The Psyclone Rangers, from Allentown, PA, released a vastly underrated debut album, Feel Nice, in 1993 under the guidance of two powerful Daves: Dave Ogilvie of Skinny Puppy, who produced the Rangers' debut, and Dave Allen of Low Pop Suicide and chief at World Domination Music Group. After a year on the road, the group headed back into the... [+] Read More

The Psyclone Rangers, from Allentown, PA, released a vastly underrated debut album, Feel Nice, in 1993 under the guidance of two powerful Daves: Dave Ogilvie of Skinny Puppy, who produced the Rangers' debut, and Dave Allen of Low Pop Suicide and chief at World Domination Music Group. After a year on the road, the group headed back into the studio to record the follow-up, The Devil May Care. The lineup includes Jonathan Valania on vocals, Scot Dantzer on guitar, P.R. Behler on bass, and Jamie Knerr on drums. ~ Matt Carlson, All Music Guide [-] Hide

A surf quartet hailing from Memphis, TN, Impala has issued four full-length albums (El Rancho Reverbo, Square Jungle, Play R&B Favorites, and Teenage Tupelo Movie Soundtrack), as well as an EP (Kings of the Strip). ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide

A surf quartet hailing from Memphis, TN, Impala has issued four full-length albums (El Rancho Reverbo, Square Jungle, Play R&B Favorites, and Teenage Tupelo Movie Soundtrack), as well as an EP (Kings of the Strip). ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Something of an anomaly on the Sub Pop roster, the Supersuckers bore a limited surface resemblance to grunge, but they were a party band at heart, donning cowboy hats and kicking out a gleefully trashy brand of throttling, rockabilly-flavored garage punk. Their lyrics were a raucous, over-the-top celebration of all the attendant evils of rock &... [+] Read More

Something of an anomaly on the Sub Pop roster, the Supersuckers bore a limited surface resemblance to grunge, but they were a party band at heart, donning cowboy hats and kicking out a gleefully trashy brand of throttling, rockabilly-flavored garage punk. Their lyrics were a raucous, over-the-top celebration of all the attendant evils of rock & roll -- sex, booze, drugs, Satan, and whatever other vices the band could think of, all glorified with tongue planted firmly in cheek. Save for an abrupt and temporary detour into hardcore honky tonk, their approach stayed relatively consistent through the '90s, as did their quality control.

The Supersuckers were formed in Tucson, AZ, in 1988 by high-school friends Eddie Spaghetti (born Edward Carlyle Daly III, bass, vocals), Ron Heathman (guitar), Dan "Thunder" Bolton (guitar), Dancing Eagle (born Dan Seigal, drums), and Eric Martin (lead vocals). After playing the local scene for about a year under the name the Black Supersuckers (taken from a pornographic novel), the band moved to Seattle, ostensibly in search of a climate more conducive to leather jackets. Martin left the band not long after, and Eddie Spaghetti took his place on lead vocals. Shortening their name to the Supersuckers, the band recorded singles for several indie labels, including eMpTy, Sympathy for the Record Industry, and Lucky; these were collected on the eMpTy compilation The Songs All Sound the Same, which became the band's first CD release in 1992. That year, they signed to Sub Pop and issued their proper debut album, The Smoke of Hell, which was produced by Jack Endino and featured cover art by renowned comic artist Daniel Clowes. Featuring one of the band's best-known songs in "Coattail Rider," the record also spun off the single "Hell City, Hell," whose B-side was a fan-favorite cover of Ice Cube's "Dead Homiez."

The Supersuckers came into their own with their second album, 1994's La Mano Cornuda, whose title translates as "the horned hand" (i.e., of Satan). It featured signature songs like "Creepy Jackalope Eye" and "She's My Bitch," and is still regarded by many fans as the band's best. Following its release, Ron Heathman temporarily left the group due to drug problems, and was replaced by onetime Didjits guitarist Rick Sims on their next album, 1995's The Sacrilicious Sounds of the Supersuckers. Produced by the Butthole Surfers' Paul Leary, the album was noticeably different from the Supersuckers' usual pedal-to-the-metal roar, owing to Heathman's absence, despite some worthy additions to the group's catalog (like "Born With a Tail"). Fortunately, Heathman made a full recovery and rejoined the band for 1997's Must've Been High, a full-fledged excursion into country music that even featured a guest appearance by Willie Nelson. It was released concurrently with a five-song EP that featured country maverick Steve Earle fronting the band.

After issuing their country project, the Supersuckers signed a major-label deal with Interscope. Unfortunately, in the wake of the massive label mergers at the time, Interscope underwent a restructuring and wound up dropping the band without ever releasing the straight-ahead rock & roll album they had recorded. Strongly disenchanted by the experience, the Supersuckers landed on the small Twenty14.com label and finally recorded the proper follow-up to Sacrilicious, recycling some of the material from their ill-fated Interscope debut. The result, The Evil Powers of Rock 'n' Roll, was released in late 1999, and featured the band's affectionate look back on their high-school days in Tucson, "Santa Rita High." The same year, Sub Pop issued a generous 27-track retrospective of the Supersuckers' stay on the label, How the Supersuckers Became the Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World. After contributing two songs (including a collaboration with Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder) to the benefit album Free the West Memphis 3 in 2000, the group cut a split LP with Electric Frankenstein in 2001.

Burned by Interscope and seeking a permanent home, the Supersuckers formed their own label, Mid Fi, in 2002, and inaugurated it with a live document of their country phase, Must've Been Live. A new, hard-rocking studio album, Motherfuckers Be Trippin', followed in 2003; after its release, longtime drummer Dan Seigal left the group, and was replaced by Mike Musburger. While tinkering with a new studio album, the Supersuckers kept the Mid Fi release schedule full with a pair of archival live albums and a collection of singles sides and non-album material, Devil's Food. The Paid EP follwed in 2006. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Long Beach, CA's Humpers were formed by Scott "Deluxe" Drake and Jeff Fieldhouse, guitarists for the Suicide Kings. Drake gave up the guitar for the group and concentrated on screaming lead vocals. The Humpers were first revered not in the group's native California but, oddly, in Yugoslavia, where its first and extremely rare LP My Machine was... [+] Read More

Long Beach, CA's Humpers were formed by Scott "Deluxe" Drake and Jeff Fieldhouse, guitarists for the Suicide Kings. Drake gave up the guitar for the group and concentrated on screaming lead vocals. The Humpers were first revered not in the group's native California but, oddly, in Yugoslavia, where its first and extremely rare LP My Machine was released.

Whereas the Suicide Kings' sound borrowed heavily from the 1970s (Heartbreakers, Rolling Stones, New York Dolls, Ramones), the Humpers punked the mix up a bit with a more direct and sonic edge reminiscent of Cleveland groups the Dead Boys and the Pagans.

Bassist Jaybird Blake left the group after recording half of the tracks for 1994's Journey to the Center of Your Wallet, and was more than capably replaced by Mitch Cartwright. Guitarist Jeff Fieldhouse also left the group, leaving sole guitar duties to Billy Burks. After two LPs for indie Sympathy for the Record Industry, the Humpers were signed to Caroline. ~ Matt Carlson, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Four guys holding English degrees from Ohio State University, the New Bomb Turks have been declared as leaders in the punk rock revolution by spiked-haired, hardcore punkers everywhere. They are not pop-punk, but ferociously aggressive and fast, borrowing from the Pagans, Dead Boys, and so on. The band's name comes from Robert Wuhl's character... [+] Read More

Four guys holding English degrees from Ohio State University, the New Bomb Turks have been declared as leaders in the punk rock revolution by spiked-haired, hardcore punkers everywhere. They are not pop-punk, but ferociously aggressive and fast, borrowing from the Pagans, Dead Boys, and so on. The band's name comes from Robert Wuhl's character in an early-'80s B movie, The Hollywood Nights, which also marked the film debuts of Tony Danza and Michelle Pfeiffer. Their landmark debut, Destroy Oh Boy!, came out in 1993 to universally great reviews. Following it up quickly with the Drunk on Cock EP (which has a hilariously offensive cover), the band scored another winner the next year with Information Highway Revisited. Featuring a tighter sound and less of a direct punk influence, the record again made them critical darlings. The Pissing Out the Poison: Singles and Other Swill was their last release for Crypt Records, as mini-major Epitaph asked them to join the roster. Scared Straight and At Rope's End both appeared quickly afterwards, although both records started to show the wear and tear the band was experiencing on the road and in the studio. A few EP's marked the time between albums, but their last Epitaph release (Nightmare Scenario) would hit stores by 1999. The band and label split amicably, and the Turks toured for a bit before stepping back into the studio. Recording The Night Before the Day the Earth Stood Still without a label, Gearhead pick up the record and released it in the fall of 2002. ~ Bradley Torreano and Matt Carlson, All Music Guide [-] Hide

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Mudhoney was most convincing when the 7" recording format limited their more indulgent tendencies. In general (especially early on), their albums were always peppered with great songs -- usually variations on the band's trademark scuzzy sound and sneering attitude -- but rarely sustained momentum all the way through, thanks in part to the band's... [+] Read More

Mudhoney was most convincing when the 7" recording format limited their more indulgent tendencies. In general (especially early on), their albums were always peppered with great songs -- usually variations on the band's trademark scuzzy sound and sneering attitude -- but rarely sustained momentum all the way through, thanks in part to the band's weakness for ponderous jams. The sorely needed, two-disc best-of March to Fuzz attempts to have it both ways: the first disc is a generous, 22-track overview of their recordings from 1988-1998, while the second compiles 30 rarities for the devotees. It's a tactic that's been used before, and it's usually maddening, giving both casual and die-hard fans an entire disc they don't want. But March to Fuzz actually works very well. For one, it's not priced as a double-disc set, and for another, both discs are actually very strong. Mudhoney's sound didn't change very much over the course of their career, which means that even though disc one isn't arranged chronologically, everything is pretty much of a piece. It's also very well chosen, even if the surprisingly strong latter-day albums My Brother the Cow and Tomorrow Hit Today aren't heavily represented. But the disc makes a convincing case that Mudhoney never stopped making bruising, vital rock & roll, or writing great (albeit samey) songs. The rarities disc is surprisingly entertaining, featuring plenty of cover versions, cranky goofs, and songs that were certainly better than some of their album tracks, but were relegated to B-sides or indie compilations. Their '60s garage and surf roots are actually summed up very effectively here, as well as their love of early-'80s hardcore. March to Fuzz might be a little hard to handle all in one sitting, but it's hard to imagine a better overview of Mudhoney's career. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide [-] Hide

The Hellacopters were originally a side project for Nicke Andersson (drummer with Swedish death metal gods Entombed) and Dregen (guitarist for fellow scandinavian rockers the Backyard Babies). Their mission was to bring the blinding speed and distortion of Motörhead (with a little punk sensibility thrown in for good measure) to the '90s, and... [+] Read More

The Hellacopters were originally a side project for Nicke Andersson (drummer with Swedish death metal gods Entombed) and Dregen (guitarist for fellow scandinavian rockers the Backyard Babies). Their mission was to bring the blinding speed and distortion of Motörhead (with a little punk sensibility thrown in for good measure) to the '90s, and this they did with Supershitty to the Max! Opener "(Gotta Get Some Action) Now!" is simply brilliant, roaring like a Harley down the highway, shredding eardrums along the way. Though the pace abates somewhat three songs in, the distortion is on 11 throughout the record, yielding other gems such as "Fire Fire Fire" and "Tab." And the band prove they're hardcore by putting a bonus track on the vinyl edition rather than the CD. ~ Ed Rivadavia, All Music Guide [-] Hide

The A-Bones were the "band" side of KICKS Magazine/Norton Records folks Billy Miller and Miriam Linna, husband and wife, rocking down the highway of record-collecting life, creating tonal mayhem wherever and whenever they strike. Miriam did time as the original drummer for the Cramps and both of them cut some pretty wild sides with some... [+] Read More

The A-Bones were the "band" side of KICKS Magazine/Norton Records folks Billy Miller and Miriam Linna, husband and wife, rocking down the highway of record-collecting life, creating tonal mayhem wherever and whenever they strike. Miriam did time as the original drummer for the Cramps and both of them cut some pretty wild sides with some identical twin guitarists as the Zantees, but the A-Bones sides are another matter entirely. This ain't no rockabilly cover rehash, The A's can write their own pieces of nonsense, not caring if they sound just like the record or not, unless it's sounding like some totally obscure vulgar piece of wax like "Marlene" by the Sonics.

But that's the whole point of this band; playing the bejesus out of this stuff, with a true American gum-chewing perspicacity, not some reverential/nostalgic tear rolling down its cheek. With Miller's go-for-broke vocals, Bruce Bennett's drenched in reverb guitar manglings, Marcus the Carcass' zoom bass combining with Linna's simple, kick-ass drumming and the new addition of horn-tootin' fool Lars Espensen, this is a noise combo to be reckoned with, the kind of band that Jon Bon Jovi sees in his nightmares. ~ Cub Koda, All Music Guide [-] Hide