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The Aquabats

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The Aquabats
File:AquabatsLogo.gif
Background information
Years active1994–present
MembersThe MC Bat Commander
Crash McLarson
Jimmy The Robot
Ricky Fitness
Eagle "Bones" Falconhawk

The Aquabats are a band from Southern California known for their humorous lyrics and outrageous live shows, during which the band is often attacked by supervillains onstage. Their early releases were heavily rooted in ska music in its Third Wave form, with touches of surf and punk in a madcap blend. The band's later albums have moved far beyond their ska roots and have branched into many musical genres, including a large electronic influence. Their current sound, as heard in their new album Charge!! blends upbeat rock and roll, New Wave-type pop-punk, and ska/rocksteady with synth replacing their horn section. Notable influences upon The Aquabats are Supernova, The Toy Dolls, Devo, Oingo Boingo, Madness, Surf Punks, Peter Tosh, and The Skatalites.

Band members

The members of the band are not commonly known by their true names, instead they go by superhero pseudonyms. They wear superhero outfits on stage. Anti-negativity helmets, rash guards, and power belts designed by Paul Frank generally make up these costumes. The current members of the band, and the instruments they play are:

In previous years, the band was sometimes aided by Professor Monty Corndog (often referred to simply as "The Professor" or "professor"), the man who supposedly gave the band their superpowers.

The Aquabats member history

1995-1997
1997-1999
1999-2002
2002
2003-2005
2006-

Band mythology

The Aquabats have an extensive backstory concerning their origin. According to the story, the band used to live on an idyllic island known as "Aquabania", surfing all day and eating food all night. However, when Aquabania was attacked by the powerful villain Space Monster 'M', the group was forced to flee their home and take to the ocean in a hollowed-out log. They finally landed in California, where they were taken in by the kind Professor, who proceeded to use chemicals to give the band their powers. But then, Space Monster 'M' placed a bounty on the heads of The Aquabats attracting various villains and monsters from all over the earth and space. The band decided to use their musical powers to take over the world (for good) and defeat Space Monster 'M'. To this day, the band continues to be attacked by various villains and ne'er-do-wells, some of which are listed below:

The band has a number of super hero allies, that are present in the band mythology. Some of whom appear onstage to help the Aquabats.

  • The Pigbat
  • Professor Monty Corndog
  • Sea Ghost
  • Magic Chicken
  • The Wrestling Roadies
  • Bad Credit
  • Digital Unicorn
  • Planet V
  • Danger Woman

The band is often attacked in between songs during their shows by various monsters, whom they usually dispatch in a timely matter.

The Aquabats Cadet Faction

The band is supported by a fiercely loyal fan club, The Aquabats Cadet Faction, in which its members are commonly known as Aquacadets. Every year or so, the band holds a special Cadet-only show known as the Aquacadet Summit. This is usually held in a secret location revealed only to the Cadets. However, Summits usually take place in the Southern California area. The last Aquacadet Summit was held on July 22, 2006 in San Diego, California. The Cadets also maintain a message board community on the official Aquabats website, [1]; as well as its own fan site, [2].

Aquabats gear

The Aquabats wear a uniform while playing shows. The uniform consists of an Anti-Negativity Helmet (made of neoprene), mask (also made of neoprene), power belt (made by Paul Frank out of vinyl), and a rash guard. The mask is worn with the black side out, and those seen wearing it with the blue side out are often referred to as noobs by long-time fans. The rash guard has changed multiple times over The Aquabats' many years as a band. They currently wear the light blue rash guards seen on the cover of Charge!! The most complex rash guards were those made for The Aquabats vs. the Floating Eye of Death! The mask and (black) Anti-Negativity helmet are usually sold at shows and are easily obtainable. The rash guards are harder to acquire, but can now be bought from their online shop as well as at live shows, while the power belt is not sold any longer. While The Aquabats' uniforms have included many colored rashguards as well as silver Anti-Negativity Helmets, the fans are only offered black rashguards and helmets. In the past, silver helmets were sold at a few shows in California.

Brandon Bird has worked on costume design for The Aquabats in the past. He also was commissioned to create an Aquabats coloring book.

Discography

The Aquabats signed to Nitro Records in 2004. Tracks from the new album were performed at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, as well as at shows in Arizona. Official track listings, album art, release dates, and the album title were announced April 1st (April Fool's Day) on the official web site, along with a free download of a new song, "Fashion Zombies!".

A new album is in the mix for The Aquabats as of the news on their website from September 05, 2006! There is also talk in the news of Jimmy the Robot playing saxaphone on the new album. Release date and name of the album is yet to be released.

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