CAUGHT UP IN THE PSYCLONE OF SOUND

I grew up spending countless hours in Los Angeles and Orange County record stores. While a majority of kids were glued to their TVs playing Atari and Nintendo, I was obsessed with walking the aisles of record stores. It was the smell of the vinyl records tucked into cardboard sleeves that gave me comfort. My regular spots were Lovell’s and Music Plus in Whittier, Zedds in Long Beach, Moby Disc in Costa Mesa, and Bionic Records in Fullerton.

On one particular day, in 1994, I was rifling through the CD cut-out bin at Bionic Records and I stumbled across a band calling themselves The Psyclone Rangers. I had no idea who these guys were. Throughout the years, a lot of my purchases were based on album artwork, record label affiliation, or the producer the album. The Psyclone Rangers sounded like a pretty cool name. The artwork drew me in as well. I recognized the artists’ name from old show posters. And yes, there it was on the bottom left of the album cover. The artist was Frank Kozik. I initially discovered Kozik’s art from reading issues of Juxtapoz Magazine. If Kozik’s fingerprints were on this album, then I have to buy it!

The album (CD) cost me $1.99. It was a small price to pay for an album that would eventually blow me away. Walking the aisles of record stores, to me, was like walking around a pharmacy. Albums were an affordable high. Still is to this day.

These days, the “high” is free to kids. There’s zero investment. There’s minimal effort to discover. Everything is a click or share away. I’m guilty of clicking and sharing, but the notion of people spending hours in record stores has been severly diminished. Brick and mortar foot traffic has dwindled and the shelves are overstocked and bursting at the seams. It’s sad, but its the sign of the times. Its easier to sit behind your laptop and get instant gratification.

Ok, off the soapbox . . .

After spending alot of time listening to that The Psyclone Rangers album I was hooked beyond words. There was just something sinister and tough sounding that caught my attention. Mind you, during this time I was going through a heavy Rockabilly/Garage Punk phase. Off the top of my head: The Cramps, Link Wray, Gun Club, Los Straightjackets, The Oblivians, The Mummies, The Humpers, and Hasil Adkins were all apart of my daily diet.

As 1995 rolled around, The Psyclone Rangers released thier second album “The Devil May Care”. This time, now a massive fan, I promptly paid full price for the album. Could their sophomore album be as good as the first? I was eager to pay the clerk and pop it into the car CD player. The plastic around the CD was cut, torn, and tossed into the record store trash bin before I exited the store. I jumped in my car, popped in the CD and sat in my car. I listened too the entire album before I left the parking lot. That’s what I did in those days. I couldnt wait. Kid in a candy store.

The new album possessed the same raw spirit as their debut album….but it was darker and spookier. The vocals still had that long hollow hallway slapback reverb that I love. A vocal trick that alot of Rockabilly artists used from years past. Coupled with buzzsaw guitars and a subtle fury that made me feel like I owned the world. Not to mention, this album contained a cover of The Modern Lovers “I’m Straight” (stream below)

One particular day, I picked up a copy of the OC Weekly. Each Thursday I would pour through the show listings. My favorite Orange County clubs, at the time, were Club Mesa and Linda’s Doll Hut. I turned the page to the Doll Hut listings and there it was. The Psyclone Rangers were coming to Linda’s Doll Hut the following week. It was a Wednesday night show. Generally, weekday shows in Orange County were pretty underattended. To say I was ecstatic was an understatement.

I went to the show the following week. If you’ve never stepped foot in Linda’s Doll Hut, you should know that the place was/is absolutely tiny. I believe the room capacity was around 45.

When the band hit the stage, there were MAYBE ten people there, including the bouncer and bartender. The band reconfirmed to me that Rock ‘N Roll was alive and well — even though the entire 10 people in the audience experienced this in dreary Orange County. They played as if the room was full of 1,000 people. I had an ear to ear grin the entire set. I felt like I was inside the Church of Rock and Roll.

The band ended. They loaded out. I had a brief chance to chat with them outside the club. Incredible guys to say the least. They jumped in their tour van and rode off into the midnight air. I never saw them again. The band eventually disbanded. But, their albums and that one live show made an incredible impression on me that I’ve never forgotten.

Fast foward to 2006 (nearly 10 years later). I started a tiny music-centric blog called Acid Bird. I think my daily readership was 15 people — on a good day. I wanted to interview the singer Jonathan Valania of The Psyclone Rangers. I tracked him down and low and behold he was extremely receptive in wanting to answer my questions.

A few weeks ago, I stumbled across the short interview I did with Jonathan Valania that I wanted to share (below). I hope you enjoy it.