The 9th Annual Psychobilly Brawl Sets the Night On Fire, By Holly Homan

Another Saturday night in Seattle and another great night for local music. This time it was the 9th Annual Psychobilly Brawl at the Highline on Broadway. The Rocketz were headlining, but first there were some great acts to heat up the stage and set the night on fire.

When I entered the cozy club a burlesque show was in full swing. As burlesque shows go I was under-impressed. The dancing was mediocre, the costumes lame and it just seemed like more exploitation of women.

Fortunately my boredom was short-lived for the first band hit the stage and lit a raging inferno that blazed all night. Banzai Surf is a local Washington four-piece that plays all instrumental psycho surf. Lots of sixties surf music with a psychotic attitude. They were even joined onstage by a couple female dancers clad in tattoos, fringe and fishnet stockings that totally livened up their act (not that it needed it). Banzai Surf are Joe Jabon – guitar, Joe Anderson – bass, John Mooney – drums, and Jim Sadler – keys. They are total fun and so authentic I could almost taste the salty sea spray on my tongue.

The next band up was one I’d been wanting to see, Angie and the Car Wrecks. WOW! Fronted by Angiebelle on guitar and vocals and oozing charisma, she had a sticker pasted on her guitar that said, “Good Cowgirls Keep Their Calves Together.” The bass player (Skwerll) wore a shirt that said “Shoot Pool Not People.” Said shirt was shed after about five minutes into their set. The band claims Skwerll was raised by wolves. This all makes sense now. He played barefoot and wrestled the large stand-up bass as if they were both wild animals vying for the same piece of meat. As if this weren’t enough, the band also had a washboard player who’s as wide as he is tall, sported a shaved head save for strip going down the middle and played shirtless also displaying an array of tattoos covering his torso. Then there’s the guitarist, large, sporting a red mullet/mohawk and beard and also covered in tattoos. Add drummer Dustin and you’ve got raucous hootenanny psycho punk rock. Yeah, I think they’re one of a kind. Wrap it all up with the sweet vocals of Angiebelle and you have Angie and the Car Wrecks. A bed of nails was dragged on stage and at several points (no pun intended, honest) Skwerll proved how wild he could be by lying down on it without missing a lick on his bass. When he wasn’t on the bed of nails he was climbing on top of his bass like some circus performer. This band is incredible! If Banzai Surf ignited the fire, Angie and the CarWrecks turned the night into a blazing inferno.

Following their set was an old fashioned circus freak show, billed as Noel Austin’s Phreaks. Unfortunately my batteries died so I only got one picture. But picture sparks flying while some guy lifts a car battery attached by cables to his dick (I kid you not), setting off firecrackers inside a large tin can or lifting a stand up bass with hooks attached to your eyes (performed by Skwerll from Angie and the CarWrecks). Picture someone lying on the bed of nails with a ceramic plate on his stomach while a bowling ball is dropped on him. This was pure entertainment.

Unfortunately I missed the next band as I had to go out for a battery run. I returned just in time to catch the Hard Money Saints’ entire set. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen Hard Money Saints. More rocka than psycho, they play hard and they play fast. There wasn’t a still body in the club as they built the inferno back up again. And again, the dancers returned, though this time there were four instead of two. Hard Money Saints didn’t have quite the wild streak as Angie and the CarWrecks exhibited, but even this person with dual knee replacements found it impossible to stand still during their set. The Hard Money Saints are a Seattle institution and consist of Jack Rainwater – Guitar Vox, Jacob Hogg – Doghouse, Nich “Lil Dirty” Scott – Skins.

At last, a band I’ve been waiting to see for some time, The Rocketz, hit the stage. Front guy Tony Slash is a wild man who wouldn’t let the raging inferno left by Hard Money Saints dwindle. He was all over the stage, striking poses, grimacing and teasing the audience into a wild frenzy (and this was a tame audience). Nick Anchondo, aka Chango, played bass and looked like a classic nerd complete with thick-rimmed Buddy Holly glasses. He reminded me sort of of a stray puppy that you just want to take home to love. Guitarist Sean Walbrink from Stealth By Starlight came along for fun. Al Diablo of Cold Blue Rebels played drums. The Rocketz are a bit more punk but with enough psycho thrown in for that macabre edge so often found in psychobilly. They were also joined on stage by the four dancers for much of their set, which only livened things up. The entire night ended promptly at 1:30. It was a long night but hardly seemed like it was. For all you who missed it you have the rest of your lives to wallow in regret. This was one fun night.

– Holly Homan