Andrew Champion

Andrew "Champion" (born: Andrew Jennati Ataie on June 4th, 1970) is a notable East Bay California vocalist who sang in such bands as Screw 32, Hopelifter, End Of The World, Shadowboxer, Highwire Days, two stints in the Dance Hall Crashers early incarnations, and most recently Curse The Cannons.

Biography

Growing up in the East Bay straightedge and hardcore community in San Ramon and Berkeley Andrew was involved in that scene as well as the San Francisco scene of the early eighties prior to the East Bay hitting the map in the mid to late eighties. Working as a volunteer in almost every capacity at the Gilman Street project, Andrew was closely tied to the club and was at the first show and attended shows there religiously for over ten years. Close friends with Tim Armstrong of Operation Ivy Andrew would later live with him and Brett Reed at the Adeline Street house just as Screw 32 was gaining steam and Rancid was really taking off in the early and mid nineties.

Andrew was a seminal member of U.S. Thugs gaining the name 'Champion' when he had rushed to get a tattoo for the crews' original name (The 'East Bay Champions') and being the only one to get the tattoo prior to the final choice of U.S. Thugs (Lars went to the tattoo shop in San Francisco but didn't have enough money to get the tattoo by Daniel Higgs of Lungfish fame), the name stuck as Andrew's stage name. He later had a falling out with some of the members of U.S. Thugs and had his tattoo covered but to this day will support anything done by the organization and stands by his friends who are still involved.

His vocal style has been likened to Shawn Brown, Dave Smalley, Dave Vanian, and others with a vibrato singing style while still being straightforward and 'Edgey'. Originally wanting to be a drummer (borrowing the black drum set from the music room at the high school he attended) Andrew switched to vocals when the singer for his first band didn't show up for practice and the rest is history. Having spent some time in England as a teenager (Living in East Grinstead in southern England with his mother and brother as part of a school exchange and also living there for a little while when he was very young) Andrew was heavily influenced by early eighties and late seventies punk and power-pop music as well as more obvious genres like new wave and rock. Having moved all over California, Andrew now resides in Santa Cruz but always is quick to refer to the East Bay area as home. Always involved in music in one way or another it's just a matter of time before another project begins.

Discography

This is only a small part of the total catalog of vocal recordings featuring 'Andrew Champion', there are also many other compilations, singles, and endless vocal contributions to other MusicAL projects that are not listed here.

• 1994: 7" "Tightrope" (Scooters Records)
• 1994: 7" "Why Are We So [...] Up All The Time?" (Harvest Records)
• 1995: 7" EP comp. 'This Is Berkeley, Not The West Bay' (Zafio Records)
• 7" " Best Revenge" - Side One (Dummy Records)
• 7" "No Love" (The Big Boys cover song) Pus Head records (recorded but unreleased)
• 1995: LP Unresolved Childhood Issues (Wingnut Records)
• 7" Youth Brigade Split, "Spys Like Us" (BYO Records)
• 1998: 7" EP End Of The World (Cheetahs Records)
• 1996: LP 'Under The Influence Of Bad People' (Fat Wreck Chords)
• 2000: EP 'Anthem'- Hopelifter
• 2001: EP 'North Of The...' - Hopelifter
• 2003: LP Self Titled - Highwire Days
• 2005: LP Shadowboxer The Dark At The End Of The Tunnel (Coldfront Records)
• The Smiths Tribute CD, 'You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby' (cover)