Today, we are celebrating the birthdays of Chronixx (solo reggae artist) and Howi Spangler (Ballyhoo! frontman).
Chronixx is the ‘stage’ name his friends bestowed on him, replacing the name ‘Little Chronicle’ which he was given as the ‘junior’ to his father, the artist Chronicle. A little star amongst his peers, Chronixx has shown a love for music and song writing from an early age. His father recognized his talents and nurtured him in an environment in which he could grow into whatever area of music he chose. Along with other reggae performers like Protoje, Kelissa, Jesse Royal, Keznamdi, and Kabaka Pyramid, Chronixx and his music have been dubbed a “Reggae Revival.”
Chronixx credits his versatility and his professional stage presence to the early lessons he received from his father Chronicle, who always shared his own experiences and encouraged his son to go one step beyond with each performance.
Howi Spangler, alongside his brother Donald and friend Josh Farley, started the American reggae rock and punk band from Aberdeen, Maryland, Ballyhoo!. The group, since its inception in 1995, have sold over 30,000 copies of its five albums and more than 200,000 digital tracks. Ballyhoo! played the House of Marley Stage on the Warped Tour of 2012 and has opened up for bands such as 311, Dirty Heads, Tribal Seeds, Slightly Stoopid, Authority Zero, Rebelution, Collie Buddz, Tropidelic, and The Expendables on previous tours.
Ballyhoo!’s music has appeared in numerous surf/skate videos and compilation albums including “Forever Free: A Tribute to Sublime”, which featured a cover of “40 Oz. to Freedom”. Ballyhoo! songs also appear in the feature films, “Beach Kings” and “Road Trip: Beer Pong”. They have released 8 albums and 5 EPs over their almost 30 years of making music, with their latest release being a single called “The Front Porch” (feat. Kash’d Out).