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Candlebox enjoys second chance

By Gary C.W. Chun

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Aug 07, 2009

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It's a revitalized Candlebox that'll be playing tonight at the Pipeline Cafe, even though the Seattle band's current tour started last year.

In Hawaii since last week for an interisland tour of Maui yesterday, Oahu tonight and the Big Island tomorrow, singer Kevin Martin and the band are happy to be here. The extensive tour to support their latest album, "Into the Sun," is basically to remind their fans that Candlebox is first and foremost a band best heard in concert.

Plus, "you gotta pay the rent," Martin said half-jokingly by phone last Friday from the band's Missouri tour stop.

"We've taken a few weeks off here and there," he said, "but generally we don't like to stop -- if you got the momentum, don't break it."

Almost lost during the glorious flannel-and-grunge years of the early '90s, Candlebox did make a name for itself with its straightforward rock work on earlier hits "Far Behind" and "You." The band's latest album, released last year, has garnered the singles "Stand" (which admittedly sounds a bit grungey at times) and "Miss You," a powerhouse ballad dedicated to the U.S. military men and women serving abroad.

"We knew we had to make a record after we came back," Marin said.

CANDLEBOX WITH LOCAL OPENERS PIMPBOT

» Where: Pipeline Cafe, 805 Pohukaina St.

» When: 10 p.m. today

» Cost: $35 general admission, $70 VIP

» Info: 877-714-7668 or www.groovetickets.com

 
After being together for a decade, Candlebox broke up in 2000. When Martin later rejoined forces with guitarist Peter Klett and bassist Adam Kury, "we had to take our time. For us it was really refiguring out who we are as a band. When we did our side projects, it was a time to learn about ourselves apart for Candlebox."

Martin said the original breakup of the band was centered around getting out of a recording contract with Madonna's Maverick Records, "but it backfired and we ended up locked into legal battles for four years."

The guys in Candlebox, if nothing else, have aged well.

"We have a different kind of respect for what we do in the band," Martin said. "When we first got back together in the recording studio, it was like we never quit. And it's a lot easier to make records now, without a major label spending what felt like millions of dollars to promote us. We've having a lot more fun with each other.

Candlebox
www.candleboxrocks.com
"We do it all ourselves -- we run our MySpace page because we knew had to do that once we got back together. In our reaching out to our fans, I feel they're a lot more valuable to us. It's about mutual respect, and we're glad they've helped us continue our career as a band.

"It's funny, the people that do come to our shows, half of the audience is 30-plus and the other is 14 and up," Martin said. "It's nice that after doing it for 18 years, we've made great friends and relationships through this band. The fans respect our sincerity. They still come, and thank God that I got a second chance at the age of 38."

 

It's a revitalized Candlebox that'll be playing tonight at the Pipeline Cafe, even though the Seattle band's current tour started last year.


In Hawaii since last week for an interisland tour of Maui yesterday, Oahu tonight and the Big Island tomorrow, singer Kevin Martin and the band are happy to be here. The extensive tour to support their latest album, "Into the Sun," is basically to remind their fans that Candlebox is first and foremost a band best heard in concert.

Plus, "you gotta pay the rent," Martin said half-jokingly by phone last Friday from the band's Missouri tour stop.

"We've taken a few weeks off here and there," he said, "but generally we don't like to stop -- if you got the momentum, don't break it."

Almost lost during the glorious flannel-and-grunge years of the early '90s, Candlebox did make a name for itself with its straightforward rock work on earlier hits "Far Behind" and "You." The band's latest album, released last year, has garnered the singles "Stand" (which admittedly sounds a bit grungey at times) and "Miss You," a powerhouse ballad dedicated to the U.S. military men and women serving abroad.

"We knew we had to make a record after we came back," Marin said.

CANDLEBOX WITH LOCAL OPENERS PIMPBOT

» Where: Pipeline Cafe, 805 Pohukaina St.

» When: 10 p.m. today

» Cost: $35 general admission, $70 VIP

» Info: 877-714-7668 or www.groovetickets.com

 
After being together for a decade, Candlebox broke up in 2000. When Martin later rejoined forces with guitarist Peter Klett and bassist Adam Kury, "we had to take our time. For us it was really refiguring out who we are as a band. When we did our side projects, it was a time to learn about ourselves apart for Candlebox."

Martin said the original breakup of the band was centered around getting out of a recording contract with Madonna's Maverick Records, "but it backfired and we ended up locked into legal battles for four years."

The guys in Candlebox, if nothing else, have aged well.

"We have a different kind of respect for what we do in the band," Martin said. "When we first got back together in the recording studio, it was like we never quit. And it's a lot easier to make records now, without a major label spending what felt like millions of dollars to promote us. We've having a lot more fun with each other.

Candlebox
www.candleboxrocks.com
"We do it all ourselves -- we run our MySpace page because we knew had to do that once we got back together. In our reaching out to our fans, I feel they're a lot more valuable to us. It's about mutual respect, and we're glad they've helped us continue our career as a band.

"It's funny, the people that do come to our shows, half of the audience is 30-plus and the other is 14 and up," Martin said. "It's nice that after doing it for 18 years, we've made great friends and relationships through this band. The fans respect our sincerity. They still come, and thank God that I got a second chance at the age of 38."

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