Psychobilly

[Shellhead]

In recent weeks, I've heard the word "psychobilly " a few times, and it sounded slightly familiar even the first time. The second time, I caught it as part of a throwaway line in Johnny Cash song about how he and his buddy built a cadillac together with parts they smuggled out of work, only to find that they had stolen parts from too many different model years, creating the frankenstein monster of cadillacs.

Anyway, this morning, the local college radio station did a set of songs that were all psychobilly, and they explained the term. It's punk rock crossed with rockabilly. Sadly, I only caught the name of the last band in that set, and it was my old friends The Reverend Horton Heat. The DJ's even mentioned that psychobilly often covers violent or horrifying themes, and that psychobilly moshpits tend to be unusually violent. One DJ mentioned that he was at a Rev. Horton Heat show a few years back, and got smacked in the back of the head really hard. By the time he got back on his feet, somebody else was beating the hell out of the guy who hit him on the back of the head.

Wikipedia has an article on psychobilly, so I took a look at that, and saw a couple of other bands that I'm familiar with: The Cramps and Tiger Army. Other than that, I guess I'm ignorant about psychobilly. Any suggestions of where I should start?

[zombie]

My favourite psychobilly band is Zombie Ghost Train from Australia. Excellent stuff. I went through a psychobilly phase a couple months back, and the only bands that really stuck with me after that were Tiger Army, the Cramps, and ZGT.

[elheffe]

The Reverend Horton Heat or Southern Culture On The Skids or Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper are all great, in my opinion.

[Adam Crocker]

The Cramps in particular, partly because they were the originators of what is known as "Pyschobilly," b-horror movie aesthetic (or more generally trashy aesthetic) and all. They've been around since the late 1970s and have been continuously going, with vocalist Lux Interior and guitarist Poison Ivy being the only constant members. I'm not familiar with the whole of their catalogue, but their earliest stuff with guitarist Byron Gregory is probably your safest bet. From what I heard it's supposed to be their best work. The Reverend Horton Heat is also worth a listen.

(It's worth noting though that not all rockabilly and punk fusions are pyschobilly. X certainly didn't fit the pyschobilly sound by any standard and nor did Shane McGowan's pre-Pogues punk band the Nips. In some ways it refers to a particular approach to the melding Punk and rockabilly which has a deliberately trashy, campy aesthetic.)

[Jonathan Bogart]

The Heavy Trash, a recent indie mini-success, have quite a psychobilly vibe going on. They're a duo, one of which is Jon Spencer of the Blues Explosion. (Who does to the blues what psychobilly does to rockabilly.) They're very Sun-Records drenched, with a post-Quine guitar sound. Nice.

[Royal]

off the top of my head...

The Matadors (Lucifirian Gosphal music)
Demented Are Go
Necromantix
The good Rev. Horton Heat
Hank III and The Damn Band
Belmont Playboys
Psycho Charger
Gravediggers
Creepshow

[Lazy_Fiend]

Tiger Army is kinda mainstream
but their 2nd album is a masterpiece
also Nekromanix are great
get return of the loving dead
and my favorite
is Brainsucking Zombies from Outer Space
you can listen to them on myspace
Cramps, which i do like, are too slow to be considered psychobilly

[CaptMagellan]

While they are probably considered more 'gothabilly' I get a kick out of both "Ghoultown" (which has more of a texas twist to their rockabilly roots) and "The Horrorpops."

Rue Morgue Magazine does a lot of psychobilly/gothabilly/horror themed music reviews each month and at their website has a link to Rue Morgue Radio which plays a lot of the music they review.
http://www.rue-morgue.com/

Depends on how much B-movie horror elements you want with your 'billy.

[Royal]

While they are probably considered more 'gothabilly' I get a kick out of both "Ghoultown" (which has more of a texas twist to their rockabilly roots) and "The Horrorpops."

Rue Morgue Magazine does a lot of psychobilly/gothabilly/horror themed music reviews each month and at their website has a link to Rue Morgue Radio which plays a lot of the music they review.
http://www.rue-morgue.com/

Depends on how much B-movie horror elements you want with your 'billy.

A fellow Rue Crew member!!

RAWK!!!

[Royal]

BTW, I've got a Psychobilly sampler in my "Full Sensory Assualt" thread.

Check it out!!

[Adam Crocker]

Cramps, which i do like, are too slow to be considered psychobilly

How so? Especially when said band is considered to be the root of all psychobilly? (Use of the term even first came from the Cramps when they put it on their fliers.)


The Heavy Trash, a recent indie mini-success, have quite a psychobilly vibe going on. They're a duo, one of which is Jon Spencer of the Blues Explosion. (Who does to the blues what psychobilly does to rockabilly.) They're very Sun-Records drenched, with a post-Quine guitar sound. Nice.

Boy, Mr. Bogart. You sure know how to talk to a girl! http://www.issue9mm.com/forum/images/smiles/icon_redface.gif

[Lazy_Fiend]

when you look at psychobilly now
Cramps seem slow and quaint
they cant even compare to Tiger Army
i enjoy their music
but its more of a rockabilly thing for me

[jessecuster]

The Heavy Trash, a recent indie mini-success, have quite a psychobilly vibe going on. They're a duo, one of which is Jon Spencer of the Blues Explosion. (Who does to the blues what psychobilly does to rockabilly.) They're very Sun-Records drenched, with a post-Quine guitar sound. Nice.

See I see them more as almost a straight rockabilly band, than psychobilly.

[zombie]

Rue Morgue Magazine does a lot of psychobilly/gothabilly/horror themed music reviews each month and at their website has a link to Rue Morgue Radio which plays a lot of the music they review.
http://www.rue-morgue.com/

Yeah, Rue Morgue is pretty good for psychobilly reviews.

I'm surprised no one's mentioned the Meteors yet.

[Pinball]

I've got a psychobilly sampler, and most of them sound like Swedish Death Metal with a bass fiddle; i kept waiting for one of them to break out an Entombed cover...

[Adam Crocker]

Hank III and The Damn Band


Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the Damn Band handle the more traditional country stuff while Assjack handles the metal/pyschobilly stuff? (Granted I heard they are basically the same bands using different names depending on the material they play.)

[Lazy_Fiend]

i was waiting for
a Mad Sin mention
but nope...
suprised
Mad Sin is pretty good

[CaptMagellan]

A fellow Rue Crew member!!

RAWK!!!



Yeah, Rue Morgue is pretty good for psychobilly reviews.


Rue Morgue magazine is the best damn horror magazine out there. And they do have good music reviews. I've found a lot of music I never would've encountered otherwise through them.

[Archyduke]

I've heard The World/Inferno Friendship Society described as psychobilly a few times, and they're quite entertaining.

[bert]

Ghoultown kick ass.

I believe they have broken up, and formed into "spliter" bands. . but "Give em enough rope" is an excellent CD.

that's Ghoultown.

check em out.

[(A)//(E)]

I've heard The World/Inferno Friendship Society described as psychobilly a few times, and they're quite entertaining.
I hate to use thread necromancy, but I just have to point out that Inferno is in no way, shape, or form a psychobilly band. They're more like a punk rock cabaret orchestra or "circus punk"... or a cult.

edit: You are correct in that they are highly entertaining. they're my favorite, and have been for quite some time! Too bad about Terrigoat's appendix, though. I was really looking forward to thier stop off in Michigan. :(

[Joey Deadcat]

Right up my alley with psychobilly!:cool:

[CaptMagellan]

I just picked up The Creepshow "Sell Your Soul" and the Necro-Tone Records Pledge Your Allegiance to.... SATAN horrorbilly sampler last week.

The Creepshow is great, and The Matadors fans will love the duet with Hootch. Pledge your Allegiance... has a nice sampling of all sorts of different bands. Some pretty lo-fi, some bigger names.

Based on some reviews I now want to check out Demented are Go.

[K'Nort]

My first thought was that (brilliant) Dead Milkmen song, but that's Rastabilly, isn't it?

Probably still fits, stylistically.

[Adam Crocker]

My first thought was that (brilliant) Dead Milkmen song, but that's Rastabilly, isn't it?

Probably still fits, stylistically.

Based on the sound sample I'm listening to at AMG doesn't sound like it to me. In fact it's too amateurish to be psychobilly.

[CaptMagellan]

I always thought of the Dead Milkmen as just, funny punk ('comedic punk' would sound far too pretentious for them).

I liked 'Bitchin' Camaro' but got real sick of 'Punk Rock Girl' and 'Instant Club Hit' real fast.

[Adam Crocker]

I always thought of the Dead Milkmen as just, funny punk ('comedic punk' would sound far too pretentious for them).


I think she was only referring to that one song.

(I like to think of them as the band that makes the Fall and early Pavement look like Led Zeppelin. :p )

[Lubichev]

The Reverend Horton Heat or Southern Culture On The Skids or Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper are all great, in my opinion.
Seeing the Reverend on September 9 (my birthday) and Southern Culture on the Skids on Oct. 21. Seen them both before and looking forward to some excellent shows.

[Iron Fist]

I've only heard Tiger Army, but I'm a huge fan of that band.

[Joey Deadcat]

I just picked up The Creepshow "Sell Your Soul" and the Necro-Tone Records Pledge Your Allegiance to.... SATAN horrorbilly sampler last week.

The Creepshow is great, and The Matadors fans will love the duet with Hootch. Pledge your Allegiance... has a nice sampling of all sorts of different bands. Some pretty lo-fi, some bigger names.

Based on some reviews I now want to check out Demented are Go.

Can't go wrong with DAG! Part of a "Mt. Rushmore" of psychobilly! Got them to play here in Detroit during their past US tour.

This weekend gonna catch The Meteors and then the Quakes next week!

BTW, one of the CBR writers is big on psychobilly.

[CaptMagellan]

Can't go wrong with DAG! Part of a "Mt. Rushmore" of psychobilly! Got them to play here in Detroit during their past US tour.

This weekend gonna catch The Meteors and then the Quakes next week!

Sounds like a good week for shows.


BTW, one of the CBR writers is big on psychobilly.
Hmm... I'm guessing it's not Rich... he just doesn't strike me as a psychobilly fan.

[Joey Deadcat]

Sounds like a good week for shows.

Hmm... I'm guessing it's not Rich... he just doesn't strike me as a psychobilly fan.

Nah, it's Dave. Run into into him sometimes at shows.

[Shellhead]

Thread necromancy seems appropriate for psychobilly.

I finally went out and got the first three Tiger Army albums and listened to them in order. At first I was thrilled, but a certain sameness carried over from song to song. The prelude to Power of Moonlite was strong, but gradually I realized that this album was more of the same. But I held on for third album.

Ghost Tigers Rise rocked my world. While their signature sound was still there, it seemed like their influences were more obvious, making the music more diverse and yet accessible. And moreso then on the first two albums, these songs tend to evolve and go places instead of following a strict repetition of chorus-verse-chorus. As always, the opening tracks came on strong, though "Death of a Tiger" was more sombre than their usual work. "What Happens?" was a great alternative rock song. My personal favorite was "Wander Alone" for its strong rockabilly sound, but I did enjoy nearly every single track. I was very surprised with "Through the Darkness", which had a nice retro 50's sound.

Give these samples a try:

http://www.amazon.com/Tiger-Army-III-Ghost-Tigers/dp/B00027JYM6

[Paul McEnery]

I'm inclined to say that nobody but The Cramps are psychobilly.

But if you're going to extend the term, why not include The Fall? (I'm shocked, shocked I say, that Betty Crocker didn't mention them.)

Not that they do it all the time, but there's plenty of times they break out a rockabilly shuffle. And Mark E. Smith is a bonafide psycho. So there you have it.