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Perry Farrell's satellite bash keeps happy fans in his orbit
By: Mary T. Nguyen
Columbia Daily Tribune (MO)
Aug 16, 2007

Perry Farrell has spent two decades making more than a name for himself in music; he's helped changed the shape of the scene itself.

As the founder of Jane's Addiction and Porno for Pyros, Farrell has been a leader in setting musical trends, but even more outstanding might be his role in starting Lollapalooza. The touring rock show was the first of its kind when it launched, and it has since become one of the most popular "destination" music festivals among many during the summer concert season. The festival is now one of the biggest bashes Chicago hosts, with more than 180,000 people attending the three-day event in 2006.

Taking all that he has learned about how to make great music and how to make it fun, Farrell created his latest musical project, Satellite Party. The five-piece music group combines rock, electronic, urban and symphonic elements into a sound that aims to move bodies and minds.

Farrell has recently begun incorporating tracks from his back catalog into the Satellite Party's live set to keep the house hopping.

"I'm finding these days I like to keep pumping fast-rocking songs as much as possible," Farrell said. "Your average for success is raised because you've just got a lot of people who just want to be blasted and rocketed."

The concept behind Satellite Party was more than musical for Farrell, who is known for his passion in the realm of politics and spirituality as well. The idea of satellites interested Farrell in how the term plays out in daily life on political and personal levels.

"Originally, the meaning of it was the story of this group of people enjoying the heavens in a communal gathering," he said. "What was interesting about the party was that it's the way we all view the world, a living theater of the universe with different types of life- forms that gather and play out their life for the universe to see. We were watching beautiful creatures, but they were destroying the Earth. An interesting aspect to the word satellite' is that as a view of things from above and from afar."

Farrell went on to discuss how satellites also bring the world together in terms of satellite connections and how communities are better linked now to communicate ideas with one another.

All of this, he said, is beneficial to humanity, which can only effect global change through the movement of groups.

"I believe that musicians, celebrities, we all have a voice, and so we can turn people on to things that are interesting, fantastic and important," he said. "But I have no illusion to believe that I'm going to be the one that changes it all. It's not going to be a person. It's going to be a global community that comes together, and there will be pockets of communities. You'll link up with these other pockets, and together we'll be able to make a difference. When you're talking about global change, it's going to be a group of us that say, this is what we want.' "

Farrell's personal missions are for the environment, using his own tour and Lollapalooza -- a carbon-neutral festival -- as examples of how big names might not be able to change the world but can at least introduce their audiences to alternative ideas and considerations for the environment and about consumption.

"We do our best," he said. "If there were an electric bus to take, we'd take it." But for now, the group fuels up on biodiesel whenever possible.

Despite all his lofty ambitions, Farrell hasn't lost sight of his original mission, which is to create a means of transmission where fans don't have to think about what's being said. They just can just listen and enjoy themselves.

"The message is fine, and it's a good message," he said, "but I don't think anybody would care or listen if I couldn't make you feel good and happy and sensual, like a powerful and foolish character through the music itself. More than anything I think that's what my job is. My role is to give you a vacation, make you forget about work and try to be happy and childish."

Perry Farrell's Satellite Party
When: 8 p.m. Tuesday
Where: The Blue Note, 17 N. Ninth St.
With: Mink
How much: $20
Contact: 874-1944