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The Kids of Widney High | |
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| Origin | Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Genres | Ska punk, rock, outsider music |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Labels | Rounder Records, Ipecac Recordings, Moonman Records |
| Website | kidsofwidneyhigh.com |
The Kids of Widney High is an American music group composed of students with mental disabilities from the special education J. P. Widney High School in Los Angeles, California, United States.
The band consists of students with physical and cognitive disabilities on vocals, with the instruments played by non-disabled teachers and friends. The group originally began as a song-writing class in 1988 taught by Michael Monagan, and has evolved since into two groups, one made up of graduates that performs in local clubs and the other a group of current Widney students in the songwriting class.
The group gained a cult following, primarily thanks to their frequent live performances at larger Los Angeles venues like The Knitting Factory and Amoeba Music, as well as smaller venues such as Chain Reaction in Anaheim and The Smell in downtown LA. As a result, the group often plays at a number of ska and pop punk shows, including a stint on the Vans Warped Tour. The group has also opened for The Melvins, Fantômas, and Mr. Bungle, and have been included on several editions of the Kevin and Bean's KROQ Christmas Albums. Their first CD was on Rounder Records, their second CD was on Ipecac Records (Mike Patton's label), and their third and fourth CDs are on Moonman Records. Such notable musicians as Kurt Cobain, Smokey Robinson, Jackson Browne, Marilyn Manson, and Adam Horovitz have all cited themselves as fans of the band.
In 2005, the Kids of Widney High were featured in The Ringer , a comedy wherein Johnny Knoxville's character pretends to be developmentally disabled in order to fix the Special Olympics and gain financially through betting on it. The group is seen performing "Pretty Girls" (which was also written by several members of the group) at a dance, and again towards the end of the film singing a version of the popular 1960s song, "Respect" in which the lyrics have been rewritten so that it becomes an anthem for those with disabilities.
The Kid Cudi song "Girls" from his 2013 album Indicud contains an interpolation of "Pretty Girls". In addition, their songs have been covered by such groups as The Aquabats singing "Throw Away the Trash" and Osaka Popstar and the American Legends of Punk singing "Insects". "Pretty Girls" is also included on Secret Songs by garage-punkster, NOBUNNY (2013, Goner Records.)
They are chronicled in the feature-length rockumentary Act Your Age: The Kids of Widney High Story directed by Mathew Klickstein and Jesse Alba. Starting in November, 2020, a remastered tenth anniversary edition of the film began streaming on Troma's streaming service Troma Now. [1] Klickstein also authored The Kids of Widney Junior High Take Over the World!, released in September 2020 by Schiffer Publishing. Thanks in part to direct promotion by The Big Bang Theory and Blossom star Mayim Bialik, the book quickly became a bestseller on Amazon. [2]
"Stay Together for the Kids" is a song recorded by American rock band Blink-182 for their fourth studio album, Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001). It was released as the third and final single from the album in September 2001. The track was composed primarily by guitarist Tom DeLonge, who based its lyrics on his parents' divorce and its effect on him.
Melvins are an American rock band formed in 1983, in Montesano, Washington. Their early work was key to the development of both grunge and sludge metal. They originally performed as only a trio but later also sometimes appeared as a quartet with either two drummers or two bassists. Since 1984, vocalist and guitarist Buzz Osborne and drummer Dale Crover have been constant members. The band was named after a supervisor at a Thriftway in Montesano, where Osborne also worked as a clerk; "Melvin" was disliked by other employees, and the band's members felt it to be an appropriately ridiculous name.
Einar Örn Benediktsson, often billed as Einar Örn, is an Icelandic popular music singer, trumpet player, artist and politician, best known as a former member of the Sugarcubes and a current member of Ghostigital. He served as a member of the Reykjavík City Council between 2010 and 2014.
Queercore is a cultural/social movement that began in the mid-1980s as an offshoot of the punk subculture and a music genre that comes from punk rock. It is distinguished by its discontent with society in general, and specifically society's disapproval of the LGBT community. Queercore expresses itself in a DIY style through magazines, music, writing and film.
Pretty Girls Make Graves was a post-punk band formed in Seattle in 2001, named after The Smiths' song of the same name. Andrea Zollo and Derek Fudesco had played together previously in The Hookers, as well as The Death Wish Kids and Area 51 along with Dann Gallucci, with whom Derek had formed Murder City Devils. Not long before the Murder City Devils disbanded, Derek and Andrea formed Pretty Girls Make Graves along with Jay, Nick and Nathan. They played the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2004. The band announced its split on January 29, 2007, with their final two shows taking place in Seattle that June.
Ipecac Recordings is an independent record label based in California. It was founded on April 1, 1999 by Greg Werckman and Mike Patton in Alameda, California.
Roger "Buzz" Osborne, also known as King Buzzo, is an American guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. He is a founding member of the Melvins, as well as Fantômas and Venomous Concept.
Classics selected by Brian Wilson is a compilation of songs by The Beach Boys and released through Capitol Records in mid-2002. It was compiled by Brian Wilson himself that February. It includes a new recording of an unreleased 1970s track, "California Feelin'" not by The Beach Boys but Wilson and his live band.
The Ringer is a 2005 American slapstick sports comedy starring Johnny Knoxville, Katherine Heigl, and Brian Cox with cameos by Terry Funk and Jesse Ventura. Directed by Barry W. Blaustein, it was produced by the Farrelly brothers. The film was released on December 23, 2005, by Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Joseph Pomeroy Widney High School, also known as J. P. Widney High School, is a special-education magnet high school in Los Angeles, California. A part of the Los Angeles Unified School District, this school is named in honor of Dr. Joseph Pomeroy Widney.
Abominations is the third and final studio album by Seattle horror punk band Schoolyard Heroes. The album was recorded in January 2007 over the course of 18 days, and released on September 17 of the same year. After signing to Stolen Transmission, the album served as the band's major label debut and their first album not to be released independently through The Control Group. The production of the album was handled entirely by John Goodmanson with the majority of the lyrics composed by the band's singer and frontwoman Ryann Donnelly. Donnelly serves as the main singer on the album, with bassist Jonah Bergman performing backing vocals.
Forever the Sickest Kids is an American pop punk band from Dallas, Texas. The band first signed with Universal Motown Records and released its debut album, Underdog Alma Mater, on April 29, 2008. The band's second album, Forever the Sickest Kids, was released on March 1, 2011. Universal Motown Records was later shut down in 2011 and the band was left unsigned for over a year until signing to Fearless Records in late 2012. The band released its third studio album, J.A.C.K., on June 25, 2013. In an Alternative Press article, the band was placed number one underground band of the "22 Best Underground Bands".
Hsiao Huang-chi is a Taiwanese singer, songwriter and former judoka. He represented Taiwan in FESPIC Games in Beijing in 1994, where he won the bronze title and placed seventh at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics. Hsiao gained attention in the Hokkien pop scene after winning the Best Male Vocalist – Taiwanese award at the 19th Golden Melody Awards in 2008.
SpecialThanks is a punk rock band from Aichi Prefecture, Japan. They are currently signed by KOGA/Groovy Drunker Records. The band is made up of Misaki, Toshiki (guitar), Yoshida (drums), Kousuke.
Forever the Sickest Kids is the eponymous second studio album by American pop punk band Forever the Sickest Kids, released on March 1, 2011. It is their last release through Universal Motown Records, and also last to feature members Kent Garrison and Marc Stewart. Following the release of their 2009 EP The Weekend: Friday, the band worked on material for what was originally a continuation of the EP but instead wrote more songs than intended, and scrapped the idea to work on a second full-length record. The album received mixed reviews from critics who commended the band's attempt at maturity with diverse musicianship and catchability but found it inconsistent. Forever the Sickest Kids debuted at number 33 on the Billboard 200 and spawned three singles: "Keep On Bringing Me Down", "I Guess You Can Say Things Are Getting Pretty Serious" and "Summer Song".
The Hugs are an American indie pop and psychedelic garage rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States. Formed in 2007 by lead singer-songwriter Danny Delegato while attending Cleveland High School. A self-described "pop" band, their music is primarily influenced by the 1960s British Invasion movement and post-punk The Hugs have self-released seven studio albums.
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