UGLY KID JOE was a rock band from Isla Vista, California. The band’s name was a pun on the glam hair band PRETTY BOY FLOYD. Unlike other garage bands, UKJ's sound touched on a range of styles, including: hard rock, southern, funk, rap and thrash. In conclusion to the band's overall sound and vision, the members of the band have cited many times, that they were simply a manifestation of their environment and lifestyles — mounting from their geographic location of Southern California.UKJ enjoyed popularity in the early to mid 1990s with their mix of sarcastic humor and metal sound. Their logo was a cartoon embodiment of an “ugly kid†wearing a backward baseball hat and giving the finger.UGLY KID JOE first gained success with “Everything About You,†which peaked at number three on the Billboard Top 100 Singles chart [enjoying 20 weeks on the charts] and was later used in the movie Wayne's World. Further singles did not fare as well; however, the positive response to the band’s live performance of HARRY CHAPIN’s “Cat's in the Cradle†prompted a studio version and was subsequently released as a well-received single that sold over 500,000 copies in the United States alone and spent 20 weeks peaking at number six on the BB Top 100 Singles chart.UKJ toured the US several times; their second tour was in support of SCATTERBRAIN, and later opening for former BLACK SABBATH vocalist and mentor OZZY OSBOURNE. Heavily influenced by BLACK SABBATH and AC/DC, they covered several of their songs, including, “Sweet Leaf,†"Sin City" and “N.I.B.â€After a world tour in support of their 1992 full-length album America's Least Wanted [which peaked at number 29 on the Billboard Top 200 chart], the band searched around for a replacement drummer, as MARK DAVIS left to pursue a life away from the spotlight. DAVIS was eventually replaced by SHANNON LARKIN, formerly of the metal band SOULS AT ZERO. His contributions led to a grittier sound for the second album Menace to Sobriety, released in the Summer of 1995.
Menace to Sobriety received much praise from the press and fans, and UK rock magazine Kerrang! ranked it as a contender for “Album of the Year.†Despite success overseas and a successful European tour, the album was given little encouragement from Mercury Records and subsequently failed in the United States.
After parting amicably with Mercury Records, UGLY KID JOE formed their own independent label Evilution Records [with marketing and distribution support from Castle Records], which spawned the 1996 release of Motel California.Shortly after the release of Motel California, UKJ toured Europe to smaller crowds in support of what became UKJ's final studio album. The tour was named “Late Check-Out Tour,†underlining the band's characteristic sense of humor. Motel California, an album singer WHIT CRANE described as "heavy, funky and has everything in it," initially received lukewarm reviews and sold poorly, though it has gained a minor cult following in recent times.
UGLY KID JOE officially disbanded in December 1996. As of 2007, they have not expressed plans for reuniting.
DISCOGRAPHY (year, EP/CD, label):
1991 — As Ugly As They Wanna Be (EP) — Stardog
1992 — America's Least Wanted — Stardog
1995 — Menace to Sobriety — Mercury
1996 — Motel California — Evilution
1998 — The Very Best of Ugly Kid Joe: As Ugly as It Gets — Polygram
2002 — The Collection — Spectrum
