 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source .(September 2021) |
Guana Batz | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Feltham, Greater London, England |
| Genres | Psychobilly |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Labels | I.D. Records, Big Beat Records |
| Members | UK/EUROPE:
NORTH AMERICA:
|
| Past members |
|
The Guana Batz are an English psychobilly band who formed in 1982 in Feltham, West London, England. [1] The band are most well known for their frequent appearances at the Klub Foot, an early psychobilly club.
The original group members were Pip Hancox (vocals), Stuart Osborne (guitar), Dave "Diddle" Turner (drums) and Mick Wigfall (upright bass). [1] Wigfall was removed by Osborne early on, who preferred a bass guitar player for the band. Mick White soon joined the band as bass guitarist. [1] However, by 1984, the Guana Batz decided to again feature an upright bassist, and replaced White with Sam Sardi. [1]
Turner quit the band in May 1987, the hectic touring schedule having grown too much for him, and opted to devote his time to his girlfriend and his construction job. He was replaced by former Get Smart bass player, Jonny Bowler. When Sardi left the band, Bowler switched to upright bass, and John Buck joined the band on drums. Mark Pennington of the Caravans played upright bass for the band after Sam Sardi left and prior to Johnny Bowler switching to bass.
Hancox's Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Pig Dog, was humorously referred to as the band's "fifth member." After being hit by a car, he was replaced by Hancox's new dog, Muttley, who would be featured on four Guana Batz album covers. Although Muttley has died, he reportedly lived to an old age.
The band broke up in 1990,[ citation needed ] but reunited in 1996. They are still touring today. Osborne also plays with The Unknowns. Buck still lives in London; Hancox and Bowler have relocated to San Diego, California and they have occasionally performed in the southern California area with ex-Stray Cats members under the moniker the Guana Cats.
In 2001, Turner died from a stroke and, in 2018, Bowler departed from the band.
The band continues to headline major festivals around the world, and have more recently built their US following, with their Stateside line-up featuring Eric Razo (FEAR, Viva Hate, Henchmen) on guitar, Victor Mendez (The Rhythm Shakers) on bass, and Jared Hren on drums.
| Year | Title | UK Indie Chart Position | |
|---|---|---|---|
| December | 1983 | "You're So Fine" / "Rock 'n' in My Coffin" | No. 19 |
| May | 1984 | "The Cave" | No. 6 |
| March | 1986 | "See Through" | No. 4 |
| July | 1986 | "I'm on Fire" | No. 5 |
| May | 1987 | "Rock This Town" | No. 8 |
| Year | Title | UK Indie Chart Position | |
|---|---|---|---|
| August | 1985 | Held Down to Vinyl... At Last | No. 1 |
| November | 1986 | Loan Sharks | No. 3 |
| June | 1987 | Live over London | No. 5 |
| March | 1988 | Rough Edges | No. 6 |
| 1990 | Electra Glide in Blue | ||
| 1994 | Get Around (demos) | ||
| 1998 | The Peel Sessions | ||
| 2000 | Can't Take The Pressure | ||
| 2001 | The Very Best of The Guana Batz | ||
| 2017 | Burning Up | ||
| April | 2018 | Back to the Jungle | |
Tiger Army is an American psychobilly band based in Los Angeles, California. The group was formed in 1996 in Berkeley, California, and its only constant member is singer, guitarist, and lead songwriter Nick 13. The band has released six studio albums and four EPs.
Psychobilly is a rock music fusion genre that fuses elements of rockabilly and punk rock. It's been defined as "loud frantic rockabilly music", it has also been said that it "takes the traditional countrified rock style known as rockabilly, ramp[ing] up its speed to a sweaty pace, and combin[ing] it with punk rock and imagery lifted from horror films and late-night sci-fi schlock,... [creating a] gritty honky tonk punk rock."
The Nekromantix is a Danish-American psychobilly band founded in Copenhagen in 1989. Their lyrics are generally structured around monster and horror themes. A central icon of the band's image is founder and frontman Kim Nekroman's "coffinbass", a custom-built double bass with a body in the shape of a coffin and a headstock the shape of a cross. Nekroman has been the sole constant member of the band. The current lineup consists of guitarist Francisco Mesa and drummer Rene "Delamuerte" Garcia, known as a guitarist and singer of the Canadian band "The Brains".
The Reverend Horton Heat is the stage name of American musician James C. Heath as well as the name of his Dallas, Texas-based psychobilly trio. Heath is a singer, songwriter and guitarist. A Prick magazine reviewer called Heath the "godfather of modern rockabilly and psychobilly".
Mungo Jerry are a British rock band, formed by Ray Dorset in Ashford, Middlesex in 1970. Experiencing their greatest success in the early 1970s, with a changing lineup always fronted by Ray Dorset, the group's biggest hit was "In the Summertime". They had nine charting singles in the UK, including two number ones, five top 20 hits in South Africa, and four in the Top 100 in Canada.
The Popes are a band originally formed by Shane MacGowan and Paul "Mad Dog" McGuinness, who play a blend of rock, Irish folk and Americana.
The Quakes are an American psychobilly band from Buffalo, New York, United States. They were formed in 1986. When the band began in the late 1980s, there was no psychobilly scene to speak of in the United States. The Quakes moved to London to try to find an audience.
Live and In Color is a direct-to-video film recorded by The Reverend Horton Heat at Deep Ellum live in Dallas, Texas, in November 2003.
The Rolling Stones' 1969 Tour of the United States took place in November 1969. With Ike & Tina Turner, Terry Reid, and B.B. King as the supporting acts, rock critic Robert Christgau called it "history's first mythic rock and roll tour", while rock critic Dave Marsh wrote that the tour was "part of rock and roll legend" and one of the "benchmarks of an era." In 2017, Rolling Stone magazine ranked the tour among The 50 Greatest Concerts of the Last 50 Years.
Moose were a British indie rock band who formed in London in 1990. The original line-up included Russell Yates, K.J. "Moose" McKillop (guitar), Damien Warburton (drums), and Jeremy Tishler (bass). After Warburton and Tishler left the band they were replaced with Lincoln Fong (bass), his brother Russell (guitar), and Richard Thomas (drums). Other members have included Mig Moorland (drums) and Mick Conroy (keyboards).
Patricia Day is a Danish musician best known as the lead singer and bass player of the rockabilly/psychobilly band HorrorPops.
Viva Hate is a rock band that was formed late in the summer of 2004 by Geoff Kresge after he left Tiger Army. Shortly after forming Viva Hate, Kresge was asked to join the HorrorPops, with whom he played guitar with from 2004 to 2006, although the official statement of his departure was not made until the summer of 2007, leaving many questions regarding the nature of his parting ways with the HorrorPops.
Batmobile is a Dutch psychobilly band from Rotterdam and Breda, formed in 1983. They were the first band not from the United Kingdom to perform at the influential psychobilly club, Klub Foot and are considered the seminal Dutch psychobilly band.
Pitmen is a German psychobilly group that was founded in 1995.
The Knockouts are a Swedish rock band from Stockholm, Sweden that formed in 1996.
The Highliners is a British rock and roll / psychobilly band known for the hit singles “Henry The Wasp” and “The Benny Hill Boogie”, antics include dressing in pink doctor martens boots, black capes and driving a pink van with a skeleton surfing on the roof.
The Rolling Stones, an English rock band, have been active since 1962. Originally a counterpoint to The Beatles, the group took influences from the Blues, rock'n'roll and R&B. Most of their recordings feature a core of drums, bass, two guitars and a lead vocal, though there have been numerous variations on this in the studio.
Kitty in a Casket is a female-fronted Austrian punk rock/rock'n'roll band from Vienna formed in 2008. The band consists of vocalist Kitty Casket, guitarists Billy the Bat and Todd Flash, bassist Marc Maniac and drummer Max van Angst. Their sound can be described as a combination of the typical 'in your face' punk rock sound, rock'n'roll riffs and spooky but fun lyrics.
The Thirsty Crows are an American rock band from the South Bay area of Los Angeles, California. Thematically their songs tend to revolve around horror, binge drinking, and acts of revenge.
Stellar Corpses is a psychobilly horror punk band formed in Santa Cruz, California in 2005. The first lineup included singer, guitarist and primary songwriter, Dusty Grave, upright bassist Dan Lamothe, drummer, Matt Macabre and lead guitarist, Mr Grim. Their sound and style combines elements of psychobilly, Horror punk, hardcore punk gothic rock and metal. Since their formation Stellar Corpses have continued to tour both in the US as well as internationally.
| General | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
