Unconventional wisdom
Jada Pinkett-Smith on her hard-rock group, Wicked Wisdom
By David Carr, Correspondent



Actress Jada Pinkett-Smith will be in Long Beach on Saturday, but
she won't be promoting a new film or waxing philosophical about her
role in the "Matrix" movies, "Collateral" or being the voice of a
hippo in "Madagascar." She will be hitting the stage at Vault 350
with her heavy-metal band, Wicked Wisdom.
Pinkett-Smith is the lead singer/frontwoman for the hard-rock group,
and the vocalist, actress and mother has plenty to say about her
band, her love of metal music, this past summer touring in the
Ozzfest, being the underdog in her quest for heavy-metal domination
and what her husband, Will Smith, thinks of her head banging.

Q: What prompted you to start a heavy metal band? How did this take
shape?

A: Three and a half years ago, I started to put together what would
become Wicked Wisdom. I always wanted to start a band, and I grew up
on hard rock and heavy



metal. I have a strong love for the music, and it just made sense.
For three years, we went through some transitions and different
lineups and sounds. We tried a bit of a Soul/Rock thing, but I just
wanted to go heavier than that. I met Pocket (guitarist for Wicked
Wisdom), and we both had the same musical sense, which was very
heavy music with melody. Everything seemed to fall into place after
that.

Q: So you have been a fan of metal music?



A: I was a child of the '80s. Back then, metal truly seemed to rule
the world, especially on MTV. It may be surprising to some but I
have always listened to Black Sabbath, Ozzy and Guns N' Roses, and
my aunt and uncle loved Queen, Led Zeppelin and The Who as well as
reggae and jazz. I come from a very eclectic musical background.

Q: How did the band get on the Ozzfest tour?

A: Sharon Osbourne (wife and manager of Ozzy Osbourne) saw the band
at the Viper Room in Hollywood. At that time, a band scheduled to
play the festival had to drop off the tour. Three days after the
performance, we got the call asking us if we wanted to do the tour.
At first we thought it was a bizarre request. We had to ask
ourselves if we were heavy enough to even do the tour. In the end we
decided to go for it.

Q: What was the response from the crowd?

A: The first six shows were really rough. We had a steep learning
curve. Those first few shows, the fans were brutal. By the time we
got to show No. 7 the audience started to come around. By the end of
the tour, during our last set, we had three mosh pits going while we
were playing. The crowd was truly with us.

Q: How much of the backlash against Wicked Wisdom was based on race?

A: I honestly have to say race was a very small issue throughout the
whole tour. The biggest issue was the fact that I was an actress and
people thought I had no business being on this tour. On a certain
level, I can understand that issue. That was the work that had to be
done. We had to prove ourselves.

Q: Was there a lot of camaraderie among the bands? Did you all feel
welcome? A: Oh yeah! I made so many friends. I think we all had a
few preconceived notions, but it was great. I miss my boys from the
tour. It really was like one big heavy metal summer camp. We treated
each other like one big family, and I try and see these bands now
when they are in L.A.

Q: Has your husband been supportive of your new career?

A: Will has been very supportive. He was a bit concerned at first
because this whole scene is really new to him, but he came with me
on tour and he brought our kids, and we all had a great time. My
kids now ask if we are going back to Ozzfest next summer.

Q: What's next for Wicked Wisdom?

A: Our first full-length disc is set to be released Jan. 31 on
Suburban Noize/100% Woman Records. The first single, "Something
Inside of Me," will drop in December. We are on tour now, and we
will be on tour to promote the disc in January. We are the real
deal. Too much of my heart and soul is in this for this to be a pet
project. I love the relationship we have with our fans.

Q: What is the best part of doing something like this?

A: The best part of this is being the underdog. People come to the
shows and don't know what to expect. When we take the stage and the
music hits, I can literally see jaws dropping in the crowd because
they just don't expect it. I love going off and surprising people
with this band. The best part about the experience is we are having
a good time and surprising people and impressing people with what we
do. It is a tough position to be in but if you can take the
pressure, it is also the best position to be in.


WICKED WISDOM
Where: Vault 350, 350 Pine Ave., Long Beach.
When: 7 p.m. Saturday.
Tickets: $15. Call (888) 808-2858 or www.vault350.com.