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Bashing out garage rock years before it was fashionable and rockabilly-influenced sounds as if the Stray Cats had never happened, the A-Bones were a Brooklyn-based five-piece that approached the sloppy greatness of rock & roll's past with a beer-addled enthusiasm that had nothing to do with "oldies" or "nostalgia" and everything to do with the... [+] Read More

Bashing out garage rock years before it was fashionable and rockabilly-influenced sounds as if the Stray Cats had never happened, the A-Bones were a Brooklyn-based five-piece that approached the sloppy greatness of rock & roll's past with a beer-addled enthusiasm that had nothing to do with "oldies" or "nostalgia" and everything to do with the primal impulse to play music that's fast, loud, and wild. Named for a tune by the Trashmen, the A-Bones were led by vocalist Billy Miller and drummer Miriam Linna, who previously bashed it out in the Zantees and were also the brains behind wild-assed pop culture journal Kicks and label Norton Records, both of which reflected the same frantic attitude as their band. (Filling out the lineup were Bruce Bennett on guitar, Mike Lewis and later Marcus "The Carcass" Natale on bass, and Lars Espensen on sax.) The A-Bones kicked off their career in 1984, and two years later they released their first record, a 10" EP called Tempo Tantrum, with the album Free Beer for Life! following in 1988. They lent their services as a backing band to such unsung rock & roll legends as Rudy Grayzell, Hasil Adkins, Johnny Powers, Ronnie Dawson, Roy Loney, and Cordell Jackson, released a fistful of singles on various hyper-cool labels, and released five full-length LPs for Norton before finally calling it a day in 1994. The group played occasional reunion shows over the next decade, though, and in 2004 recorded a new tune (with backing vocals from the 5.6.7.8's) for a 20th anniversary retrospective, Daddy Wants a Cold Beer and Other Million Sellers. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Taking their name from the 60's B-film of Satan's Sadists, the line up of Dave Pilgrim (guitar/ keyboards) Bobby Pilgrim (guitar), John Pilgrim (bass), Scott Pilgrim (guitar) and Ted Pilgrim (drums) got together in 1992 under the moniker of Satan's Pilgrams. With their matching vampire capes and nostalgia of lo-fi 60's surf, Empty Records... [+] Read More

Taking their name from the 60's B-film of Satan's Sadists, the line up of Dave Pilgrim (guitar/ keyboards) Bobby Pilgrim (guitar), John Pilgrim (bass), Scott Pilgrim (guitar) and Ted Pilgrim (drums) got together in 1992 under the moniker of Satan's Pilgrams. With their matching vampire capes and nostalgia of lo-fi 60's surf, Empty Records debuted the quintets first full-length in 1995 with At Home With Satan's Pilgrams, followed by Soul Pilgrims that same year. Being compared to the Northwestern legends of The Ventures, The Sonics, The Wailers and the Kingsmen, the band continued their relationship with Empty as they released Around The World With... in 1997, while putting out Creature Feature on Estrus Records the following year. Their conveniently titled fifth album Satan's Pilgrims hit 1999. ~ Mike DaRonco, 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

The Monkeywrench came together in 1991 after Mark Arm and Steve Turner of the classic Seattle band Mudhoney met Tim Kerr, the former guitarist with punk bands the Big Boys and Poison 13. After Turner and Arm explained what big fans they were of his days with Poison 13, Kerr suggested that they get together to record. Kerr would handle guitar... [+] Read More

The Monkeywrench came together in 1991 after Mark Arm and Steve Turner of the classic Seattle band Mudhoney met Tim Kerr, the former guitarist with punk bands the Big Boys and Poison 13. After Turner and Arm explained what big fans they were of his days with Poison 13, Kerr suggested that they get together to record. Kerr would handle guitar duties; Arm would play piano, harmonica and sing; and Turner would pick up the bass. The lineup was completed with the addition of second guitarist Tom Price, formerly of Seattle band the U-Men, as well as Australian drummer Martin Bland, known for his work with groups like Lubricated Goat, the Primevils, and Bloodloss. The latter of these bands also included Arm on vocals and guitar. The Monkeywrench, which was a hybrid of blues, punk, and classic garage rock, recorded 1992's Clean as a Broke-Dick Dog, two singles, and 2000's Electric Children. When Sub Pop Records was informed of the new supergroup in 1991, they signed the band immediately. Later in the year, the group spent time at Egg Studios in Seattle with producer Conrad Uno recording their first LP, Clean as a Broke-Dick Dog. The album was released in 1992, along with a 7" that included two tracks from the LP -- "Bottle Up & Go" and "Cold Cold World" -- as well as a song titled "Out of Focus." The group took some time off in the mid-'90s, due to the fact that Arm and Turner were still involved with their full-time band, Mudhoney, and Tim Kerr was busy running his own label, Tim/Kerr Records. However, they still managed to release a split 7" of the Germs' song "Shut Down" on Gasatanka Records in late 1995. The song also appeared on that year's tribute album to the Germs, titled "A Small Circle of Friends," on Grass Records. Kerr had also been getting more involved with Dave Crider at Estrus Records in the latter part of the '90s, helping to produce many of the label's bands, as well as joining their roster in groups like Lord High Fixers and Jack O'Fire. In turn, this led to the Monkeywrench signing to Estrus in 1999. The band entered Private Radio Studios in November of 1999 along with producer Jack Endino to record their second full-length LP, Electric Children. The CD was released on April 4, 2000. ~ Stephen Howell, All Music Guide [-] Hide

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This is instrumental rock: surf music for the new millennium. With the plethora of third-wave surf bands that have formed since 1994's Pulp Fiction nudge, it's easy to get burned out on the similarities of the songs and bands that are available to any music lover with a few bucks and a CD player. Satan's Pilgrims, like label mates the Space... [+] Read More

This is instrumental rock: surf music for the new millennium. With the plethora of third-wave surf bands that have formed since 1994's Pulp Fiction nudge, it's easy to get burned out on the similarities of the songs and bands that are available to any music lover with a few bucks and a CD player. Satan's Pilgrims, like label mates the Space Cossacks and the Fathoms, are by far the top of the heap when it comes to the surf genre. Take the garage rock sounds of "Frankenstomp" or the Ventures-esque "All Day Party (All Night Party)." Both of these tracks stand out from much of the other surf music that has been showering down from the surf gods these days -- but it doesn't stop there. Maybe it's because Satan's Pilgrims don't force themselves into one style of surf. Instead, they toss out a Booker T. & the MGs sound on "Mutha Fuzz," turn around and trip back to a distinctly 1963 surf sound with "Beach Binge" and toss out a rockin' cover of Sandy Nelson's "Casbah." Besides the wealth of fine instrumental rock here, there is also something satisfying about the understatement of ego. Nowhere in the liner notes will you find the band members' full names. (They are listed as: guitars and keys, Dave; guitars, Scott; basses, John; and drum kits, Ted.) Pretty unpretentious. So is the band photo on the back cover of the CD, depicting the band looking like a cross between a good old-fashioned Southern gospel quartet and the Jam or some other mod-revival band. Satan's Pilgrims are originals, and they deserve your attention -- give them a listen. You don't have to make a deal with the devil, you just have to spin their record and dance your funky little surf butt off. ~ Michael B. Smith, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Less a blues revival effort and more a Seattle supergroup of the neo-garage scene getting together for some good noise (with some Australian help thanks to Martin Bland, who does a great job keeping the drumming brisk and energetic), the Monkeywrench on their first album kick out the jams rough and ready. Conrad Uno's production unsurprisingly... [+] Read More

Less a blues revival effort and more a Seattle supergroup of the neo-garage scene getting together for some good noise (with some Australian help thanks to Martin Bland, who does a great job keeping the drumming brisk and energetic), the Monkeywrench on their first album kick out the jams rough and ready. Conrad Uno's production unsurprisingly isn't too fussy at all, while the harmonica and mid-speed (as opposed to lazy) tempo of nearly everything adds to the charm of it all. Mark Arm's wounded garage howl isn't trying to really be anything but itself (as opposed to, say, Muddy Waters), and for every straight-up bluesy wail and stomp ("Angelhead," "Doubled Over Again," "Bottle Up & Go"), there's something else again. "Cold Cold World," with a droning organ part from Arm offsetting the quick, crisp clip of the rest of the band, and the stop-start Mudhoney-in-all-but-name "Great Down Here" are among the exceptions to the seeming rule. Three covers crop up, with a tip of the hat to Buffy Sainte-Marie via the Sonics thanks to a slightly shambolic rumble through "Codine." A fairly calm version of Mose Allison's "Stop This World" and, amusingly enough, a frenetic screw-you take on Redd Kross' "Notes and Chords Mean Nothing to Me" also crop up among all the originals. The inevitable Blues Brothers comparisons (the mock Blue Note cover photo has the band in suits and shades; no porkpie hats, though) don't stick too much, thanks in part because it's a case of sharp performers keeping things loose and not making a big deal of things. Indeed, it looks like more work went into the layout of the album rather than into any deep theorizing of what's going on, which is to the band's credit and the cover artwork's benefit. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide [-] Hide

In the retro band sweepstakes of the last 20 years or less, a few bands of substantive worth emerged out of the pack of trendy poseurs to eke out a bit of their own turf, even if commercial success wasn't in the cards. One such band was The Untamed Youth. A buncha wild-ass teenagers from Columbia, MO, who seemingly stepped out of the time... [+] Read More

In the retro band sweepstakes of the last 20 years or less, a few bands of substantive worth emerged out of the pack of trendy poseurs to eke out a bit of their own turf, even if commercial success wasn't in the cards. One such band was The Untamed Youth. A buncha wild-ass teenagers from Columbia, MO, who seemingly stepped out of the time machine in the late '80s from a land where the Rivieras, Trashmen, Astronauts and Ronny & the Daytonas rule at an all-night '60s teen dance, The UY were the real thing in those pre-Pulp Fiction days of no surf on the horizon. This generous 32-track anthology collects all the winners from their three long players for Norton along with stray 45s and a few unissued twist-o-ramas thrown in for good measure. Guitarist-vocalist-bandleader Derek Dickerson is a true phenom on these tracks, ably assisted by wild-man driving-force bass man Steve Mace and a revolving cast of pounding drummers and Farfisa organ manglers. Teenage music by real teenagers -- even if the teenage music they're playing was popular before any of them were born -- is a concept that always works and on this comp, it works with a vengeance. If they lived on Spaghettio's back in these lean times, we salute their dedication here. If heavy doses of the teenage beat and G-L-O-R-I-A is your thing, here's where you go to get it done right. All this reverb and Pabst Blue Ribbon, too. ~ Cub Koda, 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