Isabelle's Gift

Do you remember Rock n' Roll Radio? Before the shoe gazers and the multi-platinum crap pop acts... before "nu-metal" and the pseudo rap wannabe gangstas?

Well, Isabelle's Gift does, and they're hell-bent on beating it into everyone's heads like there's no tomorrow.

The band originated back in 90-something as a result of five guys' frustration with radio and their common love for everything Sabbath, Skynyrd, Sex Pistols, and Sub Pop. A few lineup changes and five independent releases later, Isabelle's Gift continue to wreak havoc on the American acceptance of watered down, cookie cutter bands with a live show that is never lacking in blood, sweat, and alcohol.

They have already done countless tours in smoke-filled vans all over the country spreading the gospel of their 150 proof "too punk for metal, too metal for punk" rock n' roll and opening for such national acts as Marilyn Manson, Brand New Sin, CKY, Godsmack, Kid Rock, and the Bloodhound Gang. The destruction will continue in the 2006 release of their new album, "American Idle."

Isabelle's Gift was formed in 1991 as a punk band. We've gone through several lineup changes over the years honing our craft and kicking out the guys who couldn't handle their drugs. We've toured with Bloodhound Gang, Nerf Herder and Brand New Sin. We've opened for Marilyn Manson, LA Guns, Warrant, Suicidal Tendencies, The Dwarves, Love Battery, Kyuss, Gwar, Hootie and the Blowfish, David Allen Coe, Anti-Seen, Corrosion Of Conformity, Kid Rock, Vanilla Ice (Swear to fucking god...)Godsmack and Nashville Pussy just to name a few.

We feel that our music is a mixture of what made Guns N Roses, Motley Crue and Twisted Sister great combined with the song structures of bands like Kyuss, Queens Of The Stoneage and Tool wrapped into shorter, more punk influenced songs. We'd like to think is Skynyrd had some punk records this is what they'd sound like. Then again, we'd all like bigger dicks, too...

The name was pulled out of a hat weeks before our first show. Our bassist at the time was pretty sure he'd contacted an STD and kept referring to it as his "Gift". He didn't seem worried enough to go to a doctor...but was very forthcoming about his symptoms. We made up "Isabelle" because is sounded effeminate...something we really we not at the time. Now we hate it 'cos it sounds like a hippy band, but enough people know us that the good folks at our label won't let us change it.

On a side-note, one of the names that didn't get picked was "Pigskin". Months earlier I was playing pool with Kurt Cobain at the 40 Watt Club in Athens GA and when I mentioned the name he said he'd wanted to call a song that and we promised each other we'd both use it. Obviously, neither of us did.