2 Skinnee J's participates in last concert of the summer by Megan Shank, The Maneater With a harangue of hip-hop, a tease of techno and a superfluity of silly style, the 2 Skinnee J's will rap, rock and riot their eclectic act tomorrow afternoon at the Boone County Fairground. Performing tracks off their new CD, Supermercado, the J's continue their tour across the Midwest, performing as one of the bands on Saturday's BoCoMo Fall Festivus '98, which is sponsored in part by The Maneater. Other performers include Gravity Kills (see related story) and Everclear. The show begins at 1 p.m. Recently signed with Capricorn Records, the J's are notorious for their zany stage antics, including outrageous garb and high-energy crowd appeal. The band maintains that the hype of signing with a major record label will not dispel their love of music or performance. "This is really the pinnacle of our happiness," Bassist Eddie Eyeball said. "Long before the CD (Supermercado), we focused on performance. We play music we enjoy and before every show we get pumped." The J's formed when Special J, one of two lead singers, developed the group with friends from Columbia University. Eventually, after going through several members, a core group was formed. The band includes: Special J, lead vocals; J. Guevera, lead vocals (get it? 2 Skinnee J's! Clever, huh?); Eddie Eyeball, bass; Andy Action, drums; A. Mays, guitars; and "The Spice" on keyboards. In fact, even the management of the J's was a fluke, perhaps the result of a fortunate fate. During a time when the J's were desperately down on their luck, A.J. Stumpy Johnson, a gas station mogul, won the management contract with a bluffed pair of twos in Vegas. Since then, Johnson's "masta plan" of marketing and in-your-face strategy has led the J's to a strong fan base and major recording contract. The J's have no pretenses. Admitting that all the members were "nerds in high school," many of their songs encourage kids to embrace their individuality or "nerdness." "Things that make you different as a kid make you cool as an adult," Eyeball said. As an example of this, "Riot Nrrrd" is a salute to those who feel like outcasts, encouraging kids to embrace their uniqueness. "This song goes out to those with coke bottle glasses / To all you lonely kids who were the last pick in gym classes / We got your back - detract your malefactors / All you up in the back unite like the Thundercats." A variety of influences are persistent in the J's music. "We are a group of seven creative individuals who are all huge fans of all kinds of music," Eyeball said. "We all agree on the aesthetics of dance with strong beats and hip hop with lots of drums." With such a diverse group of people from varied backgrounds, the group says there is a virtually infinite number of influences incorporated into their music. "Probably the one thing we all wholeheartedly agree on is Star Wars," Eyeball said. "We're all Star Wars freaks. We want to get in the next movie." Fans can be sure that the J's will not only bring da funk but also da force at tomorrow's show. <====