Joe Escalante
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| Joe Escalante, Esq. | |
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| Born | January 30, 1963 Long Beach, California |
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| Occupation | Bassist, Record label owner, Film director, Music video director, Radio show host, former Entertainment lawyer, former Television executive |
| Website www.joeescalante.com |
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Joseph Patrick "Joe" Escalante, Esq. (born January 30, 1963) is an American musician, record label owner, radio host, film and music video director, and amateur matador, as well as a former television executive and entertainment lawyer. He is best known as the bassist for southern California punk rock band the Vandals, the owner of their record label Kung Fu Records, and the host of "The Last of the Famous International Morning Shows" on Los Angeles/Orange County radio station Indie 103.1 FM.
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[edit] Biography
Escalante was born in Long Beach, California to a Mexican father and Irish mother and grew up in Rossmoor, California, an unincorporated area of Orange County. As a teenager he learned to play drums and began performing in local garage bands.
[edit] Education
After graduating from Los Alamitos High School in Orange County, Escalante received his B.A. from UCLA where he specialized in Old Norse.[citation needed] After doing graduate work at the University of Iceland in Reykjavík, he entered Loyola Law School in Los Angeles and received his Juris Doctor, specializing in anti-trust litigation.[citation needed]
[edit] Career with The Vandals
In 1980, at age 17, Escalante joined the punk rock band The Vandals, becoming their first permanent drummer. He would remain the sole constant member of the band throughout the rest of their career. They released their debut EP Peace Thru Vandalism in 1982 through Epitaph Records. In 1984 Escalante and the other band members appeared in the Penelope Spheeris film Suburbia and released their first album When in Rome Do as the Vandals. In 1987 they appeared in another Spheeris film, Dudes. By 1989 Escalante had moved from the drums into the bass guitar position, and fluctuations in the band's membership had left him as the only member remaining from the original recording lineup. In order to continue the band, he and vocalist Dave Quackenbush set about finding new members, recruiting guitarist Warren Fitzgerald and drummer Josh Freese. In 1990 this lineup released the album Fear of a Punk Planet, establishing themselves amongst an emerging new crop of southern California punk rock bands. This lineup would remain consistent throughout the rest of the band's career and would release numerous albums, tour the world extensively, and form their own record label.
[edit] Television career
After graduating law school in 1992, Escalante worked as a talent and program negotiator in the department of business affairs for the CBS Television Network. He used money from his job to finance the Vandals and his television connections to allow them to play on late-night rock shows. He hosted a number of music programs during his time with the network and negotiated contracts with acting talent. After four years he left CBS to tour full time with the Vandals and operate his record label Kung Fu Records.
[edit] Marriage
Escalante married in 1996. His wife, Sandra Escalante, appeared briefly in the 2005 film Cake Boy which he directed (she appears as a member of the counseling group). The two now live together in Culver City, California.
[edit] Kung Fu Records and legal practice
In 1995 the Vandals signed a record deal with Nitro Records and released the album Live Fast, Diarrhea. The album brought increased attention to the band and Escalante toured with them internationally. He directed their music video for "I Have a Date," and would continue to direct the band's videos throughout the rest of their career. The band released 3 more albums on Nitro over the next 5 years, with Escalante participating on all of them.
In 1996 Escalante and Warren Fitzgerald started the record label Kung Fu Records, initially in order to release a debut album by the band Assorted Jelly Beans. Escalante named the label after his study of Kung Fu San Soo. Over the next several years Escalante took over operations of the label, signing acts such as the Ataris, Ozma, and Tsunami Bomb, as well as re-releasing some of the Vandals' more obscure records. He funded the label by opening a law practice and using his industry contacts to build a roster of music clients. Kung Fu grew in size, establishing contracts with other American lables to distribute and promote their releases in Europe and Japan. In 2000 The Vandals moved their operations fully from Nitro to Kung Fu.
[edit] Directing and producing
Using his experience in the television industry, Escalante formed Kung Fu Films (an offshoot of the record label) in 2000, and produced and starred in the independent film That Darn Punk. He also continued to produce and direct music videos for the Vandals and for other acts on the Kung Fu label. In 2002 he launched the DVD live concert series The Show Must Go Off! He directed the independent film Cake Boy in 2005 and is presently in pre-production to direct a documentary of the band Social Distortion.
[edit] Bullfighting
In the late 1990s Escalante took an interest in the sport of bullfighting, taking lessons in Mexico and performing as an amateur. This led to matador-themed artwork on the Vandals' 2000 album Look What I Almost Stepped In.... Escalante continues to take lessons and participate in the sport and is considered an amateur toreador.[citation needed]
[edit] Legal controversies
In 2003 ex-Vandals members Steven Jensen, Jan Nils Ackermann, Chalmer Lumary, and Steve Pfauter initiated legal actions against Escalante, alleging that he had mismanaged the band's back catalogue and had withheld royalties that were owed them. Jensen and Ackermann asserted that most of the songs on Peace Thru Vandalism, which had since been reissued with the credit "all songs by Joe Escalante," had been written before he joined the group.[1] Escalante stated that Epitaph Records had relinquished the copyrights and master tapes to him, and that the older members had relinquished control of the band's name and rights in exchange for permission to play an "original Vandals" reunion show. The others, however, denied that this agreement took place. They claimed that Escalante had misappropriated their intellectual property and had not paid them royalties due from the licensing of several early Vandals songs for use in commercials and films, in which the songs had been credited only to Escalante.[2][3][4][5] Lawsuits ensued, resulting in an undisclosed settlement which allowed Escalante to continue licensing the band's back catalogue. A subsequent licensing of the song "Urban Struggle" for the movie Jackass Number Two credited the group as a whole.[6] Legal processes regarding the issue, however, are ongoing.
[edit] Sweet and Tender Hooligans
In 2004 Escalante joined the Sweet and Tender Hooligans, a Smiths/Morrissey tribute band composed primarily of Latino members. In 2006 he traveled with them to the United Kingdom to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Smiths album The Queen Is Dead.
[edit] Radio hosting
In June of 2005 Escalante retired from legal practice after 12 years in the profession. During this time he also began hosting the call-in show "Barely Legal Radio" on the Los Angeles/Orange County radio station Indie 103.1 FM, where he dispensed entertainment and legal advice to aspiring musicians.[7] In May of 2006 he became the host of the station's morning drive-time program "The Last of the Famous International Morning Shows," replacing former Mighty Mighty Bosstones singer Dicky Barrett.[8]
Escalante's morning show includes daily appearances by film director David Lynch, who serves as a weatherman on the show, and Timothy Olyphant, star of the HBO series Deadwood, who serves as a sports commentator. Escalante also features a weekly wine tasting and education hour called "Wino Wednesday" as part of the program. He has also booked a number of celebrity guests such as Crispin Glover, Christina Ricci, Pat Buchanan, Will Ferrell, Maynard James Keenan, and Andy Dick. On the air, Escalante is a paid endorser of companies and products such as iPod, iTunes, and AT&T.
[edit] Religious and political views
Escalante is a Catholic and attends church.[9] He has been labeled by some contemporaries in the music community as a political and moral conservative, which has prompted some criticism from members of the punk community, traditionally known for its liberal values.
[edit] Works
[edit] Discography with the Vandals
- Peace Thru Vandalism (1982) - drums, backing vocals, songwriting
- When in Rome Do as the Vandals (1984) - drums, trumpet on "Rico", songwriting
- Slippery When Ill (1989) - drums, backing vocals, drum machine on "(Illa Zilla) Lady Killa", songwriting
- Fear of a Punk Planet (1990) - bass guitar, backing vocals, songwriting
- Sweatin' to the Oldies: The Vandals Live (1991) - bass guitar, backing vocals, songwriting
- Live Fast, Diarrhea (1995) - bass guitar, backing vocals, songwriting
- The Vandals / Assorted Jelly Beans split 7" (1996) - bass guitar, backing vocals
- The Quickening (1996) - bass guitar, backing vocals, songwriting, cover photo
- Oi to the World!: Christmas With the Vandals (1996) - bass guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Here I am Lord," songwriting
- Hitler Bad, Vandals Good (1998) - bass guitar, backing vocals, songwriting
- The Vandals / Longfellow split 7" (unknown) - bass guitar, backing vocals
- The Vandals Play Really Bad Original Country Tunes (1999) - drums, bass guitar, backing vocals, songwriting
- Look What I Almost Stepped In... (2000) - bass guitar, backing vocals, songwriting
- Fat Club 7" (2000) - bass guitar, backing vocals
- Internet Dating Superstuds (2002) - bass guitar, backing vocals, trumpet on "My Brother is Gay," songwriting
- Live at the House of Blues (2004) - bass guitar, backing vocals, songwriting
- Hollywood Potato Chip (2004) - bass guitar, backing vocals, songwriting
[edit] References
- ^ Hinds, Andy. Peace Thru Vandalism/When in Rome Do as the Vandals. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
- ^ For the Record: Quick News on R. Kelly and Jay-Z, Britney Spears, Deftones, Norah Jones, Stray Cats & More. MTV News (April 8, 2003). Retrieved on 2007-08-05.
- ^ Hochman, Steve (April 6), “Credit Theft or Just Bad Blood Between Vandals?”, Los Angeles Times: sec. E, p. 43, <http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/321738681.html?dids=321738681:321738681&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Apr+6%2C+2003&author=Steve+Hochman&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&edition=&startpage=E.43&desc=POP+EYE>
- ^ xXx soundtrack listing. The Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
- ^ Film credits. (1999). SLC Punk (DVD) [Film]. Culver City, California: Sony Pictures Classics. Retrieved on 2007-08-18. Event occurs at 1:36:45.
- ^ Jackass Number Two soundtrack listing. The Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
- ^ Joe Escalante joins Indie 103.1 in Los Angeles. Punknews.org (May 14, 2005). Retrieved on 2007-08-05.
- ^ White, Adam. Joe Escalante takes over Indie 103 morning show. Punknews.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-05.
- ^ The Vandals official FAQ. Vandals.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-05.
[edit] See also
- The Vandals
- Kung Fu Records
- Kung Fu Films
