Various Rock Formats Song Reviews - Boston, Rush, Slaughter, Pat Benatar, Glenn Tipton, Lynyrd Skynyrd

Snowboarding has become winter’s equivalent to extreme warm weather sports like in-line skating and skate boarding. Since 1989, snowboarding has experienced an unprecedented boom in the United States and across the world. During its early stages, there were less then 75,000 snowboarders across the U.S. As an initial estimate this number may seem significant, but it hardly compares to the predicted 12 million at the end of 1996. This group is not entirely made of men either, as females help make up a major part of this growth in participants. In 1989, the ratio was close to 9:1, males to females where as today it is closer to 3:2. There was also a period of time where the ski resorts were worried about the decline in guests and ski-related activities. Things have changed! Snowboarding has been credited with bringing the young and old alike back to the mountains in overwhelming numbers.

In spite of all their success as a touring band and at Adult Rock Radio, Widespread Panic has been able to maintain a very down-to-earth philosophy: emphasizing heavy rhythms with often inspiring musicianship. Listening to their music, one can’t help but be swept into a musical sanctuary. “Our songs are like musical getaways. They provide a path for the music to take off by itself,” is how guitarist and vocalist John “J.B.” Bell describes it. Renowned for their intense live shows before S.R.O. crowds across the country, as well as a back catalog of albums that continue to sell well, Widespread Panic has earned the respect of fans and fellow musicians alike. Their newest offering, Bombs & Butterflies, captures the raw energy that has helped propel them into being one of America’s most compelling live bands. “The studio is very different from a live show. We’re still trying to capture a sense of power” adds J.B., “but it’s more like a polished poem instead of seeing somebody ranting and raving on the street.”

311 is one of the most explosive and experimental up-and-coming bands in the rock world today. Fusing hard rock with funk, rap and reggae, the band has created quite a potent musical cocktail. Growing up in the Midwest – Nebraska to be exact, where the East meets the West – has proven to some extent to be the perfect breeding ground for the sound of 311, as well as their many dimensions.

One of the most explosive and experimental bands in the rock world today, 311 fuse hard rock with funk, rap and reggae to create their own personal and very potent musical cocktail. Blending razor-sharp musicianship with such a diverse mixture of musical styles, 311 exhibit quite an aggressive attitude, both musically and politically. Drawing on a grassroots fan base that incorporates many different lifestyles and view points has helped catapult the band to Platinum record status and a #1 song at Alternative radio.

One of the most explosive and experimental bands in the rock world today, 311 fuse hard rock with funk, rap and reggae to create their own personal and very potent musical cocktail. Blending razor-sharp musicianship with such a diverse mixture of musical styles, 311 exhibit quite an aggressive attitude, both musically and politically. Drawing on a grassroots fan base that incorporates many different lifestyles and view points has helped catapult the band to Platinum record status and a #1 song at Alternative radio.

As a Los Angeles-based quartet, 311 have covered a lot of territory since their inception. With music influences that range from Sly and the Family Stone to Bob Marley, this Omaha-born band mixes hard-rock, funk, rap and reggae into a very potent music cocktail. Since the release of their debut, Music, in 1993, the band has released an album per year while supporting a nonstop touring schedule – selling out clubs and theaters nationwide, thanks mostly to their massive grassroots fan base. As the band prepared to embark on a national tour with Cypress Hill and The Pharcyde, Nick Hexum, Chad Sexton and Tim Mahoney invited me to their Laurel Canyon home to discuss life, music and the world of 311. Blending their razor-sharp wit and diverse musical knowledge with an aggressive attitude, the band has taken a rare musical ideology – the music path of positive outlook.