By Vanessa VanderZanden
Daily Bruin Contributor
Choose a non-commercial rock band. Choose Mom and Pop stores.
Choose Germany. Choose Headcrash, playing at noon tomorrow at
Westwood Plaza.
"[Germany] is not a carbon copy of everything you see on TV,"
says Allen Wright, one of Germany-based Headcrash’s two lead
singers. "In America, everything’s pushed to the extreme. Biggest
cars, biggest houses, biggest ghettos."
At least there are still small concerts, like their UCLA show,
which is one of five Southern California stops on their U.S. tour.
Headcrash will debut songs from their second and most recent album,
"Overdose On Tradition." Previously known as Negro Sex, the band
gained infamy for posting computer fliers of the Pope in a
compromising position. For this, Headcrash is currently banned in
most of Europe.
"I think it’s dumb," Wright says of the reaction. "It was just a
picture of the Pope with his robes blowing in the wind and his
servant kneeling in front, trying to help him. They posted it all
over the famous sex street in Frankfurt."
As Negro Sex, Wright and his crew created music comprised mostly
of samples and beats. Though they started more as a keyboard-based
project than a band, the group soon matured to a point where
guitars, drums and bass took over. Now, the eclectic bunch produces
a sound combining techno beats, metal riffs and hip hop vocals.
Yet, Wright will be the first to point out, "I’m not trying to
pretend I’m Mr. Hip Hop Dude."
Such a restrictive term would unfairly pigeonhole a band whose
musical styles are as diverse as their backgrounds. Wright says of
his Dutch companion, "He comes from Fonzy country. They’re all
Fonzies who smoke dope." Yet, problems still arise. "Sometimes they
don’t get where Shane [Cooper] and me are coming from, but we teach
each other our cultures."
Americans Cooper and Wright gather culture from all sorts of
places. A nearby Turkish establishment provides them with one
European slant, while the friendly streets of Germany furnish them
with another. This display of worldly knowledge, Wright believes,
isn’t as easily accessible in the United States.
"It’s more together over here," he explains. "You can just have
an open conversation in the street," though he realizes, "someone
could punch my lights out, of course."
Yet, keeping a degree of tolerance amongst people of all
affiliations define the purpose of Headcrash. They maintain low
prices to make their shows available to a diverse crowd that ranges
from hip-hop to hard-core kids. At shows, Cooper and Wright explain
in German the meanings behind their English lyrics. Then, they
throw the mike into the audience, ready for a sing-a-long.
"Let’s just hang out and drink some beer afterwards," Wright
says of his band’s post-show attitude. "We’re not posing or trying
not to pose."
Sick of seeing punk, ska, fascist and hard-core individuals
fighting over petty differences within the same alternative scene,
Wright and Cooper strive to create a feeling of unity through their
music. Also working on ‘zines and making videos, the band members
barely squeeze out enough time to work at odd jobs on the side.
However, Wright feels sincere about Headcrash’s work.
"There’s always that chance that five people out of 500 who
watch the show will do something like start a ‘zine or whatever."
However, Wright admits, "We’re not martyrs."
Content with their German existence, the two ex-patriots, Cooper
and Wright, are glad to be away from the pressures of corporate
America.
Cooper claims, "It’s not such an exclusiveness of rich people
drinking beers."
Yet, despite their zest for German life, the seven member band
won’t mind making a short visit back to Yankee shores. After all,
someone has got to sell the album and, as Wright concedes, "We
don’t hate America."
Concert: Headcrash plays Westwood Plaza at noon tomorrow.