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On a steamy night in May 2006 on South Padre Island, Texas, Zhanine was giving a post show interview to a local news crew about the set she'd just played to a packed house of Spring Breakers at the Bahia Mar Resort. The questions soon turned to her chemistry with Warbux, who was joining CONJOB as a special guest on this tour.
"Don't tell him I said this," she blurted out, but we're going to try and recruit him into the band." It only took a few hours for the cat to be let out of the bag - the whole band was hanging out watching TV in Bux's suite later that night when her segment aired in front of him. Ooops.
So it came to pass that evening that one of the most respected MCs on the West Coast joined forces with one of the hardest working acts in Southern California, all on a tiny island in the Gulf of Mexico. The next day the band celebrated by penning their first song together in sound check Coast of Desperado - and quickly retreated to the white sand beach where they drank every Long Island Iced Tea they could get their hands on.
Almost immediately upon their return, the new lineup went into preproduction for their new record with acclaimed producers Bob Birch (Great Glass Elevator, East West, Pax 217) and Lumbajac (Lauren Hill, Hoodlum West, Universal Translators). Pulling both new and previous material from both artists body of work, the revamped and fully loaded CONJOB spent nearly 3 months in pre production honing what would become the tracks on their new full length album, Everybody Be Cool.
And whats the recipe behind the wax? Start with some unforgettable hooks, throw in some dirty soul fresh from the ghetto, add a big thick dollop of the phattest dance grooves youll find pumping at any club, and smooth it out with stories of heartbreak, success, redemption, love and, above all, strength. Some have called CJ a mix of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Fugees, Pink and Sublime. Others shun description entirely and just bump the tracks louder.
So while the memory of what went down in South Padre is as poignant for the band today as it was then, they are now driven as much by their music as they are by going out and promoting it (other bands may work as hard as us, but NO ONE will outwork us is the bands motto). It was Long Island Iced Teas and endless beaches in Texas now its blasting through club after club up and down the West Coast until everybody is cool ...
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ZHANINE
lead vocals
zhanine@conjobmusic.com
Heard the story of the preacher's daughter gone bad then good then settling somewhere in between? How about the one about his daughter almost getting jumped by an all girl gang in Modesto and then running for her life in her cheerleading outfit? The tale of Zhanine's life reads like fiction but is finally playing out smooth as the deep, dark sultry notes that rise from her throat. All at once a glam diva, ghetto soul sistah, and super sweet pop princess, Zha has somehow managed to keep her style as indefinable as it is accessible.
INFLUENCES: Etta James, The Beatles, AC/DC
GEAR: A microphone and killer stilettos
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WARBUX
mc
warbux@conjobmusic.com
Solo artist, co-founder of Hoodlum West and now ... member of CONJOB. A true verbal warrior who can spit lyrics in any direction, from the deepest hole in the ghetto to the biggest house party on easy street. His style is much more than just a combination of hip hop and raga - its the ultimate psychedelic mutation. His tales and rhymes flow as effortlessly as his jump shot from just inside the arc. Take note and always listen below the surface when Bux barks into that mic his next lyric just might burst your perceptions.
INFLUENCES: Wyclef Jean, Chuck D, Jimmy Cliff
GEAR: A microphone & one white towel
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KEVIN
drums
kevin@conjobmusic.com
Founding member of CJ and the resident voice of reason (does "drink more" qualify as reasonable?). Brought up in the world of crossover funk-punk, he's been groomed on the barely containable beats of Fish, Chad Smith and Steven Perkins with a large dash of Stewart Copeland to smooth the dish out. He's not quite a Libra and swears by pan searing over the bbq. You see his picture - that's really how he looks in person.
INFLUENCES: Journey, Massive Attack, The Good Time Gang
GEAR: DW Drums, Zildjian & Paiste Cymbals, Vic Firth Sticks
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CARP
bass
carp@conjobmusic.com
He's Christian and he's LOVING IT! Never has a big man been so spry on his feet and so committed to the stanky groove. He can walk it, slap the crap out of it, or simply seduce those 4 strings into submission with a flick of his fingertips. A veteran of some of the biggest local acts in OC, Carp laid down his instrument for 5 years while he pondered other areas of his existence. In the end he found CJ and gave them the funk and, truth be told, brought back the love. Praise Jesus!
INFLUENCES: 311, Sugar Hill Gang, Salt n Pepper
GEAR: Fender Jazz Bass 4 string, SWR Megagoliath 8x10 Cabinet SWR 750x Amp
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VICTORIA
keyboards & backup vocals vickie@conjobmusic.com
She's mostly called adorable by her admirers, but we just call her Vickers. She auditioned for us by running off some Van Halen licks on the ivory. Unfortunately, they were Sammy-era jams that we were somehow able to overlook. Vickie raises a lot more than the roof - she's often known to raise a cake or two and she'll bust out Christmas cookies that'll make your belly smile. She's from the east coast and though we've heard of this strange and mystical land we aren't sure it really exists. One day we hope to land in her mom's kitchen close to her homemade lasagna to find out.
INFLUENCES: Stevie Wonder, Tori Amos, Beck, Billy Joel
GEAR: Triton Studio 76-key Workstation/Sampler, microKORG Synthesizer / Vocoder
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HUBIE
guitar
hubie@conjobmusic.com
Hubie's first musical encounter involved a nylon-string multi-colored Mickey Mouse guitar. Back then, he didn't know he was holding it upside down. (But then again, neither did Hendrix.) In 2006, Hubie graduated summa cum laude from Boston's acclaimed Berklee College of Music with a Bachelor's Degree in Professional Music. In 2007 he joined CONJOB - and its been straight downhill ever since.
INFLUENCES: Prince, all 80s hair metal, Michael Jackson, Fried Yucca
GEAR: Fender American Strat & Tele, Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, Marshall JCM 2000 w/1960AC 4x12 cabinet
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