DATE:      MAY 17, 2004
FROM:      LIBBY HENRY/KRISTINE ASHTON-MAGNUSON

THE VANDALS

RETURN WITH

‘HOLLYWOOD POTATO CHIP’

OUT JUNE 29 ON KUNG FU RECORDS

Punk legends THE VANDALS will return June 29 with their 12th studio album HOLLYWOOD POTATO CHIP on Kung Fu Records, the indie Los Angeles label co-owned and operated by the band’s bassist JOE ESCALANTE and guitarist WARREN FITZGERALD.  Expect the group to debut their new songs when they appear as a mainstage headliner on the Vans Warped Tour ’04 from June 25 through August 3.

Produced by The Vandals’ guitarist WARREN FITZGERALD--who also collaborates with Tenacious D--HOLLYWOOD POTATO CHIP is full of the band’s trademark wry, sardonic wit and strong melodies.  The group--JOE ESCALANTE (bass), WARREN FITZGERALD (guitar), JOSH FREESE (drums), DAVE QUACKENBUSH (vocals)--enlisted industry powerhouse Jerry Finn (AFI, Blink 182, Alkaline Trio) for mixing duties, resulting in a dark, rapid-fire delivery: 13 songs clocking in at a concise and impactful 33:38.

HOLLYWOOD POTATO CHIP pays tribute to the notorious seedy side of the Hollywood dream--which devours people only to discard them--and the dirty casting couch that’s left behind. The disc is an amalgam of brash punk intensity fused with sarcastic and confrontational lyricism. Check out “Be A Good Robot” (“Pierce your nose, wear different clothes/And indicate that you will never be one of them, but that’s how they win…/They make you sick then sell the cure”) and “Dig A Hole” (“You think it’s stupid now?/You’ll see, we’re only borderline retarded compared to where we’ll be/The future generation has their work cut out for them. Keep lowering the bar and dig a hole to put it in”).

Standout tracks include the rambunctious rocker “Don’t Stop Me Now” an unforgettable cover of the Queen classic, and the light-hearted punk country ode to cheaters everywhere “Just A Man” (“Although it’s not my doing, nature has its way insuring that the species will be fruitful, no matter how I try to fight it/God’s the one who made me like this-understand I’m innocent/The drive is stronger than I am-I’m just a man”).

Always looking for new ways to connect with their fans over the internet, THE VANDALS will launch a worldwide pathetic talent search beginning Tuesday, June 1.  Entrants can choose from two different songs from the forthcoming HOLLYWOOD POTATO CHIP to download, included will be one instrumental version, and another with lyrics. Fans will then send in a video of themselves performing a song over the instrumental track.  The most colorful videos will be posted at www.vandals.com for all to see. Standout entrants, either good or bad may get a shot at performing with THE VANDALS this summer.

The complete track listing for HOLLYWOOD POTATO CHIP is as follows:

1.          How They Getcha

2.          Don't Stop Me Now

3.          My Neck, My Back

4.          Be A Good Robot

5.         Just A Man

6.         My Special Moment

7.         Designed By Satan

8.         Atrocity

9.         Dig A Hole

10.       Don't Make Me Get My Fat, Lazy Ass Off This Couch

11.       I'll Guess I'll Take You Back

12.      Christian or Canadian?

13.             Crushed

 

Here’s a brief accounting of other projects the band has been up to lately:

·        WARREN further involved himself in the Tenacious D enigma by co-writing two songs featured on the hit movie School Of Rock starring Jack Black.

·        DAVE still runs his own alcohol distribution company and employs people with mohawks.

·        JOE directed the indie feature film "Cake Boy" and still trains as one of Americas few active amateur bullfighters. He is also a partner in the new Warped Tour Japan.

·        JOSH remains the industry’s most-sought-after session drummer while keeping his membership card for A Perfect Circle, DEVO and of course THE VANDALS. He has more platinum albums than God.

·        JOE and WARREN are co-owners and operators of Kung Fu Records, which has become one of the world’s most successful and truly independent punk record labels on the scene today.

 

Catch THE VANDALS on the following Vans Warped Tour dates this summer:

Date                            City                             Venue

Vans Warped Tour

Fri       6/25                Houston, TX                Reliant Center
Sat      626                 Dallas, TX                   Smirnoff Music Center
Sun     6/27                San Antonio, TX         Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Tue      6/29                Las Cruces, NM         NMSU Practice Field
Wed    6/30                Phoenix, AZ                Peoria Sports Complex
Thu      7/1                   Fullerton, CA             CSUF Athletic Field
Fri       7/2                   Fullerton, CA               CSUF Athletic Field
Sat      7/3                   San Francisco, CA    Pier 30/32
Sun     7/4                   Las Vegas, NV           Desert Breeze Skate Park
Tue      7/6                   San Diego, CA          Coors Amphitheater
Wed    7/7                   Ventura, CA                Seaside Park
Thu      7/8                   Sacramento, CA         Sleep Train Amphitheater
Fri       7/9                   Boise, ID                      Idaho Center Amphitheater
Sat      710                 Seattle, WA                  Gorge Amphitheater
Sun     7/11                Portland, OR                 Columbia Meadows
Tue      7/13                Vancouver, BC            Thunderbird Stadium
Thu      7/15                Calgary, AB                  Race City Speedway
Fri       7/16                Bozeman, MT                Gallatin County Fairgrounds
Sat      7/17                Salt Lake City, UT        Utah State Fairgrounds
Sun     7/18                Denver, CO                   Invesco Field
Tue      7/20                Milwaukee, WI              Marcus Amphitheater
Wed    7/21                St. Louis, MO                UMB Bank Pavilion
Thu      7/22                Indianapolis, IN             Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Fri       7/23                Cleveland, OH               Tower City Amphitheater
Sat      7/24                Chicago, IL                    Tweeter Center
Sun     7/25                Minneapolis, MN            Metrodome
Mon     7/26                Kansas City, KS           Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Wed    7/28                Atlanta, GA                    Hi-Fi Buys Amphitheater
Thu      7/29                Orlando, FL                   Central Florida Fairgrounds
Fri       7/30                Tampa, FL                     Vinoy Park
Sat      7/31                Miami, FL                       Pompano Beach Fairgrounds
Sun     8/1                   Jacksonville, FL            Jacksonville Fairgrounds
Mon     8/2                   Charlotte, NC               Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Tue      8/3                   Virginia Beach, VA      Verizon Wireless Amphitheater

 

 Please let us know if you’d like to interview the band, review the CD or need cover art. For more information, log onto: www.vandals.com or www.kungfurecords.com.

MSO:

 

Libby Henry 818-380-0400 ext 224             Lhenry@msopr.com

Kristine Ashton 818-380-0400 ext 233                 Kashton@msopr.com

 

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