Pennywise to perform at Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.
PENNYWISE TO PERFORM SATURDAY EVENING DURING TOYOTA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH RACE WEEKEND, APRIL 8-10
Popular Southern California band "Pennywise," one of the cornerstones of the punk-rock revival of the 1990s, will be the featured performers at the Saturday, April 9 Rock-N-Roar Concert Presented by KROQ, part of the 31st Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.
The concert will begin at 4:30 p.m. on the sound stage in front of the Long Beach Convention Center and is free to all race ticket holders. In past years, the Rock-N-Roar Concert has featured acts like the Goo Goo Dolls, Third Eye Blind and Everclear. The concert will be followed immediately by the Tecate Miss Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Pageant.
The original members of Pennywise -- Jim Lindberg, Fletcher Dragge, Byron McMackin and Jason Thirsk -- all attended the same high school in Hermosa Beach.
In 1989, they released their debut EP -- "A Word from the Wise" -- on Theologian Records. A local college DJ passed the record on to Epitaph Records, which signed the group in 1990. The group has developed a sound that has been described as "edgy, melodic skate punk."
Through constant touring and recording, as well as appearances on surfing and snowboard concerts and videos, Pennywise has developed a dedicated following, especially in Southern California.
"We always love playing extreme sporting events and as long as Sylvester Stallone isn't driving this year, this should be pretty extreme," said Dragge. "We're also big racing fans so it will be an awesome weekend."
The band released "Unknown Roads" in 1993, followed by "About Time" in 1995. After the death of Jason Thirsk in 1996, Randy Bradbury replaced him on bass and the band's fourth album. "Full Circle" was released in April 1997.
The band has since released "Live at the Key Club," "Land of the Free?" and "From the Ashes," all on the Epitaph Records label.
The 31st Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach features the 200-mph Champ Cars and stars of the Champ Car World Series as its headline racing event at 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 10. Race-goers on Saturday, April 9 will get to see celebrities bang fenders with professional drivers in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race at 12:15 p.m.; qualifying for the Champ Car race, Toyota Atlantic Championship and Trans-Am series during the day, and the inaugural Long Beach Drifting Challenge, featuring the hot cars of Formula Drift.
Tickets for the 31st Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, which will run April 8-10, 2005, are on sale now. Ticket prices range from $32 for a Friday/Saturday-only general admission ticket to $114 for a three-day ticket, which includes Saturday and Sunday reserved seating on upper levels of the grandstands. Limited pre-paid parking packages are available and can be purchased when ordering tickets. Handicapped seating, Bosch Champ Car Garage passes, hospitality club packages and super photo tickets are also available for purchase. Tickets can be ordered via credit card by using the toll-free ticket hotline, (888) 82-SPEED, or online at href='http://longbeachgp.com' target='_blank'>longbeachgp.com.
For up-to-date ticket information, descriptions of the various club ticket packages, or for announcements of special Grand Prix event activities, visit the official Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Web site at href='http://longbeachgp.com' target='_blank'>longbeachgp.com.