Will Rock for Clothes

"We picked up a sponsorship with [shoe company] Osiris," says Flight Risk singer Jesse Blanton. "They kicked us down some shoes, shirts, and jeans. They said they'd get us on all the [2006] West Coast [Warped Tour] shows."

San Diego--based Osiris Shoes will launch a music division in January, following the lead of shoe companies such as Vans and Audio. Downspell is on the Osiris roster as well.

"Surf and skate videos used to use a lot of Lagwagon and Pennywise," says Blanton. "Then they moved into mellow Jack Johnson stuff. Now I think the industry is moving into hardcore again. Times change."

Blanton mentions how he's changed.

"All five of us [in Flight Risk] partied. Some of us got into other things," Blanton says, mentioning heroin and crystal meth. "I saw other people around me crashing and burning, and I figured it was about time to distance myself. One of my best friends robbed my house the day before he went to prison. That's what made me think it isn't for me." Blanton says he's been clean for five years.

Flight Risk appears Saturday at Squid Joe's in Carlsbad.