Strung Out Ups Punk Ante in Costa Rica

In a nod to Costa Rica’s young and growing punk scene, the hard-charging yet melodic skate band Strung Out will be rocking Planet Mall, in the eastern suburb of San Pedro, Feb. 3, and then the Malpaís Surf and Sport Camp, on the southern Nicoya Peninsula, Feb. 5.

A bastion in the punk scene for more than a decade, the Southern California band helped build the launch pad for current pop punk sensations Blink 182, Good Charlotte, Simple Plan and My Chemical Romance.

Since forming in 1992, the band has sold more than 500,000 albums – all independently, on the legendary Fat Wreck Chords record label – and has toured with modern punk heroes Bad Religion, NOFX, Pennywise, Papa Roach, The Offspring and many others. They were also featured in the 1996 and 1998 Vans Warped Tours, a circus of punk and hip-hop music and extreme sports that tours the United States.

In 2004, Strung Out released its fifth album,“Exile in Oblivion,” produced by Matt Hyde, who is known for his work with Slayer, No Doubt, Sublime, Sum 41 and the production of the soundtracks for “The Crow,” “XXX” and “I Know What You Did Last Summer.”

The show is an important boost to the punk and underground rock scene in Costa Rica, which is being promoted by the two organizers of the concert, Destiny Recordings and Vieja Escuela (TT, Oct. 14, 2005).

According to Alejandro Guerrero of Destiny Recordings, the concert is Strung Out’s first and only scheduled show in Latin America, and will draw fans from Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico.

“Costa Rica is the center (of the punk scene) in Central America,” Guerrero said, adding that Strung Out’s concert will be the first on the isthmus by a major punk band.

Adding to the lineup are Costa Rican groups Savia, Macbeth, UFO and Upshock, the Nicaraguan band Q69K and the Panamanian Capitán Ponche.

Tickets for the Planet Mall show are ¢6,000 ($12) pre-show, and ¢7,000 ($14) the day of the concert. They can be purchased at Vértigo music stores, Tienda Monster in Mall San Pedro Mall and online at www.tuboleta.co.cr.

For the Malpaís show, tickets will be ¢4,000 ($8) at the door; for more information on this show, call the Malpaís Surf and Sport Camp at 640-0031.