Tim Melideo/OC Weekly

​Why are we so into the Aquabats? It might be because their show, which airs on the Hub Saturdays at 8 a.m., is hilarious. (Have you seen it? It would do you good to record it on your DVR.) And of course there's the fact that the members of the Aquabats are really nice guys. So, yeah, after we published our cover story "To the Bat's Head," we realized we had an Aquabats hangover and had to make a video of what happened behind the scenes. Watch it after the jump.More >>

Tim Melideo/OC Weekly

​Eagle "Bones" Falconhawk, known to the real world as Ian Fowles, is the newest member of the sonic shredder and Aquabats guitarist.
Fowles joined the Aquabats in 2006, and the guitarist (who, FYI, is also an author) was best known as the guitarist for the hardcore punk band Death by Stereo before he started  playing with the band of wacky superheroes and wearing an aqua rashguard. (And no, he says he had no prior acting experience before the band.)
If you hadn't seen the show, which airs on the Hub Saturdays at 8 a.m., Fowles' character Eagle "Bones" Falconhawk has an electric guitar that shoots sonic energy beams, and with the assistance of an invisible bird named Dude, he can fly. Because of his hollow, bird-like bones, Eagle Bones is easily crippled in battle, but he can heal himself quickly.
As part of our cover story "To the Bat's Head," we talked to Folwes about his personal history with the Aquabats. Read on after the jump.
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The Aquabats and Reel Big Fish have a long history together; they started out playing the same lineups in the third-wave ska revival of the '90s, and supported each other through the years. Most recently, the two bands toured together in 2010, to the delight of many fans dying to relive 1997. Wikipedia claims that "among The Aquabats' hundreds of cadets is Reel Big Fish lead singer Aaron Barrett, who can be seen wearing a cadet patch in the music video for Reel Big Fish's "Party Down." Barrett confirms his love for the Aquabats in an interview; check out what he says about the band--and their upcoming show--after the jump.

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This week's cover

​This week's cover story on the Aquabats and their new TV show for the Hub, The Aquabats! Super Show! will debut this weekend on Saturday, 8 a.m.
Now, the Aquabats are no stranger to many OC fans, having been crucial part of the third-wave ska revival of th 1990s. But more than that, the band's frontman Christian Jacobs, aka MC Bat Commander, made a name for himself as co-creator of Yo Gabba Gabba.

His success with Yo Gabba Gabba breathed new life into the idea of an Aquabats TV show--a project that he's wanted to do since the mid-'90s, as this 5-minute pilot, made in 1999, will show. 

Check it out after the jump.
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Tim Melideo/OC Weekly

Christian Jacobs

​Our upcoming cover story on the Aquabats and their new TV show for the Hub, The Aquabats! Super Show! debuting this weekend led to a ton of research on Christian Jacobs, aka MC Bat Commander, Aquabats frontman and co-creator of Yo Gabba Gabba.

One of the more interesting things about him (and there are a LOT of little trivia tidbits to know) is that the 40-year-old father of four was a pretty busy child actor in the '80s and '90s.

He says, "Most of my childhood going on auditions for commercials and TV shows; I'd get home from school then drive to auditions...I know my way around LA really well because of ...constantly driving in traffic and going to different auditions."

After the jump, five of Jacobs' roles that you'll be surprised to see.


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Andrew Youssef/OC Weekly

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Lest you forget about last week's cover on Irvine post-hardcore band Thrice, we've unearthed some pretty cool portions of the interview with the Breckenridge brothers that didn't make it onto print. Here, both Eddie and Riley talk about how the band evolved musically, and dissect each album as a chapter of the band's life.

From the Illusion of Safety to this week's release, Major/Minor, Thrice are always trying new things. Eddie explains, "We're always trying to do better on each record too. It makes the process--although self defeating--enjoyable." As Riley adds, "Making music is not a math equation." See how they've applied those theorems to their albums after the jump.

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​In this week's issue, post-hardcore band Thrice graces our cover to talk about their their journey as a band and as family men prior to the release of their latest album, Major/Minor (Vagrant)--click here to read the story in its entirety.

We hung out with their kids, watched their live shows and met their parents--and we have all that on video and in photos! (Oh, and you should definitely start reading drummer Riley Breckenridge's column "3hree Things" if you haven't yet.)
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Miguel Vasconcellos/OC Weekly

Parker Macy's Creme Tangerine. Click to see more Orange County record stores.

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