For many kids growing up in the gang infested streets of urban Los Angeles,
struggle and survival are ways of life. Jim Korthe, lead singer of 3rd Strike,
has figured out how to channel those stuggles into his music and the result
is explosive. Most all of what I write about comes from true-life experience,
says Korthe. A lot of it is dramatic, pretty depressing and angry. I donıt set
out to write the way I write, it just happens.
Korthe is a gifted artist whose musical roots began in San Pedro 11 years ago
with current 3rd Strike guitarist Todd Deguchi. Together they formed a local band,
but years of touring, struggling and Korthe's own personal tribulations caused the
group to eventually disband. Korthe and Deguchi still continued writing together.
They eventually re-formed a new outfit and began working on music that would
become 3rd Strikes debut.
A monster combination of fury and finesse, their debut, Lost Angel , reflects the
hard work, and even harder life, that Korthe and company have had to endure.
Unlike much of todayıs contemporary loud rock, which clobbers its listeners with
drab, downtuned power chords, 3rd Strike weaves in huge swaths of melody as
Korthe sings and raps his way through a colorful grid of guitar riffing supplied by
Deguchi and Erik Carlsson. Says Deguchi of the bandıs sound: Weıve always
done the rap thing and mixed it up with melody. Our sound has been in place for
a long time.
That heaviness is supplied not only by Deguchi and Carlsson, but by a great
rhythm section featuring heavyweight drummer PJ McMullan and groove bassist
Gabe Hammersmith. Together, the quintet is as talented as it is ambitious. We
donıt want to limit ourselves to just being heavy, says Korthe. We want to be
able to play different styles but have it done in our own way. We definitely donıt
want boundaries around our sound.
On songs like the searing opener Flow Heat and the charging sound of Cities
on Fire, 3rd Strike proves its ability to rock hard with
exhilarating dynamics and fist-punching energy. Less predictable, but no less
powerful, are tunes like No Light and Hang On which merge
extraordinary melody, potent, rubbery grooves and Kortheıs intelligent, social
commentary. Recorded by Mudrock
(Godsmack, Powerman 5000) with additional
tracks produced and mixed by Toby Wright
(Alice and Chains, Korn, Sevendust )
and mixed by Chris Lord-Alge, the disc heralds the arrival of an immense new
presence on the rock scene. This is the kind of stuff weıve wanted to do--incorporate
heavy guitars with rap and melody, Korthe says. This is what our dream was and
now weıve finally seen it through.
Not that 3rd Strike--Korthe in particular--hasnıt had its share of nightmares as well.
He spent the better part of his youth in a gang and his experiences, some incredible,
some just plain horrifying, show up throughout the album. Korthe explains, My
family was screwed up so the gang for me was my family. They put their arms
around me and told me they loved me. Still, Korthe often portrays gang life for
what it really is: violent, stark, and lonely. The bottom line is that no oneıs gonna
have your back when itıs time. Youıre gonna go out alone. On Breathe It Out,
a story about gang life, Korthe backs himself up: Street talking façade helps you
justify this genocide/Thatıs the card you deal to hide the pain you feel, claiminı
homey love but I'm telling you it isn't real.
Yeah, thereıs a little violence in my past, says Korthe. I still have pride from
living through that. It taught me a lot about what is really important. Itıs not about
slanging dope and making money. Itıs a relationship thing. If you have tight friends
and family thatıs it. I took the long route to find that out.
On Redemption, he describes a perverted relationship. It was a sick love story,
he admits. The worse I treated her the more she wanted and needed me. He
writes: No love is sicker than the one weıve found/Keep a frown on your face so
sheıll never replace me. Korthe pens his lyrics with startling intensity and the
kind of emotional honesty thatıll double you over with a gut punch and stand you
straight with an uppercut. You wonıt find this kind of honesty-- drawn from real
experiences-- on records by the bandıs peers. When I sit and write I try to get
things outta my head, he says. There will be some songs that I write where Iım
just angry about the hypocrisy and I vent. And then there are some songs that
have actual messages.
Korthe admits he still battles his inner demons. On the very first line of the record,
he lays it on the line, preparing his listeners for the intense candor to follow, Resist
one more time, walk the line, burning through the pages of my life cuz I canıt help
myself decide if I want to live or die.
Korthe and Deguchi didn't want to see their investment of time and energy go
unrewarded. They regrouped to write more music and together they recruited a
band. There was a time when everything was taken for granted, says Deguchi.
We didnıt know where we were going, everything was really unsure. But weıre so
much more stable now. We have great team and I feel more confident about our
direction.
After bringing in McMullan, Hammersmith and classically trained guitarist Carlsson,
they began gigging. While they were recording in Pennywise's studio, guitarist
Fletcher Dragge, heard their demo, loved it and hooked them up with their own
management company.
As for the immediate future, 3rd Strike are looking ahead to national exposure
and tons of touring. They just finished recording an awe-inspiring cover of Black
Sabbathıs Paranoid with a cameo from DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill, for the
upcoming ESPN X Games movie soundtrack. For the first time in his life, the
future looks bright for Korthe and 3rd Strike. At least he has a positive platform
from which he can begin issuing his empathic odes to frustration, anger, and
redemption.
Iım a different person every day, he says, So we have different messages
coming from the band. Thereıs a yin and yang thing there. At one point Iım
human, then Iıll feel violent, and the next Iım in love. I think our fans will be
able to identify with that.
Welcome to the emotional apocalypse of 3rd Strike.
|
