Uncle Speedy Case (The Uncle) - Slippy things and metal
Very Reverend Scat Cockroach - Woodwork and needlecraft
Johnny Good-Bacon - Tree Pipes
Hanky Dog - Screech and Yell and Twang
Craig Murphy - Harmonica
Influences
Leadbelly, Little Walter, Hank Williams, Chet Atkins, W L Horning, Hayden Tompson, Woodie Guthrie, Gene Vincent, Cliff Gallup, Link Wray, Dick Dale, Ronnie Dawson, Kenny Burrell, Rochee & The Sarnos, Captain Beefheart, Tom Waits, The Pixies, The White Stripes, Sonic Youth and PJ Harvey etc.
Sounds Like
Leadbelly, Little Walter, Hank Williams, Chet Atkins, W L Horning, Hayden Tompson, Woodie Guthrie, Gene Vincent, Cliff Gallup, Link Wray, Dick Dale, Ronnie Dawson, Kenny Burrell, The Sarnos, Captain Beefheart, Tom Waits, The Pixies, The White Stripes, Sonic Youth and PJ Harvey etc. all thrown in a blender!
We’re sorry to announce some sad news. The Surgens, everyone’s favourite purveyors of twisted country, blues and surf, have decided to call it a day after four years of performing. We’ve had a grand old time but all good things must come to an end and we feel that the band has reached the end of its natural life. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all you kind souls who’ve supported us over the years and to invite you all to our last ever gig, a Halloween spectacular at Mama Liz's Soul Food Shack, Stamford on Friday 31st October. Support comes from the fantastic Dirty Backbeats. visit http://www.mamaliz.co.uk for more info. Thanks again for all your support - It's been one hell of a ride!
"New 7" single Moon Song & Nappy Brown out 17rd March 08 - Advanced copies available from our website www.thesurgens.co.uk Now!"
"Follow up Album" out 31st March 08 - available from our website now www.thesurgens.co.uk "
Misadventures Of A Broken Man -
Available from our shop click here
7" single Twisted Brain & Reefer Madness available from our website www.thesurgens.co.uk Now!"
7" single Wolfman & Goodbye nadine available from our website www.thesurgens.co.uk Now!"
"Debut Album and 7" single "The Wolfman" - available from our website www.thesurgens.co.uk "
Songs of Sadness, Misery & Abuse - Track Listing
Listen to tracks off of our Debut Album "Songs of Sadness, Misery & Abuse
Available from our shop click here
Unfairly depicted as a demented novelty act recently escaped from the country
blues mental ward, the Surgens are in actuality a top-notch rock & roll
combo, enormously popular on the teen-club circuit. Playing primarily twisted
blue rock and roll in a surfing honky tonk style, so popular of the time,
they are of course very much part of the nu plastic hip generation. Pa Pa
Ooh Mow Mow, You betcha!
"A new musical philosophy"
Although we only formed The Surgens in 2004 the metamorphosis to the current band has been a much longer process. Hanky Dog and Black Dixon started off as “Plastic Hip” recording odd songs using doowop, jazz, blues and rock'n'roll samples mixed with twisted vocals, guitars and bass, and were later joined by Scat and Pinky to give a much rawer sound to the band.
Although there was always some interest in Plastic Hip shown by the likes of John Peel and Joe Cushley, plus singles of the month in Record Collector magazine we felt that we really weren't achieving the raw roots sound we were after and were too restrained by the use of samples. So we decided to dump the samples, expand the band, change our name and start again!
Enter brothers The Uncle and Craig Murphy, a completely new set and a new musical philosophy and The Surgens were born. We decided to throw in and mix up everyone's musical loves and influences and what would be produced would be The Surgens' sound.
Fortunately for the Surgens, we all have a love of roots music in general and within the band we have been heavily influenced by artists as diverse as Leadbelly, Little Walter, Hank Williams, Chet Atkins, Woodie Guthrie, Gene Vincent, Link Wray, Dick Dale, Kenny Burrell to Captain Beefheart, Tom Waits, The Pixies, The White Stripes, Sonic Youth and PJ Harvey etc.
If you take into consideration these influences then you'll probably understand why our sound is being described as “twisted country surf blues” or “the stuff you would expect to turn up in a Tarantino movie”.
The authenticity and rawness of our sound is achieved through the use of various genuine instruments and valve amplifiers from the 40's, 50's and 60's and also through recording live, in an attempt to achieve the real performance and feel of the songs.
Whatever our sound is described as, people who hear us and see us perform seem to be enjoying it, which is what it's all about, and we're now being asked to play at various venues around the country as well as doing a recent live session on Joe Cushley's nublues show “Balling the Jack” on Resonance FM.
Although there has been a lot of interest in nublues recently we still tend to feel that The Surgens are probably more of a fringe nublues band at the moment as this genre seems to be currently dominated by garage blues bands. You never know this might work in our favour as we've never run with the pack: we prefer to do our own thing! Pa Pa Ooh Mow Mow? You Betcha!
BLUES MATTERS Issue 26
THE SURGENS “a new musical philosophy”
The Squirrel Skin Slippers are a rough n tumble Mr & Mrs originating from the bone-rattling mythical antipodes of New Zealand. Their metamorphosis from two wild little animals into a gut punchin garage music beast started back in ‘07 when they began smashing pot lids together and howling like a drunk mule. Ever since this violent metamorphosis took place, they have continued to howl and gnash in venues in London, New York, and New Zealand.
The Squirrel Skin Slippers music is as rough-handed honest and straight talkin' as it gets. Their music is stitched together from the beaten skins of old deep south dirty blues, DIY garage music, folk noir and 60's punk and garage spirit. Their sound is like a primal, foot stomping, eye squinting, amped up yet stripped down blend of illegal liquor, with earthy undertones, hints of fruitiness, and subtle infusions of John Lee Hooker, Billy Childish, Link Wray, and the Trashmen. This new and unpredictable creature is then brought to life with their own fuzzed-up experimental style and served with a gut punching snarl! Check ‘em out here……………………………. http://www.myspace.com/squirrelskinslippers
Hello, it's me, Ruby Jane. I am a 14 year old fiddler, songwriter. I have some songs posted that are fresh out of the studio. Let me know if you like the new songs..be one of the first to hear, even before they are released!Thanks! new videos too! Ruby Jane
we,re hosting a month of monday night gigs at the Vibe bar Brick Lane. "Breaking out the old Routine" start the week like you mean it, and tell it whos boss with a party on monday night with Tom Mansi and the Icebreakers we,ll be playing each week with lots of lovely friends guests supporting and headlining each week with us tucked in the middle somewhere playing lots of new stuff and some oldies too.
Thanks for adding Sinister Research Facility. We make interesting things and we want to tell the world about them. Stop by and check out our redesigned page and new artwork. We have our steam/breaks musical project at www. myspace. com/goodsoldiersvejk and our wonderfully puerile, extremely dubious animations at www. myspace. com/deeplywrongfilms
