Roadrunner & Artist News
Boys In The Crew
Posted on February 12, 2008
The boys in the crew have been waiting for you...This past Wednesday night (Sep 3) on the 4th floor of Montana Studios in NYC, Ill Nino played their final full-on rehearsal…final rehearsal before hitting the road (co-headline US tour with Spineshank started Sep 5). On this Wednesday night, Ill Nino played their full set in the rehearsal space, they ran through 13 songs in front of the crew and the 4 Roadrunner nerds watching (and that is meant in the nicest possible way). You can see pics from this rehearsal in the band's PHOTO GALLERY (33 new pics from the rehearsal in total).
And now, speaking of the Ill Nino crew…
If you are still reading this update, you are real Ill Nino fan…you know their names, where they live, their boxers/briefs situation, etc… But what do you know about the extended Ill Nino family? The Ill Nino crew whilst on the road. These are the guys that make sure every show goes off without a hitch so that you all don't flip your shit and riot ala G'N'R in Montreal circa 1992.
So as a public service at the very least, here's a quick rundown of the guys behind the scenes:
BIG BEN…Big Ben is the sound man. Other acts he has worked with on the road in the past include At the Drive-In, Sparta, and Pro-Pain. If seeing the name Pro-Pain doesn't ring a bell, go back and study your Ill Nino history. Drummer Dave Chavarri was previously a member of Pro-Pain. It's a small world, after all.
RAT…Rat happens to be the guitar tech…but apparently is quite familiar with tech-ing on the drum side as well. Previous acts Rat has been on the road with (and he has pictures to prove) include Ugly Kid Joe, Def Leppard, DIO, Poison, Keel, Janes Addiction, Filter, Britny Fox, and Soulfly. Rat's quote: “I smile as much as Max (Cavalera, Soulfly) does.”
LITTLE MARCO…Marco is the Ill Nino drum tech. Dollars to donuts, if you study Chavarri during a show, at some point you will see Marco's head pop up behind Chavarri, behind the drums. Marco is one of two Ill Nino crewmembers that has been around since Day One.
CHAKA…Chaka - the other Ill Nino crewmember to have been around since the beginning - pretty much does everything – backline, lighting…a jack of all trades.
BENJIE…And last, but certainly not least, we have Benjie. He is the band's official tour manager, a.k.a. babysitter, a.k.a. nanny, a.k.a. H.N.I.C. This is Benjie's first time on the road with Ill Nino, despite the fact that he has known Chavarri and bassist Laz since high school. Benjie originally met Chavarri at the legendary NYC club Coney Island High (one of New York's three biggest clubs during the birth of punk in the 70's). The show? Neither remember. “Drew Carey” is apparently what the band calls him…if ya know what we mean …but you probably don't.
There you have it…Ill Nino's extended family whilst on the road. Hey, if the impossible becomes possible and something goes wrong during a show, you know who to direct the lit torches and pitchforks at.
Ill Nino, new album Confession in stores Sept 29th.
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