Music Sound

Psychobilly
Stylistic origins:	Early Rock'n'roll, R&B, Rockabilly, Blues, Surf rock, Punk rock, Garage rock
Cultural origins:	late 1970's United States and England
Typical instruments:	Guitar - Bass - Drums - Some more garage rock influenced acts may incorporate a Farfisa organ
Mainstream popularity:	Lagely underground and popular with punks, goths, Greasers, Scooterboys, indie kids and bikers
Gothabilly, Punkabilly, Surf rock, Horror punk, Deathcountry Garage punk, Indie rock, Garage rock
Regional scenes
England, Europe, the United States and Japan
Other topics
Timeline of alternative rock

Psychobilly is a genre of music generally described as a mix between the British punk rock of the 1970s and the American rockabilly of the 1950s. The genre is also characterized by lyrical references to horror films, violence, exploitation films, lurid sexuality and other topics generally considered taboo, sometimes presented in a comedic, tongue-in-cheek fashion. Psychobilly music is generally played with an upright bass instead of an electric bass.

Contents 1 Origins 2 International prevalence 3 External links 4 Some Psychobilly Acts

Origins

The term "psychobilly" was first used by Wayne Kemp when he penned the Johnny Cash song "One Piece at a Time," a Top 10 hit in 1976, where he makes reference to a "psychobilly Cadillac", although this song has nothing musically to do with Psychobilly. It came into use as a genre a few years later, when the Cramps described their music as "psychobilly" and "voodoo rockabilly" on flyers advertising their upcoming shows. Although the Cramps rejected the idea of being a part of the psychobilly scene, they, along with artists such as Screamin' Jay Hawkins and the Stray Cats, are considered important precursors to psychobilly. Musically speaking, there are also antecedents in the garage rock scene of the 1960s and the pub rock scene of the 1970s. The very first verifiable psychobilly band is considered to be the Meteors in south London in 1980. With one member being part of the rockabilly subculture, another being part of the punk subculture, and the last being a horror movie fan, their musical ideas overlapped to begin psychobilly as it exists today. The Meteors also invented the concept of psychobilly being apolitical, by encouraging their shows to be a "politics-free" zone in order to avoid disputes among fans, as was becoming common in the punk rock scene of the time.

The Meteors' second LP, Wrecking Crew. It is considered a classic and influential psychobilly album.

International prevalence

In 1982, a nightclub called Klubfoot opened in Hammersmith, west London, creating a home for the UK psychobilly scene. The club was eventually demolished and replaced with offices and a bus station. Because the psychobilly scene has never become very popular, psychobilly fans often organize "Psychobilly Weekenders" where many bands are featured on one bill to attract many attendees from all over. The first weekenders were organized in the UK in the mid-80s. In the U.S., they happen with frequency in Texas [1], New York and California.

Psychobilly eventually spread throughout most of Europe, (particularly Germany, Italy, and Spain), Canada, parts of the United States, and is gradually spreading to Asia, especially Japan. While the psychobilly of the early 1980s (the Meteors, the Sharks, Batmobile [2]) was similar to punk or 1960s garage rock, with obvious rockabilly influences, the psychobilly of the later 1980s and 1990s (the Nekromantix, Demented Are Go, the Klingonz, Mad Sin, Asmodeus [3], Milwaukee Wildmen) had a different sound which was a bit harder. The psychobilly of 2000s is closer to the American psychobilly sound (The Spectres, The Knuckle Draggers [4], the Koffin Kats [5], Los Gatos Locos, the Barnyard Ballers [6], The Young Werewolves, The Beards and The Matadors[7]).

External links

• Beakman's Diner - Psychobilly Online Radio
• From Psychobilly Land - Article on Origins
• The Matadors - Excellent Psychobilly Band from Canada
• The Wrecking Pit - A Psychobilly Resource since 1995! Lists Concerts
• Go Psycho - Psychobilly Information Site in French
• Klubtastic - London Psychobilly club
• Psychobilly Online - Psychobilly Website
• The Speed Freaks' Ball - Annual English Psychobilly Festival
• The Meteors Official Homepage
• The Knuckle Draggers
• The Hootenanny Psychobilly/Rockabilly Festival
• Psychobilly Deluxe/First podcast dedicated to psychobilly and related music.

Some Psychobilly Acts

Batmobile Tiger Army The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster Calavera Los Difuntos Frantic Flintstones Speed Crazy Koffin Kats Klingonz Memphis Morticians Barnyard Ballers Nekromantix The Great Scots The Cramps The Young Werewolves The Meteors Os Catalepticos Demented Are Go! Chibuku Asmodeus 12 Step Rebels 7 Shot Screamers Banane Metalik

Godless Wicked Creeps Guana Batz Gutter Demons Kings Of Nuthin Mad Sin Los Gatos Locos The Creepshow The Matadors The Slanderin' The Quakes The Tombstone Brawlers The Reverend Horton Heat The Rocketz Concombre Zombi The Dead Kings The Formaldehydes Hayride To Hell Hellbound Hayride Battle Of The Ninjamanz King Kurt Krewmen Three Bad Jacks Zombie Ghost Train