Full Service
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Full Service

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"Full Service on Tour With 311"

One way to get an opening slot for a popular band is to open for them without their permission. That's just what Austin-based Full Service did on last year's 311 tour. Setting up a generator-powered stage in parking lots of arenas and amphitheaters from Boston all the way back to Texas, the band, whose sound draws from a variety of genres including rock, reggae and metal, played spontaneous shows, which they dubbed "takeovers." 311 eventually noticed, and now Full Service will be opening - inside the venue - for three 311 shows, including one tonight at Austin Music Hall.

This guerrilla-style promotion is a good fit for Full Service. Although the Austin scene features a range of musical genres, there doesn't seem to be a ton of room for a group of dreadlocked rockers that veers dangerously close to the oft ridiculed category "jam band." "It's hard for us to find a place in the scene," says drummer David Kepner, better known as "Hoag."

Existing outside the mainstream might not be such a bad thing. Bands such as 311, Guster and Widespread Panic exist largely under the radar but perform across the country to packed audiences of cult-like fans. Hoag is at home with the idea. "The live show, the traveling, is where it's at. It's about connecting with the fans," Hoag says.

Hoag and his brother Tim, lead singer/guitarist who goes by the name Bonesaw, grew up in Philadelphia and moved to Austin after graduating college (Hoag went to Yale; Bonesaw, Amherst College), where they met percussionist Elliott Lardon (Smellman) and bassist Anthony Pitt (Twinky-P). They are relentless self-promoters, producing videos and writing articles about the band. Their dedication is also seen in the band's output. They've recorded five albums and an EP in the past three years. Their most recent album, "The Earth Still Wants You," is dedicated to Hoag's dog Nessie, who died while the band was on tour. Nessie is also memorialized in a full-color tattoo on Hoag's left arm.

As far as whether they'll continue to do their spontaneous shows now that they're getting booked in bigger venues, Hoag says that the smaller shows have proved better for getting fans. "The big shows are good, but there's something about the intimate connection," he says. "They become really hard-core fans." - Austin American Statesman 5/12/09


"Full Service @ Sullivan Hall NYC"

"Bonesaw, Hoag, Twink, and Smell — members of the rock / reggae / metal band Full Service — climbed the stage at Sullivan Hall last night and had an instant cloud of moshing appear before them. This Austin-bred band gave the audience a strong, complete set of downbeat rock, especially while performing their track “Trumpets,” during which they substituted the usual sound of brass with humming vocal harmonies. Other performed tracks included “Rocketships,” “HiHo,” and “Sit At The Table.” Look out for Full Service on their tour with 311 in mid-May. More tour info, as well as how you can listen to/purchase their music can be found on their website: www.fullservicemusic.com." - CMJ 4/24/09


"FS Serves up at North Gate Tavern"

When many people hear the term “full service,” they often think of a gas station that pumps your gas and washes your car for you. Moreover, they might also call to mind some of the many other applications of the term such as food service, hotel service or even sexual services.

Most have never really thought about the term being applied to music or even to a band – until now.

Full Service is a band that sticks to music on its own terms and has its own personality and style while delivering incredibly energetic live performances. Full Service’s overall look, which includes beards, long hair and shirtless performances, ties the band’s personality to its stage set – one inspired by the band’s interest in pirates.

“We’ve always been into ocean tales and the sea and especially the pirate look. It’s just sort of a ragamuffin look, and we just realized that we did look like pirates,” said Hoag, the band’s drummer. “I mean we didn’t mean it to be ‘let’s dress up like pirates,’ but it was more like we look like a bunch of pirates, and we feel like it because we’re on the road all the time.”

Full Service initially started when the four musicians that make up the band met in Austin, Tex., forming the band as it is known today. Full Service is currently comprised of guitarist and singer Bonesaw, bassist Twinky-P, drummer Hoag and percussionist Smellman.

Full Service’s band members go by nicknames rather than their real names, but how exactly did they each get their nicknames?

According to Hoag, “The name Bonesaw came from the movie ‘Spiderman’ where Macho Man Randy Savage fights Tobey McGuire before he’s Spiderman, and there is that part where Macho Man Randy Savage just says, ‘Bonesaw is ready.’ The name kind of fits Bonesaw because he’s just an intense guy, and he works hard.”

“People called Smellman ‘Smelliot Elliot’ when he was little, and it came to make sense for him because when I met him I thought it was because of the way he looks and everything,” added Hoag.

“Hoag came from when I was a camp counselor, and one day I had everyone put their favorite food on their nametags. I’m from Philadelphia, and so I was eating a lot of hoagies at the time, so I put Hoagie on my nametag and it just stuck.”

“I’m not sure of where Twinky- P got his name, but it came from something about a twenty dollar bill,” Hoag concluded.

The music that the band creates is unique in the sense that it travels out into many different genres at once rather than just sticking to one specific genre. Overall, their music can include genres such as rock, punk, ska and reggae, but the agility with which the whole band can swap genres is what makes each song different and unique.

“We used to call our music the ‘Everlasting Gobstopper’ because it has a lot of different flavors and a lot of different colors,” said Hoag reflecting on the band’s music.

“I’ve always admired bands that could do whatever genre because those are always the really interesting bands,” he added. “It’s not to say that we don’t like bands that are straight up rock, but I never understood how you can express yourself completely through one sound, or one tempo, or one flavor. Our music just sort of developed naturally out of a desire to go wherever we wanted to go.”

Full Service is currently on a tour of the Southeast and will be stopping in Baton Rouge on February 5 to play North Gate Tavern. The show is guaranteed to be energetic and full of good music, so don’t miss out.

- LSU Tiger Weekly (Baton Rouge, LA) 2/5/09


"Full Service Gets Good Mileage Out of Guerilla Shows"

From the Beatles’ 1969 performance on the roof of the Apple building in London to the gaggle of punk bands who played in the streets during the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis, rock has made stages out of countless random spots across the globe.

But Full Service has taken takeovers to a new level.

This July, the Texas band followed 311 and Snoop Dogg’s “Summer Unity Tour” from Boston to Austin, setting up in arena parking lots and jamming until security guards gave them the boot.

This fall, Full Service will spike its club dates - including tonight’s gig at the Middle East in Cambridge - with impromptu sets in public parks and college campuses along the way.

(full article on www.boston.com) - The Boston Globe (10/20/08)


"Carriage House to Experience Full Service Takeover"

"Instruments? Check. Generator? Check. Anti-establishment attitude? Big check.

No, these are not the plans for a coup, but rather, the weapons wielded by Austin, Texas, band Full Service for their guerilla warfare performances that they lovingly refer to as "takeovers," and they're bringing one to Carriage House this Saturday night.

Full Service is consists of lead singer and drummer Hoag, his brother and guitarist/singer Bonesaw, bassist Twinky-P, percussionist/singer Smellman and "an anarchic rejection of the modern, stale concert-going experience." The members of the band unanimously decided to never give out their real names.

"There is at least one thing about everybody that will tell you everything you need to know about them," Hoag said. "I went to Yale but am the person in the band who is most often called 'stupid' by the other members. Smell didn't go to college but is the person in the band who is most looked upon for practical advice and decision-making. Twinky-P is the person in the band who looks the tallest, but is actually the second shortest. And Bonesaw is our tactical leader and moral compass."

The band comes from a modest background, playing impromptu gigs on the streets of Nantucket, Mass., and worked their way up to reggae festivals and Houston Astros games, according to 5th-semester political science major and cousin of Hoag and Bonsesaw, Zack Caruso.

(Full article: http://www.dailycampus.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticle&ustory_id=7c054e0c-a7eb-4028-9d74-24370e8d6a99) - UConn Daily Campus (10/18/08)


"CD Review: "The Dig""

"A little something for everyone can be found on the latest album, THE DIG, from Full Service. The new release is an easily likable rock album that screams "let the good times roll!" THE DIG centers upon heavy, tongue-flicking guitar riffs under monotone reggae touch as Full Service moves to transition in hints of several musical categories throughout each track. "Don't Deny" is perhaps the perfect example of this as the song segues from punk-rock intor to a Sublime-like reggae beat and then pushes back out towards nasty guitar work. You will also find hip hop and metal influences, "Tasteless Gravy" is a successful experiment of those two genres, but the album proves to be just as sweet as it is heavy wtih songs such as "Blueberry Farm" and "Blueglass Lake" that drown you into a chill sway and bring a smile to your face. THE DIG succeeds as an album you can put on at any time and everyone around you will be content with the selection." - LineUp Magazine (6/1/08)


"Full Service @ The Flamingo Cantina"

"Full Service. There's a pop-craft side to them (think Beach Boys harmonies), a funk side (think many hours with Fishbone's and Chili Peppers' albums) and a whole lot of dreadlocks (you'll see). 9 p.m. Flamingo Cantina. 515 E. Sixth St. 494-9336." - Austin 360.com (8/1/2008)


"Gift Ideas from The Austin Chronicle"

"TCB" offers 15 recent local releases to divert your holiday green from Time Warner, Sony, and Universal."

FULL SERVICE, 3 Will Ride Forth (Mashup)

Sublime they're not, but the trio's bouncy fusion of reggae, metal, and hip-hop has the strength of its knit-cap convictions (and conventions). Now that 311 is covering the Cure, somebody's got to.

- Christopher Gray (12/2/04) - Christopher Gray


"CDReviews.com by Kristen Brown"

Full Service: “Recess”

Just like the title—fun and refreshing.

With names like Hoag, Bonesaw, Smell, and Twinky, it’s safe to assume the four gentlemen who make up Full Service are not the types to write deadpan, heavy, mono-rhythmic sludge, throw it together, and call it an album. And as it turns out, that’s one hell of an accurate assumption. With monikers reminiscent of earned middle-school nicknames and an album entitled Recess, their playful blend of reggae and 90s style rock is a perfect fit.
Their interesting mix of genres and quirky, mellow attitude makes for one of the strongest albums of its kind this year. They manage to achieve something, surprisingly, that far too many bands can’t figure out how to attain: versatility. Their easy reggae sound and hard rock roots run consistently through all nineteen tracks on the album, but with what assuredly is not careful measuring and change in ratio (but rather plain old talent and a good ear) each song is a little more rock, or a little more reggae, than another.
What come out of it are songs like “Ramona” and “Clock Ticks,” which sound a lot like Sublime with a hint of Incubus, and others, like “Yanamo,” which is distinctly grungy and has a harder rock edge. The real pleasant surprise, however, is “Maybe It’s You,” which brings Weezer to mind during the chorus, somehow. And to make themselves look even better, “Sully’s Wedding,” brings to mind Dave Matthews Band’s “Angel,” but miraculously they sound nothing like Dave Matthews Band themselves.
Finally. Originality has been resurrected.
On top of being a band of ridiculous names, with an appropriately titled album, a themed CD (complete with pictures of chaos on a school playground, and a word search inside the jacket), and actually having an original sound, they’re laid back enough to actually make peace with emo bands. Hell, somebody with hard rock roots had to do it eventually. And if there’s any fault with the album at all, it’s the length. Nineteen songs of anything is quite a bit to handle, even if it’s good. But getting your money’s worth really isn’t a fault…so I stand corrected. No faults.
- November 2006


"San Luis Obispo Times (California)"

Austin based FULL SERVICE - like Sublime or Bad Brains - mixes metal, punk, and reggae. But unlike those two bands, FULL SERVICE's music yields a decidedly different sound, which they call "crunchy reggae loud groove metal," and the difference is the "groove." . . . with names like Hoagman, Smell, Twinky-P, and Bonesaw, they also clearly have senses of humor. See them Saturday February 11, 2006 at the Frog and Peach. Get more info at mypace.com/fullservice or www.fullservicemusic.com. - by Glen Starkey Feb 2006


Discography

THE EARTH STILL WANTS YOU – March, 2009. Featured singles: “Trumpets,” “Gymnasium” and “Rocketships.”

THE DIG – January 2008. Featured singles: “Hi Ho,” “Blueberry Farm.”

RECESS – September 2006. Featured singles “Ramona” and “Black is Back.”

SAWNGS – December 2005

IRIE LOVE – May 2005. Acoustic follow up.

3 WILL RIDE FORTH – November 2004 (debut album)

Photos

Bio

With plenty of hair, no shirts, and a riotous enthusiasm that’s downright infectious, Full Service throws the kind of fiesta where metal heads, reggae skanks, college grads, jocks, and hard funk fans can surf waves or shoot hoops, boost the volume, and get down in harmony. Influenced by the Chili Peppers, the Beach Boys, Faith No More and many others, the Full Service sound and performance is one of unpredictable fun with a surprisingly deep and thoughtful underbelly. Notorious for their “Takeover” tours and grassroots-or-die ethos, the band inspires fanatical loyalty from its FanSaw Army, who know that with Full Service, you may not know where you're gonna end up, but you're sure as hell gonna be happy you got there.

Recently completed tours include direct support slots for 311 (May 12 – 16, 2009) and extensive touring with Badfish: Sublime Tribute at premier venues from Vermont to Texas.

College-educated (brothers Hoag and Bonesaw graduated from Yale University and Amherst College, respectively) and fanatically motivated, the band mixes extensive college and club touring with high-visibility tours opening for national bands.

Based in Austin TX, the band members all live together in Bonesaw's house and mix up the jamming with daily soccer matches, gardening, and even have three chickens in the back yard. It's a lifestyle!