come to cutting your ear off for rock 'n' roll?
Tom: Making this record. My management sat me down in my backyard and
were going, "What's wrong with you?" I said "I feel like I'm losing my mind, but
I feel like that's what's gonna make this record truly great." It was the most
difficult thing I've ever done in my life, but the most rewarding and
spiritually fulfilling thing I've ever been a part of.
- C. Bottomley (VH1.com)
----------
03/06/2006 Angels And Airwaves on Rolling Stone
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01/06/2006 Angels And Wetshaves
Gli Angels
And Wetshaves sono un gruppo nato per scherzo che ha fatto una canzone
intitolata Good Shave prendendo come testo quello di Good Day modificandolo un
po'.
Clicca
qui per scaricare Good Shave.
Good Shave
It should have come back
It should have grown better
Than to fall away defeated
I'll shave it tonight, I'll shave it forever
And this time I really swear I mean it
Oh I need you now
You grew fast on me,
This beard is safe and sound
You won't stay here with me
I'll shave it...
I think I like to shave
I think it's good
It's something that can make my hair fall down
A moustache is something that comes easy
Just one kiss, but then no one wants to...
I heard my hair drop and a nervous heartbeat
Have you ever heard me scream "I cut me"
Oh I need you now
You grew fast on me,
This beard is safe and sound
You won't stay here with me
I'll shave it...
I think I like to shave
I think it's good
It's something that can make my hair fall down
Dadah da dah dah dadadah [x8]
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