Maybe Tom DeLonge's post blink-182 project, Angels & Airwaves, is simply a response to his first band ---- a chance to get it right.

In contrast to the high-gloss patina of the neo-progressive rock sounds of A&A, Poway native DeLonge said that first band, formed his sophomore year of high school, wasn't cohesive enough to even have a sound.

"Gw gk mikir adanya suatu yg ngebeda2in gaya, krn sayang sekali klo sampe gituh," kata Tom minggu kmrn lewat telephone dijalan, pas lgi tur. ( Dia org maen malem ini di Soma San Diego.) " Para personil lg checksounds sambil nyanyi-nyanyi sendirian aja."

DeLonge ---- who still lives in North County, when he's not on one of his interminable tours ---- said his interest in music was sparked by his older brother's affinity for punk rock.

"Waktu SMP kelas 1 yang Aku beli pertama adalah U2, 'Joshua Tree'" Tom berkata.
"Eh bukan deh, tunggu, kemungkinan besar gw beli lagu punk deh sebelum itu, tp diambil emak gw trus dibuang soalnya ada yg judulnya 'No Moms.' "

DeLonge quickly graduated from listening to music to teaching himself to play guitar. By his sophomore year, he had formed the above-mentioned first band. Not long after that, he was playing his first shows around the county.

" Gw sempet maen di salah satu bar di San DIego, trus gk ada yg nontonin," kata Tom pd penampilan katrok pertamanya. "Trus pas selesai maen, si bartender abis bersihin barnya ngomong, 'Gw kyknya denger sesuatu yg gmn gituh di lo smua bro.'

"Penampilan kedua kita, dia org nyuruh kt berenti abis satu lagu trus ngasih satu Snapple. Dia org bener2 benci ama musik kt, dan itu cuma jalan biartenar."

But DeLonge kept plugging away ---- not because he dreamed of becoming a rock star, he said, but simply because he was having fun.

"Semua berjalan dengan lambat, lo mesti kerja keras. Cepat ato lambat lo bakal bs ngasilin sesuatu untuk bensin ato bs buat makan di Taco Bell.

" Tujuan lo gk jelas ketika (mau jd bintang), krn lo mikir semua itu gk mungkin. Jadi lo cuma bs terus begitu sampe itu ud gk asik lg, tp itu selalu asik. Kejadian masa lalu selalu jd sesuatu untuk kt ngeliat ke depan."

By the early '90s, DeLonge had hooked up with Mark Hoppus and Scott Raynor to form the beach punk trio blink-182. The band's fourth album, 1999's "Enema of the State" (the first with new drummer Travis Barker), pushed them into the realm of bona fide rock stars. Together with South Bay's P.O.D., blink-182 put San Diego's music scene on the national (and international) map in ways that previous breakout local acts such as Mojo Nixon, the Beat Farmers and Lucy's Fur Coat had never quite achieved.

"San Diego punya sesuatu yg sangat-sangat bagus buat sementara, dan kt emang beruntung," kata Tom tentang sukses yg dia dapet bersama blink-182. "Gw pikir diseluruh daerah California bagian selatan jd tempat yg subur buat music."

After blink-182 announced an indefinite hiatus in spring 2005, DeLonge quickly resurfaced with his current combo, Angels & Airwaves, joining forces with guitarist David Kennedy, ex-Rocket From the Crypt drummer Atom Willard and bassist Ryan Sinn, who have since been replaced by Matt Wachter. Two albums into the project, DeLonge and his new bandmates are still pursuing DeLonge's oft-stated plan of melding the grand, overarching themes of bands such as Pink Floyd and U2 with a grittier, punk-influenced sound ---- a sort of prog-rock for punkers.

"Semua itu cuma tentang kt2 yg sama2 suka jenis musik yg sama trus cm nyari sesuatu yg murni di dlm hidup sehari2," kata DeLonge dengan nyampur AVA jg.

If there's one thing that's changed in his transition from his old band to the new one (other than the obvious stylistic shift), it's the writing of new songs, DeLonge said. With blink-182, DeLonge said band members would bring their finished songs to rehearsal, as well as write together. With Angels & Airwaves, things are much more collaborative, he said.

"Itu jd sedikit berguna buat dua2nya, dan skrg kt distudio trus jalanin bersama --- jd itulah sedikit perbedaannya."

source: http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/03/13/entertainment/music/dfa737dc59d8532d882573fe006254c0.txt