Tim Stedman, who was the art director at MCA Records, talked with the 182 News Podcast. They talk about creating the art for Blink-182’s Dude Ranch, Enema of the State, New Found Glory’s first two albums, Box Car Racer, and more. (Overcast link.)
Read More “Tim Stedman Talks Early MCA Records Album Art”
Travis Barker talked with Uproxx and mentioned an unreleased Box Car Racer song:
So, there is a Box Car song that’s unreleased. I think whenever the time’s right or it makes sense, we’re gonna release it. I would just love for the fans to hear that song.
Travis Barker and Tom DeLonge are both acknowledging that next year is the 20th anniversary of the Box Car Racer album. And as we all know, acknowledgement via Tweet is the first step toward giving us what we really want.
Read More “Travis Barker and Tom DeLonge Tease Box Car Racer Anniversary” Tom DeLonge talked to Billboard about the 15-year anniversary of Box Car Racer:
Well I’m not going to spill any beans, but Travis and I talk all the time. There was always talk of Box Car Racer; we’ve talked about it for a very long time. We just came out with vinyl, and we’ve gotten offers to bring it back. I don’t know if it was like Coachella, but we’ve had things like that pop up from time to time. It’s something that’s never died in our imaginations and it’s something that I think we’re willing to do. Whether we come out with some big announcement or we’re ready to say, “Hey, this is happening,” I don’t know any of those kinds of details. But I think that our passion for what we did lives strong. We do talk about it and we do want to do something but we have no desire to talk about details because there’s a lot going on in my life right now, and [Travis’s]. Blink’s doing really well right now and everyone’s in a good spot, contrary to what public opinion may be. [Laughs.] I have the best situation ever where that band can continue and they can do what they want. And I’m making major motion pictures and working with people in government, so it’s a big deal.
As a quick aside: The autoplaying videos on Billboard’s website are fucking obnoxious.
Tom DeLonge has been flirting around with the idea of new Boxcar Racer album and asking if anyone has ideas for who should “guest” on the album.
Box Car Racer’s album will be getting another vinyl pressing and this one looks to be a more wide release. It’s due for release on May 19th.
A new pressing of Box Car Racer’s self-titled album is up for sale at Hot Topic.
GQ has an extensive profile on Travis Barker of Blink-182. This passage about the possibility of a Box Car Racer reunion sure is interesting:
I think we were both under the impression in the beginning that it was going to be a Blink album. Then it was like, no let’s do this cool little side project, but we won’t put an album out. Then the label heard it and wanted to put it out. Then there wasn’t going to be a tour, but they were like ah, you can do this tour. It just spiraled out of control. . . But I don’t know. [Mark’s] not in the band, so would it cause a lot of problems? Would it not? I have no idea. It’s something I can’t even wrap my head around just because I’m so proud of this album that we’re currently supporting. But I love Box Car. It was a cool album and cool sound.
Box Car Racer was formed in 2002 by Blink-182 members Tom Delonge and Travis Barker along with David Kennedy. This band shows a completely different side of a Blink at this time: a darker, serious side and features songs that Tom felt were not “Blink-friendly.” This change is evident in not only the lyrical content but also the music.
“I Feel So” begins with a slow piano tune followed by an acoustic guitar. Instantly, it becomes evident that this is a completely different band from Blink. This song is filled with brutal honesty, as Delonge opens the album with: “sometimes, I wish I was brave; I wish I was stronger.” Later, he asks for a new start (“let’s start over”). On “All Systems Go,” Delonge criticizes the government (“the government is lying; the youth, they won’t believe them”) and questions “when will this be over.”
Read More “Box Car Racer – Box Car Racer” So the anticipation is building up, inside each and everyone of you — the nice fellows of blink182 have decided to open up their souls, and attempt a side project. Tom Delonge along with Travis Barker, wrote all of the material. All the lyrics were written by DeLonge, and rounding out the band with David Kennedy on rhythm guitar and Anthony Celestino on bass. The sound really is something in it’s own — some blink fans may run and hide, some blink fans may consider this something above anything they have ever heard before .. but the truth of the matter is that this album rocks — hard.
Starting out the album with a lengthy intro to the first single, “I Feel So” — the radio/video version you have heard is not how the album version starts. The length of the intro almost leaves the anticipation too much to bear … then the familiar guitar strums, and drum beats take over the speakers, and you know you are in for a treat. The first two tracks on the album, “I Feel So” and “All Systems Go” (along with the later Elevator) — are by far the two most ‘radio friendly’ song’s on the album .. and for people that have only heard these two songs, they most likely assume that this is just a different version of Blink182 … they are very, very wrong. I get the feeling while listening to the first two songs, that these were written originally as possible blink182 songs (anthem pt2 era), but then by changing some of the musically arraignments around found a much better home with the new Box Car material.
Read More “Box Car Racer – Box Car Racer”