Daddies' pilgrimage now an Odyssey.Byline: Lewis Taylor The Register-Guard The way Steve Perry The name Steve Perry might refer to any of the following:
"It seems like things are not rocking right now, and there's a need for it," says Perry, the frontman front·man n. 1. also front man A man who serves as a nominal leader but who lacks real authority. 2. Music A leading singer with a group. for White Hot Odyssey White Hot Odyssey is an American band created in 2002, headed by Steve Perry, lead singer of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies along with the Daddies' guitarist Jason Moss and Eugene, Oregon musicians Mark Rogers, Ed Cole and Jivan Valpey. . Rock, in this case, means glitzy glitz Informal n. Ostentatious showiness; flashiness: "a garish barrage of show-biz glitz" Peter G. Davis. tr.v. glam rock and greasy '70s rock performed by men in feather boas and tight leather pants. A mix of machismo machismo Exaggerated pride in masculinity, perceived as power, often coupled with a minimal sense of responsibility and disregard of consequences. In machismo there is supreme valuation of characteristics culturally associated with the masculine and a denigration of and fruitiness, the lyrics are dirty and the song titles are sexually suggestive. Perry is the first to admit that it's not for everyone. "It's not something you would want your mom She goes to the gym. to listen to," Perry says. "This wasn't made (thinking) we're going to please everybody; this was made thinking we're going to displease dis·please v. dis·pleased, dis·pleas·ing, dis·pleas·es v.tr. To cause annoyance or vexation to. v.intr. To cause annoyance or displeasure. 50 percent of the people and to hell with 50 percent of the people out there." White Hot Odyssey has played several times in Eugene and Portland under the name Vagiant U.K.. But this month, the band is celebrating a coming out of sorts with several shows scheduled for Eugene and Portland. With a new name and a slightly new sound - less "Weezer pop" and more "big dumb rock," Perry says - the group headlined the WOW Hall earlier this month. It will play the Crystal Ballroom Crystal Ballroom is a name associated with numerous buildings and ballrooms worldwide, including:
Parental guidance advised Perry had hoped to pair the August shows with the release of White Hot's new CD, but the record label delayed the unveiling. The album is due out on the Sony-BMG subsidiary, Jive Records This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Alone, primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of this article are not sufficient for an accurate encyclopedia article. , this fall or winter. With songs such as "Ride the Snake," "Lick the Pole" and `3 in Bed," it's safe to say this CD won't make it onto Federal Communications Commission Federal Communications Commission (FCC), independent executive agency of the U.S. government established in 1934 to regulate interstate and foreign communications in the public interest. Chairman Michael Powell's iPod. In the wake of the Janet Jackson Super Bowl fiasco and the Howard Stern radio flap, the label actually expressed some concerns to Perry about the album's contents. "It doesn't pander To pimp; to cater to the gratification of the lust of another. To entice or procure a person, by promises, threats, Fraud, or deception to enter any place in which prostitution is practiced for the purpose of prostitution. ," Perry says. "I like (the band) the Darkness, but I feel like what they chose for the singles was totally pandering. `It's just like Chinese food; it just goes right through you. It could be more hard-hitting and more rocking, but instead they picked these poppy singles. `If you're going to be rock, be rock. Let it all hang out." Instead of pandering, Perry suggests picking a nasty song that might offend some listeners and putting it on the radio. A song such as, say, White Hot Odyssey's "Head Cheerleader," a testosterone-soaked prowl through the high school locker bay that wouldn't sound out of place on the "Dazed daze tr.v. dazed, daz·ing, daz·es 1. To stun, as with a heavy blow or shock; stupefy. 2. To dazzle, as with strong light. n. A stunned or bewildered condition. and Confused" movie soundtrack. The lead track on the album would make the surviving members of Foreigner proud, and "Ride the Snake" (sample lyric: "I need you so bad/ My serpent has fled his cage') recalls Spinal Tap's "Big Bottom." With comparisons ranging from Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, that gained popularity in the late 1970s. The band consists of Robin Zander (vocals, guitar), Rick Nielsen (guitar, vocals), Tom Petersson (bass guitar, vocals), and Bun E. Carlos (drums, percussion). to the Dead Boys to AC/DC AC/DC adj. Slang Having a bisexual orientation. [From the likening of a bisexual person to an appliance that works on either alternating or direct current. , White Hot Odyssey is one strange animal. But based on the number of modern rock bands with strong 1970s influences being played on the radio these days, Perry may be onto something. With Jet, the Darkness and other retro-modern rockers earning lots of attention, White Hot Odyssey probably sounded like just the thing when Perry brought a demo CD to Jive Records (the home of Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake). Soon, the band signed a deal to make a full-length album. `They said this sounds like '74 Camaro rock; this is really cool,' ' Perry recalls. Cherries on the side Perry, also the frontman for the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, brought out his newest band in early 2003. Then known as Vagiant, the band began as a side project for everyone involved. The group is Perry, the main songwriter and singer; Jivan Valpey (drums); Ed Cole (bass); Mark Rogers (guitar); and Jason Moss (guitar). Vagiant played its first show in early 2003, then changed its name to Vagiant U.K. (Believe it or not, there already was a band named Vagiant.) The group only became serious, Perry says, when a major record label became interested. After signing the deal, the group was urged to change its name to White Hot Odyssey to avoid legal complications. "It (the name White Hot Odyssey) just sounded stupid," Perry says. "We wanted something that was kind of dumb ass. There's definitely a dumb ass component to this music. `We're trying to walk this kind of line where it's not too tongue in cheek like Tenacious D," the comic rock duo fronted by actor Jack Black. White Hot Odyssey recorded its new CD at Gung-Ho Studios last summer. Studio owner Bill Barnett engineered the album, Perry produced it and Jive handled the final mastering. When Perry is not getting glammed up for White Hot Odyssey, he can be found with a book in his hand (he recently earned a degree in molecular biology molecular biology, scientific study of the molecular basis of life processes, including cellular respiration, excretion, and reproduction. The term molecular biology was coined in 1938 by Warren Weaver, then director of the natural sciences program at the Rockefeller from the University of Oregon The University of Oregon is a public university located in Eugene, Oregon. The university was founded in 1876, graduating its first class two years later. The University of Oregon is one of 60 members of the Association of American Universities. , and he plans to attend graduate school) or playing with the Daddies. The once nationally famous band has morphed into a comfortable side project for Perry and the other musicians involved. "We enjoy playing together," Perry says. "These guys are really great players, and everybody's gotten better since we stopped playing often. And it's still fun, that's the bottom line." Perry, 40, owns a house in Eugene, and is an avid golfer and car collector. He hopes to someday start a second career as a biology researcher. For now, he's just happy to bring the rock. "I do think that rock 'n' roll rock 'n' roll: see rock music. is gonna come back for sure,' Perry says. `It has come back a little bit, but I think it might come back to really rule the Earth. `People need freedom right now, a feeling of freedom, and I think music can kind of lead the way in that respect. I don't need freedom in the sense of like Janis Ian and Bruce Springsteen. `I'm talking about a more primal ... freedom." Lewis Taylor can be reached at 338-2512 or ltaylor@guardnet.com. WHITE HOT ODYSSEY Live: White Hot Odyssey will be opening for the Cherry Poppin' Daddies at 9 p.m. Aug. 28 at the McDonald Theatre, 1010 Willamette St.; tickets are $5 Listen: To hear White Hot Odyssey, go to www.whitehotodyssey.com CAPTION(S): White Hot Odyssey, the new side project from Eugene's Cherry Poppin' Daddies, is (clockwise from left) Jason Moss, Mark Rogers, Ed Cole, Jivan Valpey and Steve Perry. "This wasn't made (thinking) we're going to please everybody; this was made thinking we're going to displease 50 percent of the people and to hell with 50 percent of the people out there."- STEVE PERRY, WHITE HOT ODYSSEY Kevin Clark / The Register-Guard White Hot Odyssey (from left): Jason Moss, Mark Rogers, Jivan Valpey, Ed Cole, Steve Perry. |
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