9.11.00
Were you to ask random audience members to describe the members of Slaves On Dope, perhaps it would have gone something like this:
Rob: The “shy, quiet” one.
Frank: The “smooth” one.
Jason: The “bald, mean” one.
Kevin: The “hot” one.
Get to know the guys in real life, however, and the story would be a little different:
Rob is single and looks to be quite the player. Frank – “Isn’t he dating a hot, porn star?” Hmm. Jason is always sweet, polite, introspective, seems like he could even be a bit of a loner at times. And Kevin? Okay, he’s still the “hot” one.
They say you can’t always believe what you see, what you hear, or even what you read. However, in the case of a Slaves On Dope show, what you get is 100% live. The Canadian-born foursome had been tearing it up on a nightly basis throughout the club scene in Hollywood, CA before Sharon Osbourne was tipped off about their collective spark, and signed them to Divine Recordings. After that, the fairytale courtship between Slaves On Dope and the newborn label became a full-fledged romance. The boys were swept off their feet, and under the wing of the mastermind behind the Daddy of all heavy music festival shows, Ozzfest.
What was to follow was a dream come true for four of the hardest working, most charming musicians we at UnEarthed.com have ever had the pleasure of supporting since day one. Yeah, you heard that right! We didn’t just hop on this bandwagon yesterday once we heard they got signed like some other music ‘zines might do; we watched these guys grow into the greatness they are now. We can’t wait to see them get bigger!
“This is probably the most surreal experience ever. Playing with all these bands, it’s like, you have to pinch yourself every once in a while”, Kevin Jardine reflected. “It’s amazing what’s happening to us. It’s so much fun, but its work, and you ask yourself like ‘If I’m working, and I’m promoting our album, why is it so much damn fun?’ It’s crazy, you know.”
We only wish we could be in your shoes, Kevin.
We were lucky enough, however, to have been amongst over 50,000 fans that witnessed the spectacular Ozzfest show this year. Without any predisposed judgments, Slaves On Dope were one of the very best bands on the bill, and definitely the audiences’ favorite newcomers. We saw tons of excited fans throughout the day on both shows, asking for autographs and congratulating the band on their killer performances.
Kevin told us, “When you see that little 14 year-old girl that tells you that you were the best band on the bill, and they want to buy every single thing with your name on it, and totally support the band, that’s like, I just want to shake her hand and thank her, and hug her. That is so endearing to us.”
“Without that, there would be no us,” added Frank.
“We wanted to thank all the fans in Hollywood for supporting us right out of the gate.” Kevin said, “Especially the bands, and the people at the clubs. It happened so fast; I mean we never expected this at all, yet it’s what we’ve always wanted to do. I’ll never forget the people at the local clubs, and the magazines, and just all the fans in L.A. We can’t thank them all enough, really.”
Because Slaves on Dope made California their second home, we wanted to be sure to catch up with Slaves for both the Northern California and Southern California shows before they headed back out on their next stints with hed(pe).
We were able to hang out with the guys during their autograph signing, chatted with them in their RV, met and talked to some of their friends in the other bands who were hanging around backstage, checked out Ozzy’s awesome set, and watched them jam with some of their tour mates Kittie, Soulfly, and even the almighty Pantera.
“With Kittie, it was a totally different feel to play with them. They are actually a really tight band, Kevin enthused. “Fallon actually asked me to do it first, she said she wanted to play with Slaves On Dope, and then I ended up playing on Brackish. We just practiced on the bus, and got up and just jammed.”
Slaves On Dope are having the time of their lives in support of their upcoming debut CD “Inches From the Mainline” due out on October 3. You can get even more information on the band at www.slavesondope.com. Be sure and get your copy of the CD, and catch Slaves On Dope when they come to your city! We wish them all the success in the world!
Slaves On Dope Quick Quotes:
Music you like that would shock us:
Country – Rob
Ricky Martin’s “La Vida Loca” – Kevin
Britney Spears – Frank
Shania Twain – Kevin
Who said “Do I have ‘Fuck Me’ written on my forehead on the forthcoming, ‘Inches From The Mainline’ CD?
Kelly, Ozzy’s daughter, after her brother Jack pissed her off.
Wierdest thing you’ve had to autograph:
Other band’s posters, Air freshener – Rob
Would you pose for Playgirl?
“If Playgirl called me, I’d go.” – Kevin
First record you ever bought:
Judas Priest – Kevin
Who are you still nervous around?
Mike Patton, Zakk Wylde – Jason
Which city has the best strip bars:
West Palm Beach, Florida and Montreal – Kevin
Vinnie Paul’s Club! – Frank
Dream gig/venue:
The Montreal Forum – Kevin
RockFest – Rob
Dream Magazine Cover:
Alternative Press – Kevin
Harley Davidson – Rob
Lesa Pence
– lesa@unearthed.com
