About Me
THEY'VE PLAYED THE CROCODILE, THE BREAKROOM, THE FUNHOUSE, The Lake Union Pub, The Reko Muse, and the Legendary Bob's Java Jive. Now here they are in all their glory on Myspace! In an era where originality and freshness are extremely rare, you can be sure that Rockin' Rod and the Strychnines plan to keep it that way. You see, they simply don't care. All they want to do is knock you out and blast you out of your skull. And yet....still capture your imagination. They are not purists. They play loud rock. A three chord fuzz tractor full speed ahead. Though they take their cue from bands that came out of the Contemporary Garage Revival, their main influences are the Beat combos and Proto Punk bands of previous eras, especially the great lost music of the mid-60s:Garage punk laced with rebellion, anger and rage. The stuff that is snotty, arrogant, and rough. The Strychnines just hope that you DON'T lump them with the glut of so-called garage bands in the "new" garage movement. The Strychnines plan to take back the label and bring it back to its former glory. Sure, they agree that it's been done before, but they have attitude with a passion to match (ok...and some schtick). The Strychnines play garage punk for the pure love of it and with sincerity. Some say their talent comes from imitation, but soon, most discover that it comes from pure inspiration. The Strychnines hope that you notice that they take it beyond just style and actully contain the substance, emotion, and most of all, fun that the original bands exhibited. Admiration goes the young kids of suburbia, kids with 10% talent and 90 % blood and guts, who dared to pick up instruments, form bands, and in their naivety, try to become the next Stones, at least in their neighborhood, if not the world.
ABOUT THE ORIGINAL BAND: ROCKIN' ROD AND THE STRYCHNINES first formed in 1988. Though in the beginning they were known only to patrons of Olympia and Tacoma teen dance clubs, it wouldn't be long before there wasn't a Washingtonian who didn't know their name, and their fame had spread like wildfire throughout the rest of the Northwest region including Oregon and Vancouver B.C. Said one East coast visitor to the Pacific Northwest:"Only a square could be unaware of Rockin' Rod and the Strychnines, and he or she would have to be well beyond the range of record stores, night clubs, and rioting fans". Their story started in the Puget Sound region of Washington State, Olympia, WA to be exact, a few miles south of Seattle, where a number of groups had made their mark in the local music scene. Rod first hooked up with students at the Evergreen State College but nothing really came together until he joined up with Kurt Flansburg (now of the Scuzztones) who was an avid 60s record collector. Rockin' Rod and the Strychnines could be heard for a while around the college dorms playing wild parties and keggers but really started being noticed when they made their professional debut at the now defunct Reko Muse. Audiences at the Muse were impressed and the band became an immediate favorite. Soon, the buzz about Rockin' Rod and the Strychnines' talents started to get around and they zoomed into statewide fame, propelled by devoted fans. Things really began to move quickly with the addition of drummer extraordinaire, (His Royal Majesty) Chuck Dye. Soon after, they invited Mike Rowland (after a various cast of colorful characters) to play bass and recorded their debut 7-inch, "We Stand United b/w Kill The Milkman", which got reviews in such places as the Rocket, Cryptic Tymes, Flipside, and Maximum Rock And Roll. This would be followed by a split single with Portland band Calamity Jane and an appearance on the Yo-Yo Records compilation JULEP. The band then found themselves opening shows for Girl Trouble, Dead Moon, The Young Fresh Fellows, Gas Huffer, The Melvins, Nation of Ulysses, The Mummies, and Thee Headcoats. They would later be joined by the glamourous Lori B and others throughout the years and would share stages with Thee Evaporators, The Smugglers, The Night Kings, The Sinister Six, The Statics, The Primate Five, Boss Martians, Bangs, Donner Party of 4, The Bug Nasties, Bob Log the III, Supersnazz, and the Woggles. ALTHOUGH ROD IS NOW THE SOLE ORIGINAL MEMBER, The Strychnines continue making a name for themselves with various line-ups and colorful songs, anthems plain and simple smacked into the impressionable brains of the teen community. And although this uniquely exciting vocal-instrumental group is relatively new to the rest of the world, they will fight their way to the top, even if it is one fan at a time, and guarantee you that they will become international superstars and have a very long lasting career. Nay sayers don't stand a chance.
