In Remembrance: Box Car Racer
Box Car Racer left us way too soon.
The former offshoot from Blink 182, this side-project of Travis Barker and Tom DeLonge is often cited as one of the reasons Blink 182 broke up in the first place. Shortly after the release of Blink 182’s Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, guitarist/vocalist, Tom DeLonge and drummer Travis Barker decided to form Box Car Racer in order to experiment with new music that wouldn’t mesh well with what Blink was currently working on.
The concept for the band started while the two were on tour with Green Day in 2002 as part of the Pop Disaster Tour. After spending some time writing on the road, the two decided that although they liked the music they were making, it clearly wasn’t meant to be Blink material. In the five-month break following the tour, the two decided to team up to record and album together. With the help of David Kennedy and Bassist Anthony Celestino, Box Car Racer’s lineup was set.
Unlike Blink 182, who tended to adhere to their pop-punk roots, Box Car Racer was DeLonge’s chance to experiment and explore other musical genres, his favorite of which being post-hardcore and emo music. Although this being their intention, to me, Box Car Racer has always just sounded like part of the natural progression between Blink 182’s Take Off Your Pants and Jacket and their 2005 self-titled release. While the record transcends some of their former juvenile goofiness, it still lacks the mature, serine sound of their fifth release.
Box Car Racer released their first and only album in May of 2002. Longtime Blink 182 producer Jerry Finn, who was also known for his work with Morrissey, Green Day, AFI and The Offspring, produced the self-titled album. The album received modest reviews and was intentionally kept from appearing on MTV and several other media sources. Fellow Blink member Mark Hoppus contributed guest vocals in one track; additionally, Jordan Pundik of New Found Glory and Tim Armstrong of Rancid also appear on the album.
After the release of Box Car Racer, the group embarked on a national headlining tour to support the album. During this tour the band sought to play only a smaller venues in order to give fans a more intimate experience. Their live shows also included several covers and songs that don’t appear on the album.
Following the US tour, the group inexplicably decided to call it quits. DeLonge and Barker soon returned to their designated duties within Blink 182 and David Kennedy went on to join Hazen Street. After Box Car Racer, Blink bassist, Mark Hoppus, exhibited feelings of betrayal for his fellow members for not being invited to be a part of their side project; along with disagreements pertaining to the band’s direction, this is often cited as being a contributing factor to Blink 182 going on hiatus in 2005.
In 2005, following the split of Blink 182, Hoppus and Barker went on to form pop-punk outfit, +44. +44 would remain active until 2008, shortly before Blink 182 would reunite. DeLonge, who was at this point estranged from his former band members, went on to form Angels & Airwaves with David Kennedy. Currently, Blink 182 is working on a new comeback album and Angel & Airwaves is due to release their latest album, Love, in 2010.
Posted by Andrew Scott on Jan 11, 2010 @ 9:00 am
