Remember the foolishness of OC's The Imperial Stars? Well, they're finally facing the consequences for their “performance” on top of a flat bed truck that caused a horrific traffic jam on the 101 by Sunset Blvd in October 2010. Adding insult to injury, the band wrote “Traffic Jam 101” to promote the asinine event that delayed traffic for over a mile in each direction.
This past October, the trio of Christopher Wright, David Hale and Keith Yackey each pleaded no contest to one felony count of conspiracy, one misdemeanor count of public nuisance and two misdemeanor counts of resisting, obstructing or delaying law enforcement officers.
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For their publicity stunt, the band will have to fork over some big bucks to the Department of Transportation, $39,350.39 to be exact. If that weren't enough, which it wasn't, they also on three years probation and 35 days of community labor. Hopefully that labor doesn't include teaching students how to play music since apparently the self-proclaimed “hard-core hip-hop band” needed to back up the 101 for a mile in each direction to get their music out.
At any rate, hopefully this will dissuade fledgling bands from turning our public highways into their own musical platform. If U2 can get the plug pulled on them (remember 1987's “Where The Streets Have No Name” video shoot in Downtown L.A.?), then these guys surely couldn't have expected this to end well. Nearly $40k lighter in their collective pockets, it's probably safe to say that fledgling bands will think twice before hunkering down for an impromptu set in the middle of a busy freeway.
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Daniel Kohn is a writer based in Southern California. With bylines in an assortment of outlets, Kohn primarily specializes in music with other interests ranging from sports to food. As a transplant, Kohn loves the beautiful weather and is glad he no longer has to deal with brutal winters. If you see him, say hi and of course, he’s always willing to down a beer or two…if you’re paying.
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