Andrew Champion

Andrew "Champion" Ataie (born June 4 1970) is a notable East Bay vocalist that sang in such bands as Screw 32, Hopelifter, End Of The World, Shadowboxer, Highwire Days, and even two stints in the Dance Hall Crashers early and late incarnations. Growing up in the East Bay straightedge and hardcore community in San Ramon and Berkeley Andrew was involved in that scene as well as the San Francisco scene of the early eighties prior to the East Bay hitting the map in the mid to late eighties. Working as a volunteer in almost every capacity at the famous Gilman Street project, Andrew was closely tied to the club and was at the first show and attended shows there religiously for over ten years. Close friends with Tim Armstrong of Operation Ivy Andrew would later live with him and Brett Reed at the famed Adeline Street house just as SCREW32 was gaining steam and Rancid was really taking off in the early and mid nineties. Andrew was a seminal member of U.S. Thugs gaining the name 'Champion' when he had rushed to get a tattoo for the crews' original name (The 'East Bay Champions') and being the only one to get the tattoo prior to the final choice of U.S. Thugs (Lars went to the tattoo shop in San Francisco but didn't have enough money to get the tattoo by Dan Higgs of Lungfish fame), the name stuck as Andrew's stage name. He later had a falling out with some of the members of U.S. Thugs and had his tattoo covered but to this day will support anything done by the organization and stands by his friends who are still involved. His vocal style has been likened to Shawn Brown, Dave Smalley, Dave Vanian, and others with a vibrato singing style while still being straightforward and 'edgey'. Originally wanting to be a drummer (borrowing the black drum set from the music room at the high school he attended) Andrew switched to vocals when the singer for his first band didn't show up for practice and the rest is history. Having spent some time in England as a teenager (Living in East Grinstead in southern England with his mother and brother as part of a school exchange and also living there for a little while when he was very young) Andrew was heavily influenced by early eighties and late seventies punk and power-pop music as well as more obvious genres like new wave and rock. Having moved all over California Andrew now resides in Santa Cruz but always is quick to refer to the East Bay area as home. Always involved in music in one way or another it's just a matter of time before another project begins.

Discography

* 7" "Tightrope" Scooters Records 1994
* 7" "Why Are We So Fucked Up All The Time?" Harvest Records 1994
* 7" " Best Revenge" Side One Dummy Records
* 7" "No Love" (The Big Boys cover song) Pus Head records (recorded but unreleased)
* LP "Unresolved Childhood Issues" Wingnut Records 1995
* 7" Youth Brigade Split, "Spys Like Us" BYO Records
* 7" EP End Of The World Cheetahs Records 1998
* LP 'Under The Influence Of Bad People' Fat Records 1996
* EP 'Anthem' Hopelifter 2000
* EP 'North Of The...' Hopelifter 2001
* LP Self Titled Highwire Days 2003
* LP Shadowboxer "The Dark At The End Of The Tunnel" 2005 Coldfront Records
* The Smiths Tribute CD, 'You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby' (cover)