cannabisnews.com: A Musical 420 Celebration of Pot at The Queen Mary





A Musical 420 Celebration of Pot at The Queen Mary
Posted by CN Staff on April 20, 2007 at 06:12:35 PT
By Ryan Ritchie, Special to the Press-Telegram
Source: Press-Telegram 
California -- "We'd better have enough Twinkies and Ho Hos backstage," jokes Bredrin Daddys guitarist Brian Murphy. "And some milk to wash it down."Junk food might sound like an unusual backstage request for a band, but not when the group in question is performing in a pro-marijuana concert on the most celebrated day on the stoner calendar, April 20, a date known to pot smokers as four-twenty (or 4/20, 4:20 or 420).
The date has been designated by pot smokers for years as a time to light up. Among the several theories as to the origin of this date, the one chosen by stoners magazine High Times is that it came from a group of 1970s teenagers from San Rafael who smoked after school at 4:20 p.m. The events planned tonight locally and nationwide suggest the counterculture holiday is gaining momentum.The biggest local four-twenty event takes place tonight at the Queen Mary.Dubbed the Smoke on the Water Festival, the show includes performances by weed-friendly hip-hop/rock hybrid Kottonmouth Kings, Long Beach reggae/hip-hip/ rock group Bredrin Daddys, hip-hop group Kingspade (featuring members of the Kottonmouth Kings), rapper Sen Dog from Cypress Hill and Hermosa Beach artist Dogboy.Co-promoter Scott Tucker says he and his partner are steering clear of any potential controversy."We're not in any way supporting drug use," Tucker says, "but I won't stop working with bands because there's a stigma about them. There are no sponsors affiliated with the show that are drug-oriented and we're in no way promoting or denouncing the drug culture. This is a music event just like any other night. New Year's Eve is a big alcohol event and nobody says anything about that."Taking their name from the dry sensation that often occurs after smoking, Kottonmouth Kings has released more than 10 records on its Suburban Noize record label. The company and band are led by Brad "Daddy X" Xavier, who describes his group as a mix of action sports and diverse music that reflects Southern California lifestyle. Xavier says he and his band members think the laws affecting smoking pot are unjust."Somewhere along the way," Xavier says, "propaganda turned the hemp plant into an evil plant. It seems like society has turned nature to be evil. It's still demonized, yet war, guns and pharmaceutical drugs are still legal."Kottonmouth Kings' outspoken beliefs have yet to cause the group any real harm, Xavier says. In a day and age when mainstream artists in every medium are controlled by publicists and major corporations, Xavier says his band isn't afraid to speak its mind on any issue."Do we still have freedom of speech in America?" Xavier asks. "Absolutely. We don't operate in fear; we spread awareness. We're proponents of free speech, and we utilize it. We're entertainers first and foremost; the act is secondary. I still realize it's against the law, but I don't think you're a criminal for smoking a little herb. I think there are a lot worse things in this world than Kottonmouth Kings, like war. We're mild by comparison."Although not nearly as upfront about the issue, Murphy says his long-running seven-piece band has close ties to the marijuana counterculture as well."We are a reggae band," Murphy says. "A good third of our set is dub reggae, and obviously there's a theme to that. It's in the same vein, but we don't push it in people's faces. We let them know we don't have a problem with it and don't denounce it toward whoever would be partial to that type of culture or lifestyle."Ryan Ritchie is a Long Beach freelance writer.Source: Long Beach Press-Telegram (CA)Author: Ryan Ritchie, Special to the Press-TelegramPublished: April 20, 2007Copyright: 2007 Los Angeles Newspaper GroupContact: speakout presstelegram.comWebsite: http://www.presstelegram.com/CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml
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