by Angel Bennett
(March 4, 1997)

Security at the Palace in Hollywood has begun to congeal for the evening as kids line up to see the last date of the Airwalk Sno-Core Tour. The month-long tour has worn the nerves of everyone on the crew, including some of the band members. After talking with tour director John Boyle, members of The Pharcyde, and Voodoo Glow Skulls, it's become evident that this tour has been pretty grueling for all involved; back to back shows, cold climates, and hammering out the logistics of a tour that combines on-mountain, daytime events with a evening concert.

"No, it's one of the easiest tours we've ever done - a piece of cake."

"Wait, did you say 'ruling' or 'grueling'?" asks an equally perplexed Yaro.

"Normal tours for us are like sixty days, plus we just finished an eight week tour two months ago so [Sno-Core] seemed like a short one," adds Keith.

Actually, I wasn't referring to the length so much as to the degree of difficulty. The other headlining bands on the bill and tour spokespeople have made reference to the fact that this tour had several rough patches. Voodoo Glow Skulls didn't play the Alaska show, the last scheduled night of the tour was canceled, and the show in Las Vegas was attended not so much by fans, but by the retailers that had acquired free tickets at the Snow Industries of America (SIA) trade show that Sno-Core was timed to coincide with.

Sno-Core was designed as a package tour geared to snowboarders and is the brainchild of Rick Bonde. He put Sno-Core together last year with Sublime and Guttermouth. This year, he joined forces with John Boyle and Eric Lochtefeld, of the Warp Tour, in an effort to take it to the next level. The result was a tour with plenty of activities and a diverse bill (face to face providing the punk ingredient, Voodoo Glow Skulls bringing in a splash of ska, and The Pharcyde rounding things out with a dose of hip hop). The show sold out in almost every town it hit. But it wasn't easy.

According to tour director John Boyle, the logistics of the tour itself were difficult to meet. In some towns however, the show was made easier by the fact that there was no geographically viable daytime counterpart. In New York City for instance, there was only the nighttime concert, but says Boyle, "the show still went off! It's very interactive. We have Sony video games set up with snowboarding games on them, we show videos between the bands, there are giveaways -- it still maintains the relationship to the snowboarding lifestyle."

Strictling speaking, the Los Angeles show was also without a day event. It was part of Board-Aid (Transworld and Lifebeat's event to raise AIDS awareness). An unfortunately small part for fans of The Pharcyde and Voodoo Glow Skulls. Each band only played for twenty minutes at Board-Aid and both were received by less than zealous crowds. As a reaction, The Pharcyde tried in vain to rile the crowd, and at the onset of Voodoo's last song, singer Frank Casillas even said, "we hate snowboarders."

The next day sound check at the Palace, I am curious to know why a band that hates snowboarders would be a part of Sno-Core. "That was just a joke. We were happy to play for Board-Aid because it's a good cause, I mean, benefit shows--that's our style, we're into that. It's just hard to play for a crowd whose attention is diverted by so many different things; people coming down the mountain and all these booths. We're used to kids going nuts. It's a bummer when people just kinda stand there," says Casillas.

The one day of Board-Aid was not the cause of Voodoo's discontent, though. "To be blunt about it, we didn't like the Sno-Core Tour," confesses Voodoo guitarist Eddy Casillas. "We weren't treated very well -- it was lots of little things, and that is why we didn't play Alaska."

The complaint is hard to ignore due to the fact that Voodoo Glow Skulls is a band that has been touring regularly for the past eight years having supported the likes of 311, No Doubt, Pennywise, and Sublime. In other words, these guys are used to heavy tours. Indeed, after a short break following Sno-Core, they'll be back on the road to promote their forthcoming album, "Baile De Los Locos" which is loosely translated as "Dance of the Crazy People."

"The shows themselves were great, it's probably one of the best tours we've done in terms of crowd response," emphasizes Casillas. "That was cool, and the other bands were great too."

The Pharcyde rocking the snow mounds. Photo: KJ of Chixdiggit

The other bands included The Pharcyde a hip hop addition to the tour. Because of the show's success, tour officials have decided to include hip hop next year as well. Directors even went so far as to say that The Pharcyde became not just an integral part, but really enveloped the whole spirit of this tour. As evidence of The Pharcyde's relevancy to Sno-Core, the last day of the tour was canceled because The Pharcyde didn't want to play two nights in a row in Los Angeles and because they are in the process of recording a new album, whereas the tour was able to play in Alaska without Voodoo Glow Skulls.

"Without The Pharcyde our show is simply not complete. Voodoo was missed [in Alaska] but Pharcyde really took in the whole vibe of what this is all about. In a time when there is so much ugliness in the world of hip hop, The Pharcyde are all about positivity."

The Pharcyde is unfazed by the status their act has achieved in the eyes of tour officials, claiming, "that has nothing to do with us."

"We just get on stage and just rock the crowd," Tre Hardson of The Pharcyde says. "I feel that everyone has contributed to the positive energy."

Trever Keith--punk rock king at the Palace. Photo: Heather Bennett

Despite the dificulties of the tour, Sno-Core was an over-all success. Most importantly, to the people who really matter, i.e. the kids paying $15 apiece, Sno-Core made good on its promise of a day of snowboarding and music to fans across the country. Was it, however, just a big promo for Airwalk?

"It is certainly a big promo for Airwalk," agrees Boyle. "Just like the Warp Tour is for Vans, and Smokin' Groves is for Dr. Martins'. The reality of it is that to put on a tour that really gives a kid more bang for his buck, requires outside income. We're really just trying to provide the kids, the fans, the snowboarders and people that live [in] this culture with a true day celebrating what they're all about; riding out on the mountain, demo-ing products, hanging with bands, riding with pros, and then coming to see the gigs."

In that respect, Sno-Core achieved what it had sought to do. The last night of the tour, the doors open to a flood of kids eager to see the bands, watch the videos and play the games. As they press towards the stage, and the lights dimm, the best part of Sno-Core---the bands -- work their magic to give the people what they want, that's what its about: the music.

Sno-Core - www.airwalk.com/sql-bin/score
face to face - www.ftof.com
Voodoo - www.expressiounius.com/voodoo/
Pharcyde - www.dvinyl.com/phar/html/phar.html