MUSK

Back in March, S.S. saw Oakland’s MUSK open for feedtime at the Hemlock and got a headspin so severe that it would have shocked Linda Blair.  Primitive sludge with an ample amount of weirdness, Musk’s music is deft combination of Flipper, later Scientists, various AmpRep swamp dwellers, and DEVO if the Akronites were forced to play in a tar pit. Veterans of bands such as Butcher Cover, Tractor Sex Fatality, and Killer’s Kiss, this is these guys’ best group yet.

Musk will be playing on July 14, 2012 at the  Hemlock Tavern, San Francisco

Musk - Slow Bummer (demo) by S. S./ Sol Re Sol Records

LAMPS

Though they live only 600 miles to the South, the LAMPS rarely make it up to Northern California to play. So when S.S. has an opportunity to bring them up here, we do not pass it up. Over a couple albums (on In the Red Records) and a slew of singles (on S.S. and other labels) the Lamps have taken the 1-2-3-4 approach to punk rock & roll and distilled it in a way that only bands like feedtime have done. Basic but beyond cliché, the Lamps are a great band in studio and especially live.

The Lamps will be playing on July 14, 2012 at the Hemlock Tavern, San Francisco.

LAMPS-You're Belinda by S. S./ Sol Re Sol Records

MONOSHOCK

MONOSHOCK’s first breath came in the late 80s as it emerged from the shell of a band a band called the Umbilical Chords in the Central California town of Isla Vista. Monoshock’s combination of Hawkwind-style psychedelia with Stooges-thud and garage punk-raw energy immediately endeared them to rock scribe Jay Hinman, who released their first single. Other records would follow on labels such as Blackjack and the critically acclaimed 90s label Bag of Hammers. Monoshock’s one and only full length, a double album called “Walk to the Fire” (slated for reissue on S.S. in July), received stellar reviews, called a psych classic by Julian Cope (“WALK TO THE FIRE is a barbarian classic [what an oxymoron, ya moron!] that brings a smile to your face and sway to your hips and a lump to your dong from the moment you put it on.”), and was recently featured in Mojo Magazine. Bands such as Comets on Fire, Wooden Shjips, and CAVE have cited Monoshock as a major influence. S.S. Records was so hooked on Monoshock that one of our early obsessions was releasing a CD anthology of their singles and unreleased tracks (2005). While band members have continued to play music (The Drags, Liquorball, the Bad Trips, Terminal Wasteand, Nothing People) this will be Monoshock’s first show in nearly fifteen years. 

Monoshock will play on Saturday, July 14 at the Hemlock Tavern, San Francisco.

Monoshock - Soledad by S. S./ Sol Re Sol Records


Monoshock - Striking a Match in the Year 4007 by S. S./ Sol Re Sol Records

SPRAY PAINT

From Austin, Texas comes a trio known as SPRAY PAINT. The proud father of two pieces of vinyl (both 7”s on S.S. Records), these Texans have fast gainied a following with sounds that bring to mind the Urinals/100 Flowers, the A Frames, and various UK DIY obscurities, while still having a sound of their own. Playing cutting songs with very cool gang vocals, Spray Paint stunned people at this years’ SXSW.

Spray Paint will be playing on July 13, 2012 at the Hemlock Tavern

Spray Paint - Pro Knife by S. S./ Sol Re Sol Records
Spray Paint - Jimi Hendrix's Apartment by S. S./ Sol Re Sol Records

ICKY BOYFRIENDS

Oozing from San Francisco’s sub-primordial muck in 1989, the ICKY BOYFRIENDS stomped around the edges of the city’s garage punk scene, playing a brand of rock & roll which drew equally from Cleveland heavies such as the Electric Eels and a twisted Sixties mutation of the Monks and the Fugs, infused with LAFMS-style WTF. Though their output was small (some singles and an album on labels like Blackjack and Menlo Park), they acquired a rabid fan base, one that continues to grow. Over the past few years they’ve played a couple times (Memphis’ Gonerfest, San Francisco’s Budget Rock) and each time crowds have walked away amazed.

The Icky Boyfriends will be playing on July 13, 2012 at the Hemlock Tavern.

Pigs by S. S./ Sol Re Sol Records
I.cky B.oyfriends - I - Was by S. S./ Sol Re Sol Records

WOUNDED LION

WOUNDED LION's debut was on S.S. Records, a very cool single which sold out quickly. A secret no longer, they jumped to In the Red Records in their native Los Angeles, where they’ve released a couple albums and a handful of singles, each one better than what’s come before. At their best, their strum-tastic sounds bring to mind the Modern Lovers, Leaving Trains, and Half Japanese during their pop phase. And live these guys are very hard to beat. Last year they opened SS10 and blew people away. This year, expect no less. 

Wounded Lion play on July 13, 2012 at the Hemlock Tavern.

Wounded-Lion Roman-Values by S. S./ Sol Re Sol Records