TRAVIS LANDON BARKER

Travis Landon Barker (born November 14, 1975) is an American drummer and the current drummer for pop punk trio Blink-182. He has also been a drummer for several side projects including +44, Box Car Racer, Transplants and Expensive Taste.
In 1996, Barker joined his first touring band, playing drums for The Aquabats as The Baron Von Tito. He recorded one album with them, The Fury of the Aquabats!, in 1997. His career took off when he joined up with pop punk band, Blink-182 in 1998. Barker became known for his mohawk and his tendency to perform shirtless, revealing a multitude of tattoos. Barker has since established himself as a versatile drummer, producing and making guest appearances in music projects of numerous music genres including hip-hop, punk rock, alternative rock, ska, pop and even country. He has gained significant acceptance within the hip-hop community in particular and often collaborates with artists to compose rock-tinged remixes to their songs. He founded clothing company Famous Stars and Straps in 1999 and LaSalle Records in 2004. Companies such as DC Shoes and Zildjian cymbals have co-designed products in his name.

Barker's marriage to former Miss USA Shanna Moakler was featured in MTV's Meet the Barkers (2005–2006). His marriage and personal life have been considerable media fodder following his divorce and a brief relationship with Hilton Hotel heiress Paris Hilton in 2006. In early 2009, Barker and Moakler decided to get back together. On April 1, 2009, reps for both Barker and Moakler confirmed they had split following an argument at their home which required police attention. The argument was said to be caused after Barker confronted Moakler about her allegedly having an affair with Gerard Butler while he was recovering from his plane crash. Moakler's reps deny any reports of an affair. Barker also has a vast and unique collection of ghetto blasters and is a self-proclaimed car enthusiast.

MUSIC CARREER

Blink-182 (1998–2005, 2009–present)

n 1996, Barker began touring with The Aquabats, under the stage name "The Baron Von Tito". Blink-182 was also on the bill, and when then-drummer Scott Raynor was removed from the band, Barker was asked to fill in. This required him to learn the entire set (over 20 songs) in less than two hours and perform them at that night's show, in addition to playing a set with The Aquabats. His efforts earned him an offer to join Blink-182, which Barker accepted.
With Barker, Blink-182 released their best selling album to date, Enema of the State (1999), followed by Take off Your Pants and Jacket (2001), and Blink-182 (2003). After Barker drummed for Blink-182 for seven years, the band split up in February 2005.
In an interview with TMZ, regarding a reunion, Barker states "We're all friends" and "Everyone's getting along pretty good."
At the 2009 Grammys, Blink 182 announced they were getting back together.

Side projects (2002–2009)

Barker said he has always been interested in many genres of music outside of punk rock, especially hip-hop. In a 2002 interview with MTV he said, "I probably listen to more hip-hop and drum'n'bass than I do punk rock music.". Not being able to explore these interests within Blink-182, Barker participated in two hip hop related side projects during that the time: Transplants and Expensive Taste.
Box Car Racer is a side project begun with Tom DeLonge of Blink-182 in 2002. This project resulted in one self-titled album which was released that year. DeLonge said he asked Barker to play drums so that he wouldn't have to find and pay a session drummer to come in.

Transplants is a hip-hop induced punk band for which Barker partnered with Tim Armstrong of Rancid and Rob Aston (former roadie for Rancid). Transplants released two studio records as well as a remixed version of their second album which was chopped and screwed by rapper and hip-hop artist, Paul Wall.[7] The first album released by Transplants was their self-titled album in 2002. The second Transplants record, Haunted Cities, was released by LaSalle Records in June 2005. After the Vans Warped Tour of 2005, the members decided to disband. This was confirmed by vocalist Rob Aston in January 2006 during an interview


Barker has produced or worked on albums with the Black Eyed Peas, Pink and Pharrell. He appears on Bun B's album, Trill (2005) with Skinhead Rob for the bonus track, "Late Night Creepin'". In 2006 he was a producer on T.I.'s fourth album, King. Also in 2006 he played drums for several songs on Avril Lavigne's third album, "The Best Damn Thing".He also dueted with Rihanna on a remix of her hit "Umbrella", he also appeared in her video.
In late 2005 Barker started a new band, +44 with fellow Blink-182 member Mark Hoppus and in 2006, he and Rob Aston joined Paul Wall in forming a new hip hop group called Expensive Taste.

Barker made a very well received remix of Soulja Boy's "Crank That". In a similar fashion to the Soulja Boy remix, he has also remixed Flo Rida's single "Low" that was later included within the deluxe version of Flo Rida's debut album. Barker is a playable character in Guitar Hero: World Tour and his remix of "Low" is available as downloadable content. Barker is also featured on The Game's latest album, L.A.X., drumming on the song "Dope Boys."
He was the drummer for all of the performers in the MTV Video Music Awards of 2008 including Kid Rock and LL Cool J.
In May 2009, Matt Sorum revealed that Barker will appear on Slash's upcoming solo album.

EQUIPMENT

Barker is now sponsored by Orange County Drum and Percussion and Zildjian
Latest drum kit (2008–2009)

•Drums - Black Acrylic w/50% offset Lugs

o 10x8" Tom
o 12x10" Tom
o 16x14" Floor Tom
o 18x16" Floor Tom
o 24x24" Bass drum
o 14x6.5" Orange County Stainless steel/nickle snare

•Cymbals - Zildjian

o 14" A custom Mastersound Hi-hats
o 21" Avedis "Sweet" Ride Brilliant
o 10" A custom Splash
o 19" A Custom Rezo Crash
o 19" A custom Projection Crash

Barker uses DW 9000 Series Hardware, Remo Emperor X Snare Heads and Remo weather king emperor Heads on his toms, Roland Electronics and his signature Zildjian sticks.

Drop Dead Gorgeous

Mereka merilis EP pertama mereka, Be Mine, Valentine pada Rise Records pada Januari 2006 ketika setengah dari band ini masih di sekolah menengah, diikuti oleh mereka penuh panjang album pertama di bulan Mei 2006, Dalam Vogue. Mereka awalnya hanya wisata selama 3 bulan di Amerika Serikat dan Kanada melalui karena keduanya guitarists dan drum mereka tidak lulus SMA. Pada tahun 2006, mereka menandatangani ke Geffen / Suretone Records, dan mereka adalah untuk merekam baru dihasilkan oleh Dennis Lomet. Download Drop Dead Gorgeous The Hot and Heavy Here >>

CONVERSE COLLABORATIONS WITH MUSICIANS PINK FLOYD, OZZY OSBOURNE AND THE WHO

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – January 22, 2009 - Converse debuts collaborations with legendary British Rock artists Pink Floyd, Ozzy Osbourne and The Who. Iconic band graphics and visuals inspire this unique collection of Converse shoe designs that celebrate pioneering bands that disrupted the status-quo and changed music forever. With deep roots in music and rock & roll, Converse has collaborated with numerous artists that represent musical visionaries of the past, present and future. The Converse British Rock series maximizes the indelible imprints of each band on music and culture and the imagery that accompanied their rise. The series is designed for fans of each band as well as music fans of all types to rock in their own way.

Pink Floyd

The Pink Floyd collection takes you through three crucial albums in the discography of one of the most visually and sonically distinct bands of all time that transcended generations. Graphics from the album and psychedelic masterpiece Dark Side of the Moon grace black Chuck Taylor All Star and Jack Purcell shoes with rainbow reflecting prisms and EKG lines accenting these stand-out sneakers. The album Animals is the inspiration for a spacey version of a Chuck Taylor All Star shoe with the Pink Floyd logo running up the heel stripe and the album’s famous imagery of a pig floating in the clouds on the shoe’s upper. The unsettling image of a flaming businessman shaking the hand of another from the album artwork of Wish You Were Here is screened onto the upper of a Chuck Taylor All Star shoe and is as arresting as the album itself. The shoe’s flip-side features the iconic image of a businessman on a sand dune holding a record album. The Chuck Taylor All Star shoes come in high top black/multi, black/white and white/black/pink canvas. Jack Purcell shoes come in high and oxford black/multi leather versions. Shoes in this collection retail for MSRP $50 - $100 and will be available nationwide at specialty retailers, department stores and online at www.converse.com beginning in March.

Ozzy Osbourne

As one of the key instigators of the Heavy Metal genre, Ozzy inspired generations of fist-pumping rockers. Osbourne’s career began with England’s pioneering Black Sabbath. He soon created his own enthralling brand of onstage madness that transformed him from an eccentric character into a musical icon. The high-top versions of the Chuck Taylor All Star shoes in this collection include Ozzy himself scrawled all over the upper in drawings representing an angel, the devil and is accented with the Ozzy logo emblazoned on the tongue. Shoes in this collection retail for MSRP $50 and will be available nationwide at specialty retailers, department stores and online at www.converse.com beginning in February.

The Who

From their earliest mod genesis to their legendary on-stage angst, the images and iconography of The Who is a showcase of British rock in all its glory and the inspiration for The Who Converse Chuck Taylor All Star shoes in this collection. Featuring cool Britannia colors, the mod bulls-eye graphic and The Who logo make up a simple high and a oxford version of shoes that look like they are made for scooters and parkas. The Union Jack embraces the entire upper of a high-top version in a sneaker that would make any anglophile proud. And the iconic image of Pete Townshend cradling his guitar whilst in a rock-inspired leap quietly conveys all that is rock and roll. Shoes in this collection retail for MSRP $50 - $55 and will be available nationwide at specialty retailers, department stores and online at www.converse.com beginning in January.

About Converse

Converse Inc., based in N. Andover, Massachusetts, is a wholly owned subsidiary of NIKE, Inc. Established in 1908, the Converse brand has built a reputation as “America’s Original Sports Company”™ and has been associated with a rich heritage of legendary shoes such as the Chuck Taylor All Star shoe, the Jack Purcell shoe and the One Star shoe. Today, Converse offers a diverse portfolio including premium lifestyle men's and women's footwear and apparel. Converse product is sold globally by retailers in over 160 countries and through 35 company-owned retail locations in the U.S. For more information, visit Converse on the web at www.converse.com.

CONVERSE The Legend

Who does not know the Converse? Yes, a shoe brand that is not eaten out of time,Converse is an American shoe company that has been making shoes since the early 20th century.

The Beginning

Sometime in 1908, Marquis Mills Converse decided to start a rubber shoe company, bypassing a rubber trust that prevented most companies from doing business directly with their retailers. Early catalogs bragged about how many trucks left the Converse factory in Malden, Massachusetts, delivering product directly to stores in Boston. Mr. Converse’s idea worked. But more importantly, it survived.

1908-1918

In 1913, Converse produced a catalog with the following words: “Our company was organized in 1908 fully believing that there was an earnest demand from the retail shoe dealer for a rubber shoe company that would be independent enough not to follow every other company in every thing they do.” Those words would prove prophetic. Always a brand for those independent enough not to follow, the young company would take up with a young sport: Basketball. Also, Converse made tires. But the basketball shoes gained more traction.

1918-1928

Chuck Taylor joins the Converse Rubber Company. How it happened remains lost to history, but the reason isn’t: Chuck Taylor loved basketball and desired nothing so much as to spread of the word of the new game and sell the sneakers it required.

1928-1938

By the time he lent his name to his signature badminton shoe in 1935, Jack Purcell had won five consecutive Canadian championships and been declared the world badminton champion. The Jack Purcell sneaker retains the legacy of its namesake and the feel of his sport.

1938-1948

World War II provided Converse with a singular opportunity. Many products destined for servicemen overseas now became a focus of Converse manufacturing. The product range included footwear, apparel, boots for pilots and army servicemen, parkas, and rubber protective suits and ponchos.

1948-1958

The invention of Rock & Roll. It was loud, lewd, filthy and everything everyone who feared it said it was. It was also a movement in search of a uniform: It found the leather jacket, the blue jean and the high-top sneaker. Interestingly enough, right about this time, the high-top sneaker was around for the birth of something else: The National Basketball Association.

1958-1968

A decade of change — for everybody. Rock & Roll and pro basketball grew up (in Chucks), and All Stars finally came in colors. In tumultuous times, legends are born — and from a green and white basketball team to a British invasion, from rooftops to alfalfa fields, Converse was along for the ride.

1968-1978

Somewhere right around 1974, the All Star sneaker got a little bit of a makeover. Remade in colorful suede with a big, bold star on the side, it was built for basketball—but there was something about its brashness and brightness that would make it irresistible to a generation of rockers, skaters and rebellious souls. Then around ’76 came the Pro Leather, an instant favorite in a time when the game needed a vibe.

1978-1988

An immediate on-court favorite, the Weapon sneaker became almost universally favored by professional, college and high school teams throughout the 1980s and ’90s. In 1986, Converse launched the “Choose Your Weapon” ad campaign, featuring two of the game’s biggest rivals wearing one of the game’s biggest shoes. Over 20 years later, the legacy of Weapon — and its place in sport and culture — continues to challenge the competition.

1988-1998

First came Grandmama. That was a big deal. Then, in 1996, Converse had a hit on its hands with a basketball shoe called the All Star 2000. It was the first attempt at replicating the Chuck Taylor All Star sneaker for contemporary competition, and there was something about its ankle patch, red midsole stripe and no-nonsense approach to the game that at least 1 million people couldn’t resist.

1998-2008

The brand enters its second century by honoring its heritage of seeing things a little differently, loving people who want to change the world for the better, and basically celebrating the spirit of rebellion and originality in basketball, Rock & Roll and anywhere else you find it.
And there you have it — for now… The best stories are the ones that don’t end — the ones you just keep adding to and adding to — all the while marveling at the creative, disruptive, optimistic, courageous ways things evolve from being what they were, to what they are, to what they will become.

Bali At A Glimpse

People ask, “ How does Bali really look like ?” It would take an entire book to answer this question and words alone could not describe this island of paradise.

At this time, we are only able to provide photographs of the natural beauty along with their explanations. Bali is not only renowned for this but also, the culture and peoples are equally fascinating. One look,followed with a visit and maybe you’ll believe in its beauty.

ARCH ENEMY Will Burn Jakarta Stage

Arch enemy hold a concert in Indonesia, hopefully there is no cancellation,

ARCH ENEMY guitarist Michael Amott and bassist Sharlee D'Angelo were interviewed by the "Metal Eye" show on Z1 TV when the band performed in Zagreb, Croatia on May 24, 2009. Watch the chat below. Also available is performance footage from the concert.

ARCH ENEMY will return to Australia in November for a phenomenal headlining tour. Direct support on the dates will come from New York death metal legends SUFFOCATION. Also appearing on the bill is WINDS OF PLAGUE.

The first two Century Media releases from ARCH ENEMY — "Stigmata" (1998) and "Burning Bridges" (1999) — will be reissued in North America on August 11, 2009, featuring new layouts, additional slipcase packaging, multiple bonus tracks (including live tracks from Japan featuring former vocalist Johan Liiva) and much more. The titles will be available in Europe on May 25, 2009.

Swedish/German extreme metallers ARCH ENEMY have scheduled the following Asian tour dates:

Oct. 17 - Loud Park 09 at Makuhari Messe - Tokyo, Japan
Oct. 18 - Liberty Square - Taipei, Taiwan
Oct. 20 - World Trade Center - Manila, Philippines
Oct. 21 - Hitec Auditorium - Kowloon, Hong Kong
Oct. 23 - The Star Live House - Beijing, China
Oct. 25 - [to be announced] - Seoul, Republic of Korea
Oct. 28 - Senayan Tennis Indoor Stadium - Jakarta, Indonesia

Bali Geography

Bali is a small fertile island midway along the string of islands which makes up the Indonesian archipelago, stretching from Sumatra in the north-west to Irian Jaya, on the border of Papua New Guinea, in the South-east. Bali is volcanically active and extravagantly fertile. Bali has an area of 5620 sq km, measures approximately 140 km by 80 km and is just 8 degrees south of the equator. Gunung Agung known as the 'mother mountain' is over 3000 meters.

South and north of the central mountains are Bali's fertile agricultural lands. The southern region is a wide, gently sloping area where most of Bali's abundant rice crop is grown. The south-central area is the true rice basket of the Island. The northern coastal strip is narrower, rising more rapidly into the foothills of the central range, but the main export crops - coffee, copra and rice - are grown here. Cattle are also raised in this area.