NASHVILLE |FROM: KRISTINE ASHTON/MAGGIE WANG/MITCH SCHNEIDER
POWERMAN 5000: Spider One announces first signing to his
Dreamworks-distributed Megatronic Records;
Debut CD by Boston hard rockers Halfcocked slated for release May 22;
Powerman 5000 DVD/home video “Backstage And Beyond The Infinite” due in
stores February 27;
Powerman 5000 currently in the studio with producer
Terry Date
Propelled by the momentum of their platinum second CD Tonight the Stars Revolt! (DreamWorks), Powerman 5000 and their charismatic frontman SPIDER ONE are ready to make their mark on 2001.
SPIDER ONE recently announced the signing of co-ed Boston hard rockers Halfcocked to his DreamWorks-distributed Megatronic Records, with the band’s major label debut (produced by Ulrich Wild) slated for a May 22 release. Meanwhile, the members of Powerman 5000—SPIDER ONE, bassist DORIAN 27, guitarists ADAM 12 and M.33 and drummer AL 3–are currently in Los Angeles completing their third CD and first to be produced by Terry Date (Soundgarden, Deftones, Pantera). The much-anticipated disc is due in stores July 17 on DreamWorks Records. To tide fans over until then, the band will release a truly special debut DVD/home video on February 27 titled Backstage and Beyond the Infinite.
According to SPIDER ONE, Megatronic Records will discover and cultivate deserving new acts. “The philosophy behind my label is simple: find great bands who make great music, and give them the opportunity to be heard.” SPIDER further explains what will make Megatronic special. “The unique thing about Megatronic is that it’s a label run from the artist’s perspective. I spend nine months of the year on a tour bus–I know what’s important to a band.”
SPIDER signed Halfcocked after hearing their sophomore CD on Beantown-based Curve of the Earth Records–the same indie label that discovered PM5K. “I was completely shocked and blown away by how good they had gotten and how much they had improved,” SPIDER says of Halfcocked and their independently produced Occupation: Rock Star. “It sort of paralleled what I thought Powerman was able to do from our first record to our second when we took this huge jump. So when I saw another band do that…I was compelled to find out a little more about them.”
SPIDER is playing a significant role in the release of Halfcocked’s Megatronic debut. Punky and heavy, the album contains spiky sentiments matched with muscular playing on songs such as “All By Myself,” “Thanks For The Ride,” “Devil Shoes,” “Touchdown” and the first single “I Lied,” for which SPIDER will direct a video in late March. He describes his relationship with the band and record-making process by saying: “For a certain amount of time, I almost felt like I was in the band, being in the studio everyday when they were making the record, being at every photo shoot and having a lot of band meetings. I think in the long run, this helped the band and I have trust in each other.”
In related POWERMAN 5000 news, the band’s premiere DVD/home video–a visual companion to Tonight the Stars Revolt!–charts PM5K‘s ascent from the clubs of Boston to global notoriety and platinum success. BACKSTAGE… features five music videos, including “When Worlds Collide,” “Nobody’s Real” and “Supernova Goes Pop,” from Tonight The Stars Revolt!, and “Tokyo Vigilante #1” and “Organized,” from 1997’s Mega!! Kung Fu Radio. Also included: never-before-seen backstage clips and insightful footage of Powerman 5000 on tour and in the studio, plus live performances and television appearances. Approximate running time is 60 minutes, with the DVD version offering special features like a photo gallery, biography, discography, web links, interactive menus and sound rendered in digitally mastered 2.0 stereo and 5.1 surround. “It’s a real show of our humble beginnings,” says SPIDER. “Putting all this footage together made me think of when we played for four people in small clubs back in 1990, performing at stadiums on last year’s [Summer Sanitarium] tour with Metallica and all the stops in between.” As an added bonus, Backstage And Beyond The Infinite showcases amateur videos submitted by diehard fans per the band’s website request. Collected under the heading Tonight The Fans Revolt!, these visual vignettes run the emotional gamut from amusing to disturbing. “They were sort of frightening and really touching at the same time,” says SPIDER. The singer says fan’s videos can be divided into three categories: the lip-synch opus, the loner-talking-to-the-camera endeavor and the let’s-put-on-a-show-with-Barbie-dolls extravaganza. “We’ve got some very creative fans,” SPIDER enthuses.
Backstage And Beyond the Infinite arrives in the platinum wake of PM5K‘s acclaimed 1999 DreamWorks Records CD Tonight The Stars Revolt!. The CD yielded two modern rock hit singles: “When World’s Collide” and “Nobody’s Real” (the latter tune was also featured on the million-selling “End of Days” soundtrack). The band toured relentlessly in support of the disc, including their headlining “Rockets & Robots 2000 Tour” and the “Summer Sanitarium Tour” with Metallica, Korn and Kid Rock. This success has been acknowledged by the upcoming 2001 Boston Music Awards, which has bestowed four nominations (“Act Of The Year,” “Rock Band,” “Male Vocalist Of The Year” and “Video Of The Year”) on the band. The awards will be announced April 19.
“2001 is a pivotal year for the band,” SPIDER notes. “It’s the year we decide where to take ourselves next, and that’s a really exciting place to be at this moment.”
For more news about POWERMAN 5000, visit their website at www.powerman5000.com.
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