Hailing from
California, Hoobustank are a band that play a mixture of
metal,
funk,
ska and
jazz (and probably some other
genres too I imagine). The bizarre name allegedly comes from their interpretation of "Who's Butt Stinks?" in
jive.
Working their way from various jobs including being roadies for Incubus, they used their own money to release their first album They Sure Don't Make Basketball Shorts Like They Used To in 1998. Although he's no longer with the band, Jeremy Wasser - the saxophonist on their first record - also played on Summer Romance (Anti Gravity Love Song) by Incubus.
Hoobustank are one of the better examples of what some of those crazy Americans have done with rock music over the last 15 years, and to my my mind they sound a cross between Incubus, Reel Big Fish and Faith No More. Their eponymous second album is released shortly, and - since it's no longer available to buy - you can download* their first release from their website www.hoobustank.com
The band line up is as follows:
- Dan - Guitar
- Doug - Vocals
- Chris - Drums
- Markku - Bass
The best songs from their 1998 release are probably Can I Buy You a Drink? and Up and Gone. One of their demos* was the source for much of the mad stuff at the end of the album S.C.I.E.N.C.E. by Incubus, and they also cover Do You Think I'm Sexy? by Rod Stewart.
Update:
*In checking my facts I've discovered that it seems the band have changed their name to Hoobastank instead, and that their old stuff is no longer on their website. Still I guess you can download it reasonably guilt free from your favourite Napster alternative ... insert disclaimer here.