Over the last few years, The Schizophonics have built up a formidable reputation around the world as an explosive live act. Tapping into the same unstoppable combination of rock & roll energy and showmanship that fueled The MC5 in the heyday of the Grande Ballroom, their wild live show is heavily influenced by artists like James Brown, Iggy Pop, Jimi Hendrix, Little Richard, and The Sonics. Singer/guitarist Pat Beers and drummer Lety Beers formed the band in San Diego in 2009 and have worked tirelessly since then, playing hundreds of shows around the globe and winning seven (SEVEN!) San Diego music awards.
The band is more than just an outstanding live act, they’re also committed to writing great, memorable songs. After releasing two singles and an EP over the last few years on Munster, Ugly Things, and Pig Baby Records, they put out their first full-length album in July 2017 titled Land Of The Living on the label Sympathy For The Record Industry with famed record man Long Gone John. In January of 2019 they started work on their second LP recruiting Dave Gardner (Hot Snakes, RFTC) mixing engineer Stephen Kaye (JD McPherson, Mike Krol) and Pierre De Reeder (Rilo Kiley) to put their live, raw sound to tape.
The album, titled People in the Sky will be released on October 31st, 2019 on Pig Baby Records.
Your new favorite band should hit you like a campaign slogan. Like a religious cult or an anti-hero movie star that you fall in love with. It is something that you never knew you needed. But now?! Makes so much sense!
Where did this come from?! YES! Take me along! I wanna go there! Where do I sign up?! No need to ask, “What flavor is this “Kool-Aid?” Ideas and moments familiar to you but asking to take you in a whole new direction. That’s what the Schizophonics are!
You will never see period James Brown. You will never see Jimi Hendrix.You will never see The Yardbirds, 1966. And all that was before The Stooges and Punk Rock, so add that. Then toss in Garage, Psych, The MC5 and the yelps of Prince. Yes, it’s just a skinny white dude blowing apart the Blues, yet again.
But never before have the pieces been put back together like this while still falling apart. Their live show drips with sweat. You cannot beat this drummer. Cool, hot and hard.
The guitar?! How does he do all that with just one hand on his guitar while the rest of his body flays like the red inflatable man display thing at the Jiffy Lube? He really does the splits! He actually tumbles across the stage, steps on the mic stand commanding it towards him while doing a full body spin and sing the next line.
Wall of sound?! May I remind you…(see all the bands listed above)this is only a three-piece. People walk away asking “Are they playing to tapes?!?”
The first time I saw them was a small little dive bar in San Diego. The stage could not contain this power of the three. When something in Art is truly great my emotion detector goes off. Be it a great painting, a fantastic film, a wonderful song. The first time I saw them I got a single tear down my face. I was witnessing something amazing. Are you seeing this?! How can this be happening!? This is a historic time?! I was sold.
The guitar riff to their new song “Steely Eyed Lady” hits you like a train with all the passion of a young Little Richard floating through the clouds with so much raw energy. A reason why they will be your new favorite band too.
Luv, EL VEZ
You can pre-order People In The Sky from Pig Baby Records, and catch the Schizophonics on tour this fall:
9/13: Montreal, QB — Fuzztival
10/10: Los Angeles, CA — Harvard & Stone
10/11: San Diego, CA — Casbah
10/12: Long Beach, CA — Alex’s Bar
10/13: Phoenix, AZ — Rhythm Room
10/14: El Paso, TX — The Neon Rose
10/17: Denton, TX — Harvest House
10/18: Austin, TX — Nicolaza’s/Far Out
10/19: Houston, TX — Rudyards
10/20: New Orleans, LA — TBA
10/23: Miami, FL — Gramps
10/24: St. Petersburg, FL — The Bends
10/25: Orlando, FL — Wills Pub
10/26: Atlanta, GA — Star Bar
10/27: Memphis, TN — DKDC
10/30: New York, NY — Union Pool
10/31: Baltimore, MD — Otto Bar
11/01: Washington, DC — The Pie Shop
11/02: Philadelphia, PA — Ortlieb’s
11/03: New Haven, CT — Café Nine
11/04: Providence, RI — Dusk
11/05: NYC, NY — Illegal Mezcal Private Party
11/06: Pittsburg, PA — Get Hip
11/07: Toronto, ON — The Baby G
11/08: Detroit, MI — The Outer Limits
11/09: Chicago, IL — Liars Club
11/10: Madison, WI — Mickey’s Tavern
11/12: Appleton, Wi — The Cold Shot
11/15: Wenatchee, WA — Walley’s
11/16: Seattle, WA — Freakout Festival
11/17: Portland, OR — Twilight Café
