Stow away with the 'bilge" Rats for this demented sea shanty. He's always in the pocket and with that great tone, which makes this whole album such a pleasure to listen to. This Rockabilly rave-up is a showcase for Taylor's outstanding drumming. Over and over, Bill hammers home the main theme with heavily reverbed spy-tone and changes things up with agressively double picked melodic variations. This is surf music with a dose of horror. The bass enters the fray, and the band settles into a heavy groove. Bill tears off a glissando and begins his intro over the furious pounding of tribal drums.
With a sudden scream and shattering kick of a reverb tank, you know there's no turning back. Ripped by Senor Teisco del Mar in glorious 320.Ī creaking door sound effect and slow, ominous descending guitar riff usher you In The Charnel House. They've since followed that with their 1999 Turducken release, The Fully Functional Adventures in Espionage Video Game, which was coproduced by Man or Astro-man? drummer Birdstuff and features the songs "Stratosphere Mortuary Theme," "Boris Bomb," "Clip the Wrong Wire.," and "J.A.T.S. They released their first full-length Operation: Twang! in '97 on Pensacola-based Loch Ness Records. 2, and keyboardist Grave Danger - have been unraveling the conspiracy since 1996. Is there some kind of cult down there that the rest of us should know about? These five Agents of JATS, as they refer to themselves - guitarist/Moogist Jonny Stratosphere, bassist Dan-O Bookem, drummer C.H.E.C.K.P.O.I.N.T., second guitarist No. Sound a little familiar? Yes, Jonny and the Shamen has more than a little in common with screwball surf terrorists Man or Astro-man?, who are also from - you guessed it - Alabama. From time to time they spike the punch with a bit of experimental weirdness - freaky effects, sci-fi beats, theremin spookiness - but for the most part, they play reverent, incredibly energetic rolling instrumental rock that will make you want to jump right into the Batmobile.
Reverb alert! Mobile, Alabama quintet Jonny and the Shamen lays it on heavy with classic ride-the-waves instrumental guitar music that blends the old-school surf rock of Dick Dale and The Ventures with the spooky conspiracy themes of '60s espionage thrillers and TV serials like The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Bassist Johnny Hamilton also plays for the Berzerkers and Shig and Buzz. Guitarist Ferenc Dobronyi is the leader of Pollo Del Mar, now going into their second decade of surf rock. Shigemi "Shig 33" Komiyama, drummer extraordinaire, provides the beat for El Destroyo, The Shitones and Shig and Buzz, played with Hot Tuna, and once shared the stage with Yoko Ono. Guitarist Mel Waldorf led Montreal's Los Mel-tones through hundreds of gigs and two CDs before moving to the Bay Area to play with twang rockers The Alvarados. Though the Mach IV was founded in 2001, the quartet have a long pedigree in the instrumental music genre. Hypersonic sounds for the Jet-Age sophisticate, indeed. Original tunes stand along side greats by The Astronauts, The Shadows, The Ventures and lesser known bands like Les Jaguars, Richie Podolar, and many more. By no means an oldies band, they play the music as a vital and continuing force. The Mach IV, based in San Francisco, California, are deeply committed to the traditional sound of Jazzmasters, Jaguars, tank reverbs and the subtle grooves of the early sixties surfing sound.