INTERVIEW MUSIC
Jimmy Chamberlin smashes out solo album BY MELISSA BOBBITT For the Titan
Keith Moon, Neil Peart, Lars Ulrich and Jimmy Chamberlin— arguably four of the best drummers of all time. But Chamberlin, formerly of the alternative behemoth Smashing Pumpkins and the short-lived Zwan, has something the other legends don’t: a solo album. Life Begins Again, his sprawling and kicky jazz-fusion album, combines Chamberlin’s powerhouse pounding with languid guitars reminiscent of early Pumpkins material. Throw in a few notable cameos by old buddies Billy Corgan, Rob Dickinson of Catherine Wheel and Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers and you’ve got the recipe for some seriously smooth ear candy. Chamberlin said he didn’t want his solo album to be just him hammering away on the skins. “I kind of look at it less of a drummer record than a music record,” he said. But he also wasn’t keen on providing vocals himself. “I’m not that great of a singer,” he said with a chuckle, citing his sole singing stint on one song on the 1995 Pumpkins album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. Hence, he enlisted the help of Billy Mohler, an associate he met in 2001 when Mohler auditioned for Zwan. He didn’t get the gig then, but Chamberlin vowed to work with him in the future. Together, they crafted surreal, surging melodies under the guise of the Jimmy Chamberlin Complex. Mohler attended to most of the song structuring and guitars but left most of the lyrics to Chamberlin (nix the ode to the drummer’s daughter AudreyElla, “Lullabye,”
sung huskily by Medley. The former Pumpkin said Medley signed on because “he’s actually Billy Mohler’s godfather. It speaks volumes about Bill’s character to branch out and do something that’s really not his style.”) As a fledgling lyricist, Chamberlin drew influences from “everything from my cat, my daughter, my mother, my world experience” to tell dreamy pop tales of positive energy. He said the album’s themes are “freedom of spirit, adventure, passion for what you do.” Especially close to his heart is “Loki Cat,” an ethereal track featuring Corgan on vocals. “Loki was my cat who died of lymphoma,” Chamberlin said. “The song is basically about loss and physical gain in a spiritual sense.” Whatever Chamberlin does when it comes to music, reflects just how full of love he is. The Complex played two nights in January at the Knitting Factory in Los Angeles and the drummer’s smile practically illuminated the dark club. The live act, consisting of Chamberlin, Mohler, Sean Woolstenhulme of Abandoned Pools on guitar and Adam Benjamin on keyboards, brought a more sonic and commanding flavor to the lush sounds of Life Begins Again. The wickedly raw pulse of “Cranes of Prey” incited an ocean of bobbing heads in the audience and the jovial groove “Newerwaves” showcased Mohler’s agility on bass and his sensitive vocals. But the concerts belonged to Chamberlin, one usually accustomed to churning out furious beats in the background. He finally took center stage to thank the fans, sign autographs and pose for pictures as bewildered gawkers hailed him as the
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best drummer ever. Life has truly begun again for Chamberlin, 40. He kicked a heroin habit that got him fired from the Pumpkins in 1996 and survived the swift rise and fall of his other band with Corgan, the giddy guitar-laden Zwan. He recently relocated from his native Chicago to Los Angeles because “besides working with Billy [Corgan], I felt my music was stagnating. The music community
[in L.A.] is great. And it’s certainly a lot warmer.” Chamberlin said the SoCal atmosphere is more accommodating for raising his daughter with wife Lori and for the type of unique music he longed to create. “I just don’t think they [the public] realize there is honest music out there in this world of prepackaged sound bites,” he said. Jam master Jimmy had such a great time recording the album and
working with his new cohorts that he hopes to return to the studio as soon as possible to make a sequel to Life. He said that he never intends on retiring from the music biz. “I don’t really envy people who look forward to retirement because that means they’re doing something they don’t like.” Chamberlin picked up the sticks at a young age and immediately felt liberated. “I retired at age 8,” he said.
A ‘scenic’ look at San Diego band Denver Harbor BY BRIAN TAYLOR Daily Titan Staff
If you were to ask most aspiring musicians if they would be satisfied with a 7-year career, two trips out on the Vans Warped Tour, a video on MTV, substantial radio play and the sale of more than 400,000 albums, chances are they would say yes. But that is not the case for former Fenix*TX front man Will Salazar. The 2002 break-up of Fenix*TX left Salazar and bandmate Chris Lewis with some newly written music and the urge to find a new band to play them. While working on album artwork for the band F.o.N. graphic artist Shauna Salazar (Will’s Wife), introduced the talented brothers Aaron and Ilan Ruben to her husband.
With the addition of Aaron (bass) and Ilan (drums), Will (vocals/guitar) and Chris (guitar) now had a band with no shortage of talent. At just 16-years-old Ilan holds claim to the title of “Best Undiscovered Drummer Under 18” by Modern Drummer magazine. And under the tutelage of Blink 182’s Travis Barker, landed himself in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the youngest musician ever to play at Woodstock, 12. But the kid dubbed as a “schizophrenic musical genius” by his bandmates isn’t weighed down by his early success. “There’s no pressure when you know you’re good at what you do” Ilan said. “But I’m always trying to get better.” With all the musical pieces in place the band still didn’t have a
name. After compiling a list of potential monikers, Salazar posted them on an Internet forum frequented by former Fenix*TX fans and asked them to chose. Denver Harbor was the name chosen by fans, although Salazar admitted he was partial to the runner-up Dirty Sanchez. The San Diego based rock group has been hard at work since their first show in March of 2003. After releasing their independent album “Extended Play” in April of 2004, Universal Records signed them to a contract in June. “We got signed on a Friday, went in the studio for pre-production on Monday and started recording the following Monday,” Aaron said. “The day after mastering [the album] we went on tour. It’s been non-stop for the last couple months.”
In their short existence, Denver Harbor has toured with Sugarcult, Story Of The Year, Flogging Molly and most recently Lit. Ideally they’d like to be out on the road with the Foo Fighters and The Mars Volta, more out of respect for their creativity and open-minded fans rather than the similarity of their music. “Really though, I’d just like to tour and get out on the road with anyone,” said Will. While out on tour their fulllength debut “Scenic” hit the shelves in October. The release of “Scenic” has garnered mixed reviews claiming that the songs are too different from one another. But that was the intention according to Aaron. “No matter how distinct the sound may be, it just gets boring when a bands’ songs sound the
same,” he said. “Obviously all of are songs have a link, but I can’t say there are two songs on the album that sound the same,” added Ilan. “And I’m proud of that. The album is a fusion of hardcore punk, ska, and rock. Case in point is their ability to bang out the fast paced pit starter “Xenophobia,” slow it down with “All I Want” and then take the crowd on the musical roller coaster that is “The Ride.” Denver Harbor hopes to sell albums while on tour in the near future. But the guys are enjoying their recent time off by kicking back at home, playing video games, bowling, and just trying to live the dream. For more information on Denver Harbor visit their website at www. denverharbor.net.
Daily Titan February 07, 2005
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