Ugly Kid Joe is an American hard
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band from
Isla Vista, California, formed in 1989. The band's name spoofs the
glam metal
Glam metal (also known as hair metal or pop metal) is a subgenre of heavy metal that features pop-influenced hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat rock anthems, and slow power ballads. It borrows heavily from the fashion and image of 1970s glam ...
band
Pretty Boy Floyd's name.
To date, Ugly Kid Joe have released five full-length albums, two compilation albums and two EPs. Their best selling records are ''
As Ugly as They Wanna Be
''As Ugly as They Wanna Be'' is an EP by the American heavy metal band Ugly Kid Joe. It was released in 1991. The title of the album is a parody of 2 Live Crew's 1989 album '' As Nasty as They Wanna Be''.
''As Ugly as They Wanna Be'' is notabl ...
'' (1991) and ''
America's Least Wanted
''America's Least Wanted'' is the full-length debut album by American rock music, rock band Ugly Kid Joe, released in September 1992. The title is a parody of the famous phrase "America's Most Wanted". It is the band's only album to feature drumme ...
'' (1992), which were both certified double platinum by the
RIAA;
the former is notable for being the first EP to go platinum. The band broke up in 1997, but announced a reunion in 2010 and has ever since both reformed and recommenced activity.
History
Early history (1990–1991)
Childhood friends
Whitfield Crane
William Whitfield Crane IV (born January 19, 1968) is an American singer and founding member and lead vocalist of the rock band Ugly Kid Joe, which was formed in 1989. He has also worked in music outside his band, from performing guest vocals on ...
and Klaus Eichstadt took an interest in music while growing up in
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto (; Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto.
The city was es ...
. In 1989 James Lambert and Eichstadt joined Crane's band in Isla Vista, California, and the trio recorded a demo with another Palo Alto native, record producer
Eric Valentine
Eric Dodd, known professionally as Eric Valentine, is an American record producer who began his career as drummer and producer in the heavy metal band T-Ride.
He subsequently produced albums for artists such as Good Charlotte, Lostprophets, Tak ...
. After several band member changes, the band signed with
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it i ...
in 1991. By this time the ''
As Ugly as They Wanna Be
''As Ugly as They Wanna Be'' is an EP by the American heavy metal band Ugly Kid Joe. It was released in 1991. The title of the album is a parody of 2 Live Crew's 1989 album '' As Nasty as They Wanna Be''.
''As Ugly as They Wanna Be'' is notabl ...
'' line-up was formed; consisting of Crane, Eichstadt, Mark Davis, Roger Lahr, and Cordell Crockett.
Initially named Overdrive, then Suburban White Alcoholic Trash, the band got its name Ugly Kid Joe as a parody of L.A. glam band
Pretty Boy Floyd
Charles Arthur Floyd (February 3, 1904 – October 22, 1934), nicknamed Pretty Boy Floyd, was an American bank robber. He operated in the West and Central states, and his criminal exploits gained widespread press coverage in the 1930s. He was s ...
, initially for a one night show in Santa Barbara opening for Pretty Boy Floyd. Pretty Boy Floyd would pull out of the show and have the gig cancelled, but the band decided to keep the name.
The band became popular in the early 1990s, mixing satirical humor and
heavy metal. Its logo was a cartoon embodiment of an "ugly kid" wearing a backwards baseball hat and giving
the finger
In Western culture, "the finger", or the middle finger (as in giving someone the (middle) finger, the bird or flipping someone off) is an obscene hand gesture. The gesture communicates moderate to extreme contempt, and is roughly equivalent i ...
. Heavily influenced by
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...
, Ugly Kid Joe covered several of the veteran band's songs, including "
Sweet Leaf" and "
N.I.B." The group toured the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
several times, making its second tour in support of
Scatterbrain, and later opening for former Black Sabbath lead vocalist
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
.
The band released the EP ''As Ugly as They Wanna Be'' in October 1991, garnering success in 1992 with the single "
Everything About You", which peaked at No. 3 in the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
and made it into the Billboard Top 10. Later in the year, the song would be used in the movie ''
Wayne's World
"Wayne's World" was originally a recurring sketch from the NBC television series ''Saturday Night Live''. It evolved from a segment titled "Wayne's Power Minute" (1987) on the CBC Television series '' It's Only Rock & Roll'', as the main characte ...
''. ''As Ugly As They Wanna Be'' went on to sell over one million copies in the U.S. alone.
Commercial success (1992–1996)
The band spent two months in the studio to record ''
America's Least Wanted
''America's Least Wanted'' is the full-length debut album by American rock music, rock band Ugly Kid Joe, released in September 1992. The title is a parody of the famous phrase "America's Most Wanted". It is the band's only album to feature drumme ...
''. During the process, Roger Lahr left the band due to musical differences and was eventually replaced by
Sugartooth
Sugartooth is an alternative rock band that was formed in the early 1990s.
Timothy Michael Gruse (guitar), Josh Blum (bass), Dave Fortman (guitar) and Joey Castillo (drums) formed the group after meeting each other in the Southern California ba ...
guitarist
Dave Fortman
Dave Fortman (born July 11, 1967) is an American record producer and musician. He is the guitarist for rock band Ugly Kid Joe, and has worked with bands such as Superjoint Ritual, Snot, Atomship, Eyehategod, Mudvayne, Otep, Slipknot (on the ...
in April 1992.
Rob Halford of
Judas Priest was a guest vocalist on the song "Goddamn Devil". The band sped up the recording process for their album in order to get a spot as a supporting act for
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
's "No More Tears" tour. The band eventually landed a spot for the tour, only to have Crane fly back to L.A. several times to finish edits on the album. The album caused controversy with its cover, which features the band's mascot posing as the Statue of Liberty holding up the middle finger and holding a porno magazine in his hand instead of the hallowed Declaration. As some stores would not carry the album due to the cover image, the band decided to have an alternative cover made using the album's back photo, which featured the band's mascot chained and gagged.
''America's Least Wanted'' appeared on the U.S. charts at No. 27 having sold over 600,000 units upon release and was considered a favorite among fans and critics. One critic praised the album as, "A rock record you can play all day." The album achieved Gold status in both Canada and Australia, Silver status in the United Kingdom, and went Platinum in the U.S. A cover of
Harry Chapin
Harold Forster Chapin (; December 7, 1942 – July 16, 1981) was an American singer-songwriter, philanthropist, and hunger activist best known for his folk rock and pop rock songs. He achieved worldwide success in the 1970s. Chapin, a Grammy A ...
's "
Cat's in the Cradle
"Cat's in the Cradle" is a 1974 folk rock song by Harry Chapin from the album '' Verities & Balderdash''. The single topped the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in December 1974. As Chapin's only number-one song, it became the best known of his work a ...
" was subsequently released as a well-received single that sold over 500,000 copies in the United States alone and peaked at No. 7 in the UK Singles Chart.
After finishing up with Ozzy, they opened up for
Def Leppard
Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1976 in Sheffield. Since 1992, the band has consisted of Rick Savage (bass, backing vocals), Joe Elliott (lead vocals), Rick Allen (drums, backing vocals), Phil Collen (guitar, backing vocals), ...
on the European leg of their tour which was sold-out in 6 weeks. Ugly Kid Joe then made a stop at the 1992
MTV Video Music Award
The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video categor ...
s and thereafter spent 3 weeks playing sold-out shows in Australia and Japan. They became the Reader's Choice for Best New Artist voted by ''
Metal Edge
''Metal Edge'' was a magazine covering heavy metal music published by Zenbu Media. The magazine was founded in the summer of 1985, during the height of glam metal's success. Zenbu Media acquired ''Metal Edge'' in February 2007.
Both ''Metal Edg ...
'' and ''
Raw
Raw is an adjective usually describing:
* Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made
* Raw food, uncooked food
Raw or RAW may also refer to:
Computing and electronics
* .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
'' magazine. They also presented The Favorite Heavy Metal band award to
Metallica at the
American Music Award
The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show, generally held in the fall, created by Dick Clark in 1973 for ABC when the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired, and currently produced by Dick Clark Produ ...
s in 1993. The band would also get nominated for Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock New Artist but lost to
Pearl Jam.
After their tour in support of their 1992 album ''America's Least Wanted'', the band searched for a replacement drummer, as Mark Davis left to pursue a life away from the spotlight. The band tried out for new drummers, such as Bob Fernandez who only appeared on a cover of Black Sabbath's "
N.I.B." for the ''
Nativity in Black
''Nativity in Black: A Tribute to Black Sabbath'' are two Black Sabbath tribute albums, released in 1994 and 2000 respectively. The albums feature various heavy metal groups performing cover versions of Black Sabbath songs in tribute to the band.
...
'' Black Sabbath tribute album. He also showed up in Brazil with the band at the
Hollywood Rock
Hollywood Rock was a music festival which took place in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, from 1988 to 1996, featuring both Brazilian and international acts. The festival was sponsored and organised by the Souza Cruz tobacco company, owne ...
festival in 1994 as headliners along with
Aerosmith,
Poison, among others. After attending a
Souls at Zero
''Souls at Zero'' is the third studio album by the American avant-garde metal band Neurosis. It was released in 1992 by the Alternative Tentacles record label. It was reissued in 1999 with bonus tracks on the band's own Neurot Recordings label. ...
show in Colorado, Crane became immediately impressed with the band's drummer,
Shannon Larkin
James Shannon Larkin (born April 24, 1967) is an American musician, best known as the drummer of Rock music, rock band Godsmack. He replaced the previous drummer Tommy Stewart in June 2002. Prior to Godsmack, he was a member of Amen (American ba ...
. Crane later called up Larkin to join Ugly Kid Joe to which Larkin agreed. The band then wrote some new song material with Larkin and embarked on a short tour titled the "Excuse To Go Snowboarding Tour" with guests
Dog Eat Dog and
Goldfinger. Larkin's contributions led to a grittier sound for the second album ''
Menace to Sobriety'', released in the summer of 1995. The album was recorded in Palacio Del Rio in northern Santa Barbara.
The band embarked on a tour in support of the album. They did a snowboard tour, a small club tour, and later a stadium tour opening for
Bon Jovi and
Van Halen
Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead gu ...
. The band excluded "Everything About You" from their set list in order to show the fans that they stand tall on their recent material. At a show in Wembley Stadium in London, the band was joined on stage by Ozzy Osbourne's son,
Jack Osbourne
Jack Joseph Osbourne (born 8 November 1985) is an English media personality with dual American and British citizenship. The son of heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne, he starred on MTV's reality series '' The Osbournes'' (2002–2005), along w ...
before playing Sabbath's "N.I.B".
''
Menace to Sobriety'' received much praise from the press and fans, and
UK rock magazine ''
Kerrang!
''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...
'' ranked it as a contender for album of the year. Despite success overseas and a successful
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
an tour, the album was given little encouragement from
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it i ...
and subsequently failed in the United States.
After being dropped by Mercury, Ugly Kid Joe formed its own independent label, Evilution Records, for the release of the band's next album. With distribution support from
Castle Communications
Castle Communications, also known as Castle Music, was a British independent record label and home video distributor founded in 1983 by Terry Shand, Cliff Dane, and Jon Beecher. Its video imprint was called Castle Vision. The label's product ...
, ''
Motel California
''Motel California'' is the third album by the American rock band Ugly Kid Joe, and released on October 22, 1996. ''Motel California'' was the last full-length studio album until 2015. The group disbanded in January 1997 and reformed in 13 yea ...
'' was released in late 1996, and again the band toured Europe to smaller crowds. The tour was named "Late Check-out Tour", underlining the band's characteristic sense of humor. ''Motel California'', an album lead vocalist
Whitfield Crane
William Whitfield Crane IV (born January 19, 1968) is an American singer and founding member and lead vocalist of the rock band Ugly Kid Joe, which was formed in 1989. He has also worked in music outside his band, from performing guest vocals on ...
described as "heavy, funky, and has everything in it", initially received lukewarm reviews and sold poorly, though it has gained a minor cult following in recent times.
Break-up and aftermath (1997–2009)
Ugly Kid Joe disbanded in 1997. Drummer Shannon Larkin has been a member of
Godsmack
Godsmack is an American rock band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is composed of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Sully Erna, bassist Robbie Merrill, lead guitarist Tony Rombola and drummer Shannon Larkin. Since its form ...
since 2002, while lead vocalist Whitfield Crane took the then-vacant vocalist spot for New York City rock band
Life of Agony
Life of Agony is an American alternative metal band from Brooklyn, New York City, formed in 1989 by singer Mina Caputo (then known as Keith Caputo), bassist Alan Robert and guitarist Joey Z. The band has released six studio albums to date, mos ...
whose former singer
Keith Caputo
Mina Caputo (born Keith Caputo; December 4, 1973) is an American singer best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of New York City alternative metal band Life of Agony. Caputo came out as transgender in 2011 and transitioned to fem ...
had left the group in 1997. After his quick departure from Life of Agony, Crane collaborated with some
Soulfly
Soulfly is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1997, and later based out of Phoenix, Arizona. Soulfly is led by former Sepultura frontman Max Cavalera, who formed the band after he left the Brazilian group in 19 ...
members on a new project called
Medication
A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field and ...
(1999–2003) and Godsmack members on
Another Animal
Another Animal was a hard rock supergroup formed by members of Godsmack, Ugly Kid Joe, and Dropbox.
History
During the writing sessions of '' IV'' by Godsmack, lead singer Sully Erna encountered writer's block so Tony Rombola, Shannon Larki ...
(2006–2009).
In 2005, an unreleased video for "Bicycle Wheels" was made public onto the Ugly Kid Joe forum site (created in January 2004 by J.Goldman, aka DMJ). In 2007, an official Myspace page was made of the band, with old photographs of the band and other candid pictures along with promotional artwork and uploaded live footage and another unreleased music video for "Sandwich". Some of the other footage included footage of the band playing at the UC Santa Barbara campus before getting signed. Soon videos were appearing on YouTube by fans. Some even included live recordings of them in concert and television recordings. Meanwhile, the band's main page featured live tracks and rare songs including a demo of "C.U.S.T." and a few tracks from ''Motel California'' and ''Menace to Sobriety''.
Reunion (2010–present)
![Ugly Kid Joe](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Ugly_Kid_Joe.jpg)
Klaus Eichstadt stated in the December 2009 issue of the German edition of the music magazine ''
Metal Hammer
''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' features news, reviews and long-form ...
'', that the members of Ugly Kid Joe were planning to reunite in summer 2010, although did not specify whether their intent was to produce a new album or simply to perform together. However, rumors of a reunion were confirmed on their MySpace page on May 27, 2010. Their MySpace page also says that the reunion lineup will be the same as the last one before their breakup.
In July 2011, according to drummer
Shannon Larkin
James Shannon Larkin (born April 24, 1967) is an American musician, best known as the drummer of Rock music, rock band Godsmack. He replaced the previous drummer Tommy Stewart in June 2002. Prior to Godsmack, he was a member of Amen (American ba ...
, a new album has been completed. He revealed the album's status in an interview with California's
107.7 The Bone at the
Mayhem Festival
The Mayhem Festival was a touring heavy metal festival that took place during the summer. The inaugural season took place in 2008; the festival later became an annual event across the United States. Most years also included a single date in eit ...
, saying "It's a fun band – it's funny, you listen to the songs and it makes you laugh. Just a good-time rock band, y'know?"
On September 9, 2011, vocalist
Whitfield Crane
William Whitfield Crane IV (born January 19, 1968) is an American singer and founding member and lead vocalist of the rock band Ugly Kid Joe, which was formed in 1989. He has also worked in music outside his band, from performing guest vocals on ...
made an update on the band's official Facebook page stating he appeared
107.7 The Bone the day before and played a new track called "Love Ain't True" and stating that a 6 track EP and was mixed and finished. According to official website "also in the works is an
EPK
A press kit, often referred to as a media kit in business environments, is a pre-packaged set of promotional materials that provide information about a person, company, organization or cause and which is distributed to members of the media for pr ...
documenting the reunification and the latest recording sessions along with some rare old footage of interviews, behind the scenes stuff, and live performances".
The new EP, ''
Stairway to Hell'', was released digitally on June 5, 2012, while a physical version surfaced a month later, July 9. In order to promote the recording, Ugly Kid Joe played a series of festivals that summer, including
Sweden Rock in Sweden,
Download
In computer networks, download means to ''receive'' data from a remote system, typically a server such as a web server, an FTP server, an email server, or other similar system. This contrasts with uploading, where data is ''sent to'' a remote ...
in England,
Gods of Metal
Gods of Metal is the biggest Italian metal festival, held annually since 1997. It takes place in early summer, usually on the first or second weekend of June. It is most often held at venues in or near Milan, but took place in Bologna three tim ...
in Milan, Italy, and Belgrade Calling in Serbia. They were the main support act for
Guns N' Roses in Tel Aviv, Israel on July 3, 2012, and also for
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...
on his "Raise The Dead" tour in October 2012.
Ugly Kid Joe started a joint co-headlining European tour with
Skid Row
A skid row or skid road is an impoverished area, typically urban, in English-speaking North America whose inhabitants are mostly poor people " on the skids". This specifically refers to poor or homeless, considered disreputable, downtrodden or fo ...
in October 2013 kicking off the tour in Southampton, UK.
In February 2015, Ugly Kid Joe successfully used pledgemusic.com in a
crowdfunding effort to pay for the recording of their next album, to be titled ''
Uglier Than They Used ta Be
''Uglier Than They Used ta Be'' is the fourth album by the American rock band Ugly Kid Joe, released in Europe on September 18, 2015, and in North America on October 16.
On February 4, 2015, Ugly Kid Joe started a crowdfunding effort through ...
'', is the first full-length studio album since they break-up after the album was completed
in nearly 19 years, set to be released on October 16, 2015.
Ugly Kid Joe's first studio album in seven years, ''Rad Wings of Destiny'', released on October 21, 2022.
Musical style
Ugly Kid Joe is considered a
heavy metal band
Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With roots in blues rock, psychedelic rock and acid rock, heavy metal bands developed ...
, that is described as
pop metal
Pop metal (sometimes conflated with or used interchangeably with glam metal) is an umbrella term for commercial heavy metal and hard rock styles which feature prominent pop music elements such as catchy hooks and anthemic choruses. It became ...
,
alternative metal
Alternative metal (also known as alt-metal) is a genre of heavy metal music that combines heavy metal with influences from alternative rock and other genres not normally associated with metal. Alternative metal bands are often characterized by ...
,
hard rock,
grunge,
funk metal
Funk metal (also known as thrash-funk or punk-funk) is a subgenre of funk rock and alternative metal that infuses heavy metal music (often thrash metal) with elements of funk and punk rock. Funk metal was part of the alternative metal movement, ...
, and
comedy metal
Comedy rock is rock music that is comedic in nature. Oftentimes it is mixed with satire or irony.V. Bogdanov, C. Woodstra and S. T. Erlewine, ''All music guide to rock: the definitive guide to rock, pop, and soul'' (Backbeat Books, 3rd Edition. ...
.
Members
![EmS 2013 Ugly Kid Joe 05](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/EmS_2013_Ugly_Kid_Joe_05.jpg)
Current members
*
Whitfield Crane
William Whitfield Crane IV (born January 19, 1968) is an American singer and founding member and lead vocalist of the rock band Ugly Kid Joe, which was formed in 1989. He has also worked in music outside his band, from performing guest vocals on ...
– lead vocals
(1987–1997, 2010–present)
* Klaus Eichstadt – guitars, backing vocals
(1987–1997, 2010–present)
*
Cordell Crockett
Cordell Crockett (born January 21, 1965) is an American rock musician. Crockett is a multi-instrument artist known for playing bass guitar and singing backing vocals for the band Ugly Kid Joe from 1991 until they disbanded in 1997, and again s ...
– bass, backing vocals
(1991–1997, 2010–present)
*
Dave Fortman
Dave Fortman (born July 11, 1967) is an American record producer and musician. He is the guitarist for rock band Ugly Kid Joe, and has worked with bands such as Superjoint Ritual, Snot, Atomship, Eyehategod, Mudvayne, Otep, Slipknot (on the ...
– guitars, backing vocals
(1992–1997, 2010–present)
* Zac Morris – drums, percussion
(2021–present)
Former members
*Eric Phillips – guitars
(1987–1989)
*Roger Lahr – guitars, backing vocals
(1989–1992)
*Phil Hilgaertner – bass, backing vocals
(1987–1991)
*Jonathan Spaulding – drums
(1987–1989)
*Mark Davis – drums, percussion
(1989–1993)
*Bob Fernandez – drums, percussion
(1994)
*
Shannon Larkin
James Shannon Larkin (born April 24, 1967) is an American musician, best known as the drummer of Rock music, rock band Godsmack. He replaced the previous drummer Tommy Stewart in June 2002. Prior to Godsmack, he was a member of Amen (American ba ...
– drums, percussion
(1994–1997, 2010–2021)
Timeline
Guest musicians and members
*
Carrie Hamilton
Carrie Louise Hamilton (December 5, 1963 – January 20, 2002) was an American actress, playwright and singer. Hamilton was a daughter of comedian Carol Burnett and producer Joe Hamilton. She was also the older sister of Jody Hamilton, an ac ...
– piano on ''
As Ugly as They Wanna Be
''As Ugly as They Wanna Be'' is an EP by the American heavy metal band Ugly Kid Joe. It was released in 1991. The title of the album is a parody of 2 Live Crew's 1989 album '' As Nasty as They Wanna Be''.
''As Ugly as They Wanna Be'' is notabl ...
''
(1991 — "Everything About You")
*
Stephen Perkins
Stephen Andrew Perkins (September 13, 1967) is an American musician and songwriter. A drummer and percussionist, he currently plays with Jane's Addiction and Hellride.
Following the dissolution of Jane's Addiction, Perkins continued to play w ...
– percussion on ''
America's Least Wanted
''America's Least Wanted'' is the full-length debut album by American rock music, rock band Ugly Kid Joe, released in September 1992. The title is a parody of the famous phrase "America's Most Wanted". It is the band's only album to feature drumme ...
''
(1992 — multiple tracks)
*
Dean Pleasants
Dean Pleasants (born May 18, 1965) is an American guitarist. He has been the lead guitarist for Suicidal Tendencies since 1996,http://metalstorm.ee/bands/band.php?band_id=399&bandname=Suicidal%2BTendencies Metal Storm and is their longest-standi ...
– rhythm guitar on ''
America's Least Wanted
''America's Least Wanted'' is the full-length debut album by American rock music, rock band Ugly Kid Joe, released in September 1992. The title is a parody of the famous phrase "America's Most Wanted". It is the band's only album to feature drumme ...
''
(1992 — "Same Side")
*Jennifer Barry – backing vocals on ''
America's Least Wanted
''America's Least Wanted'' is the full-length debut album by American rock music, rock band Ugly Kid Joe, released in September 1992. The title is a parody of the famous phrase "America's Most Wanted". It is the band's only album to feature drumme ...
''
(1992 — multiple tracks), backing vocals on ''
Menace To Sobriety''
(1995 — multiple tracks), backing vocals on ''
Motel California
''Motel California'' is the third album by the American rock band Ugly Kid Joe, and released on October 22, 1996. ''Motel California'' was the last full-length studio album until 2015. The group disbanded in January 1997 and reformed in 13 yea ...
''
(1996 — "Would You Like To Be There")
*
Rob Halford – backing vocals on ''
America's Least Wanted
''America's Least Wanted'' is the full-length debut album by American rock music, rock band Ugly Kid Joe, released in September 1992. The title is a parody of the famous phrase "America's Most Wanted". It is the band's only album to feature drumme ...
''
(1992 — "Goddamn Devil")
*
Julia Sweeney
Julia Anne Sweeney (born October 10, 1959) is an American actress, comedian, and author, who gained fame as a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1990 to 1994. She played Mrs. Keeper in the film ''Stuart Little'' and voiced Brittany in ' ...
– additional vocals on ''
America's Least Wanted
''America's Least Wanted'' is the full-length debut album by American rock music, rock band Ugly Kid Joe, released in September 1992. The title is a parody of the famous phrase "America's Most Wanted". It is the band's only album to feature drumme ...
''
(1992 — "Goddamn Devil", "Everything About You")
*
Brad Divens
Brad Divens is an American rock musician. He was the bassist and lead vocalist for Souls at Zero, formerly known as Wrathchild America. His vocal style often draws comparisons to James Hetfield ( Metallica). Previously, Brad played guitar wit ...
– backing vocals on ''
Menace To Sobriety''
(1995 — multiple tracks)
*Tom Fletcher – backing vocals on ''
Menace To Sobriety''
(1995 — multiple tracks)
*
Lemmy – backing vocals on ''
Motel California
''Motel California'' is the third album by the American rock band Ugly Kid Joe, and released on October 22, 1996. ''Motel California'' was the last full-length studio album until 2015. The group disbanded in January 1997 and reformed in 13 yea ...
''
(1996 — "Little Red Man")
*
Angus Cooke – cello on ''
Motel California
''Motel California'' is the third album by the American rock band Ugly Kid Joe, and released on October 22, 1996. ''Motel California'' was the last full-length studio album until 2015. The group disbanded in January 1997 and reformed in 13 yea ...
''
(1996 — "Undertow")
*Tim Wheater – flute on ''
Motel California
''Motel California'' is the third album by the American rock band Ugly Kid Joe, and released on October 22, 1996. ''Motel California'' was the last full-length studio album until 2015. The group disbanded in January 1997 and reformed in 13 yea ...
''
(1996 — "12 Cents")
*
Angelo Moore
Angelo Carmen Christopher Moore (born November 5, 1965) is an American musician, best known for his work as lead singer and saxophonist for the Los Angeles ska and funk metal band Fishbone. Moore also performs and records under the stage name Dr ...
– saxophone on ''
Stairway to Hell''
(2012 — "Love Ain't True!")
*"Dirty" Walter A. Kibby II – trumpet on ''
Stairway to Hell''
(2012 — "Love Ain't True!")
*
Sonny Mayo
Sonny Mayo (born July 16, 1971) is an American guitarist.
Career
Mayo began playing in a thrash metal band called Silence in the late 1980s. Silence (John Mayes, Benjamin Gaither, Louie Denslow, Jason Robinson and Sonny), regularly sold out ...
– guitar
2012-2015, appears on Uglier Than They Used Ta Be
*Yael Benzaken – drums (live only)
(2012 Summer European Tour)
*Zac Morris – drums
2012-2021, appears on Uglier Than They Used Ta Be and Rad Wings of Destiny
*
Chris Catalyst
Chris Catalyst (born 11 February 1980) is a British rock singer-songwriter and musician, best known for his work with The Sisters of Mercy, Ugly Kid Joe, Ginger Wildheart, Terrorvision, The Professionals, Mariachi El Bronx, The Scaramanga Six ...
– guitar
(live in Europe 2016), bass
(live in Europe 2022)
*
Cameron Greenwood – drums
(live in Europe 2022)
*
Phil Campbell – guitar on ''
Uglier Than They Used ta Be
''Uglier Than They Used ta Be'' is the fourth album by the American rock band Ugly Kid Joe, released in Europe on September 18, 2015, and in North America on October 16.
On February 4, 2015, Ugly Kid Joe started a crowdfunding effort through ...
''
(2015 – "Under the Bottom", "My Old Man", "Ace of Spades")
Lineups
Discography
Studio albums
* ''
America's Least Wanted
''America's Least Wanted'' is the full-length debut album by American rock music, rock band Ugly Kid Joe, released in September 1992. The title is a parody of the famous phrase "America's Most Wanted". It is the band's only album to feature drumme ...
'' (1992)
* ''
Menace to Sobriety'' (1995)
* ''
Motel California
''Motel California'' is the third album by the American rock band Ugly Kid Joe, and released on October 22, 1996. ''Motel California'' was the last full-length studio album until 2015. The group disbanded in January 1997 and reformed in 13 yea ...
'' (1996)
* ''
Uglier Than They Used ta Be
''Uglier Than They Used ta Be'' is the fourth album by the American rock band Ugly Kid Joe, released in Europe on September 18, 2015, and in North America on October 16.
On February 4, 2015, Ugly Kid Joe started a crowdfunding effort through ...
'' (2015)
* ''
Rad Wings of Destiny
''Rad Wings of Destiny'' is the fifth album by the American rock band Ugly Kid Joe, released on October 21, 2022.
The title is a parody of the Judas Priest album, ''Sad Wings of Destiny''.
Critical reception
Tom Cornell of ''CGCM Rock Radio'' ...
'' (2022)
See also
*
List of alternative metal artists
This is a list of alternative metal artists. Alternative metal (or alt-metal) is a style of heavy metal and alternative rock.
Alternative metal usually takes elements of heavy metal with influences from genres like alternative rock and other ...
*
List of funk metal and funk rock bands
References
External links
Official Ugly Kid Joe website*
{{Authority control
1987 establishments in California
American alternative metal musical groups
American funk metal musical groups
Grunge musical groups
Comedy rock musical groups
Hard rock musical groups from California
Heavy metal musical groups from California
Mercury Records artists
Musical groups established in 1987
Musical groups disestablished in 1997
Musical groups reestablished in 2010
Musical quintets
People from Isla Vista, California