No question Jimmie's Chicken Shack is one of the hardest working bands in the business having toured constantly since 1995. Between headlining their own tours in the US and Europe they've been out with bands such as Live, 311, Creed, Fuel and Everclear. They've shared festival stages with nearly every major alternative rock band and Fail On Cue is ‘The Shack's' eighth album. The singles High, from the album Pushing the Salmanilla Envelope and Do Right, from the second Rocket album, Bring Your Own Stereo were both crowned, buzz clips, by MTV and spent more than a year in the active rock and alternative rock charts respectively resulting top ten hits This latest and most powerful lineup has been pulled from the cream of mid-Atlantic bands. Still front and center is Jimi Haha with his dynamic stage presence, eccentric yet hooky melodies, riffs and chord changes and his biting, often ironic lyrical take on life. It's all about the music for Jimmie's Chicken Shack who, despite selling millions of albums will never bend to fit.
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IMMIE'S CHICKEN SHACK
Jimi HaHa - vocals/guitar
Matt Jones - guitar
Christian Valiente - bass
Jerome Maffeo - drums
Hold the front page here is Fail On Cue Jimmie's Chicken Shack's eighth album that marks the band's triumphant return to Fowl Records, the mid-Atlantic indie label that championed their first four albums. Albums five and six were bounced around on various permutations of Rocket, A&M and Island/Defjam and the seventh was put out by Koch Records. High, the band's first major label single from the 1997 album Pushing the Salmanilla Envelope climbed the charts for twelve months eventually coming to rest in the top 10 of the active rock charts with heavy rotation in MTV's buzz bin. Do Right, Jimi's ode to an ex-girfriend from the second Rocket album, Bring Your Own Stereo was also crowned, buzz clip, by MTV and again took up residence in the alternative rock charts for year resulting in yet another top ten hit that ultimately crossed over to top 40 playlists. Many other tracks such as Dropping Anchor, Blood, Trash and, the Aaron Lewis co-write, Re-Present charted in various markets around the
country.
There can be no doubt that Jimmie's Chicken Shack is one of the hardest working bands in the business having been on the road continuously since 1995. In between headlining their own shows in the US and Europe they've been out with groups such as Live, 311, Creed, Fuel, and Everclear. They shared festival stages with nearly every major alternative rock band. Some of these tour-bus friendships led to co-writes with, such luminaries, as
Aaron Lewis (Staind), Art Alexakis (Everclear), Butch Walker (Marvelous 3), Mark Tremonti (Creed) and John Wozniak (Marcy Playground).
The road takes its toll and there have been many personnel changes over the years but this new lineup is, without question, the most powerful yet drawing from the cream of mid-Atlantic bands. Of course the centerpiece has always been Jimi Haha's dynamic and sometimes hilarious stage presence, his exciting, eccentric melodies, riffs and chord changes and his biting, often ironic, lyrical take on life. It's all about the music and the performance for the band that, despite selling millions of albums on major labels, will never bend to fit. "We mix up a lot of different sounds," says Jimi, "we're schizophrenic because our tastes are." From bluesy rap-infused grooves through reggae to rock, their kick-ass live set is lesson in controlled diversity.
HaHa got his musical start singing an a cappella version of the Beach Boys' Surfin' as a second grader in an elementary school talent show. He started playing music when he was 12 and singing when he was 15, "because
I got expelled from school." His musical influences run the gamut from the Beatles, to Jimi Hendrix, to Bob Marley, to Black Sabbath, to Ministry, to the Grateful Dead. Jimmie's Chicken Shack was named after the Harlem restaurant where "Malcolm X used to hang out before he became Malcolm X."
Song writing is as essential to Jimi as any other bodily function. "I'm like a faucet and I like to keep it on so my plumbing stays clean," he explains. "I spit out a lot of stuff." Haha's most memorable songs are often based in humor. One of the major tenets of Jimmie's Chicken Shack's philosophy is to always expect the unexpected--and embrace your mistakes. "I think that's the coolest part of art. Whether its music or painting, mistakes are crucial. So why the hell you gonna work them out?" HaHa asks. In fact when Jimi is not playing music he can often be found painting. He has had many successful exhibitions featuring his abstract-surrealist creations often painted on reclaimed cardboard. "It disintegrates," says Jimi, "I like that."
For more information, please contact:
Richard James Burgess at Burgess Worldco
ph: 410 798 7798 fx: 410 798 0099 email: rjb@burgessworldco.com
