Artist description Severe, dynamic brutal rock

Music Style Heavy Rock

Similar Artists Melvins, Tool, Helmet, Jesus Lizard,Today Is The Day

Artist History At a time when more and more bands are signing to major labels, let alone letting corporations sponsor their tours, Spite have been bringing their music to the kids with the old "DYI" approach. And damn if it hasn’t turned out great for them. Between the release of their debut album, 'Heavy Whipping Cream' and their incessant touring, Spite have scored loads of fans and press recognition. And with the release of Bastard Complex things are only looking even better. It all goes like this: Lead singer Chris Boone and his Spite band mates have a simple philosophy: give it 110 percent at every show, because you never know who might be watching. The Charlotte, N.C. based hard-core rockers - Boone, guitarist Craig Baker, drummer Byron McDonald and bassist Josh Pratt - credit that philosophy for winning them an ardent following throughout the Southeast, a recording deal with Prosthetic Records and the jarring, Bastard Complex. Formed in July 1996, Spite quickly carved a niche in the hard-core scene with its bare-bones sound, dynamic live performances and breathy lyrical tirades. That wicked combination won over an influential fan at one particular show. "We were playing a Mid-Atlantic Sound, Surf & Skate symposium down in Wilmington (N.C.) last summer (1997)," Boone says, "and a rep from Atlantic came to our show - we had the house packed, and we killed it live. He loved us and he told a bunch of people about us. It took like six months, like in December, and all of a sudden people were calling us. "If there's one person there in the audience, you don't know who that person could be. I don't care if you're out in the middle of a cornfield in Iowa and singing through a shoe box, you better do a good job because you never know who's listening. We love what we do; there's no doubt when we step on-stage what's going to go down. I can't imagine myself doing anything else but this." Spite entertained several offers from record companies, choosing Prosthetic for its commitment to developing bands. Prosthetic has gotten its money's worth with Bastard Complex, a slice of raw and tuneful intensity, from the sociopolitical outrage of "For What," the soul-bearing "Beautiful" and "Typical" to the spacey "Thin and Getting Thinner." "A majority of the songs are introspective of society as a whole through my eyes, a lot of different aspects," Boone says. "Like we talk about the porn industry (on 'Calipornia'), about what's wrong with certain points of America. The album title, 'Bastard Complex,' reflects this country, which is like a bastard child. There's no leading hand for this country; this country is gone, it's running amok. We've lost our touch with humanity. This nation is bent on greed and everybody looks out for No. 1. When I was writing this, those thoughts were kind of in my head." Boone is so adamant, he has cut himself from mainstream media. "I don't read the paper, I don't watch television, I don't listen to radio," he says. "I have no computer, I have no access to the Internet. I know that sounds bad, but I've totally put myself apart from the information age. I want no part of it. I hear what's going on, bits and pieces; every once in a while I'll pick up a Time magazine. Still, so many things about what's going on bother me. I just had to let it out." Spite is labeled hard-core for the lack of a better term. Its sound is heavy, more accessible and listener-friendly, like Rage Against the Machine and KoRn. "I think it's dynamic music," Boone says. "We're definitely in that genre of what they call 'new metal'. But I think it's hard to put a finger on what our sound is. It has tons of integrity. There's no preconceived idea, you know, 'Hey, let's write a song like this.' It's all from the heart; we all write the music together. Our music is heavy, and this is how it is. There's no formula we follow." Spite enlisted hot-handed producer Machine (Pitchshifter, White Zombie) to translate its sonic touch in his appropriately named New Jersey studio The Machine Shop. "He's young and he knows what he's doing," Boone says. "Everybody is on him. Like when we were there, it seemed like every label in the world had called him. We feel fortunate that we got him; I can't think of anybody who could've done it any better." After listening to Bastard Complex you will probably be inclined to agree.

Group Members Chris Boone - vocalsCraig Baker - guitarsJosh Pratt - bassByron McDonald - drums

Albums Bastard Complex

Location Los Angeles, CA - USA

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