The Warlocks

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For the motorcycle club / gang, see Warlocks Motorcycle Club

For other uses, see Warlock (disambiguation)

The Warlocks (Photo by thewarlocks.com, used with permission)

The Warlocks are an American hard-rock band based out of Los Angeles. Their music has been defined as neo-psychedelia, but much of it spans multiple genres.

[edit] History

After forming in America during 1999, the ever-changing personnel of The Warlocks meant that the band had already featured nineteen different members before it was slimmed to the seven-piece outfit that they are today. Consisting of Bobby Hecksher (Vocals/Guitar), JC Rees (Guitar), Corey Lee Granet (Guitar), Jenny Fraser (Bass), Laura Grigsby (Tambourine/Keys), Bob Mustachio (Drums) and Jason Anchondo (Drums) - their two drummers with four guitarists formation produces a relentless, hypnotic wall of sound that suggests a collision between classic psychedelia, Krautrock and Velvet Underground style rock and roll. It's just what the head doctor orders if you wish to be an underground stateside phenomenon and that's exactly what The Warlocks became.

Front man Bobby Hecksher grew up in the swamps of Tampa Bay, Florida where he was practically raised at a radio station owned by his Grandfather and where his mother also worked as a secretary. As a result Bobby was soon eating and breathing rock'n'roll on a daily basis.

At sixteen his family left the swamps and moved to LA where Bobby soon found kindred spirits. He jammed with Beck playing bass on "Stereopathetic Soul Manure"; he hung out in the decadent atmosphere of the 'Mad Hatter' club and moonlighted in the Brian Jonestown Massacre whilst also attending parties with legendary acid guru Timothy Leary, a potent cultural and creative mix that led to the formation of The Warlocks.

Their debut album "Rise & Fall" (Bomp 2000) set out their template allowing The Warlocks to build upon their reputation as a forceful live act but it was the band's signing of a worldwide deal with Mute (in conjunction with City Rockers in the UK and with Birdman in America) that led to the release of "Phoenix" (2003) a record that raised their profile significantly. The album's varying moods and atmospheres range from the driving power of "Shake the Dope Out" to the 14-minute, hallucinogenic opus "Oh Shadie". "Baby Blue", the pretty and deliciously retro 7" and CD single taken from the LP arrived awash with sitars, a touch of feedback and a melody that sounded like it had blown in from the West Coast of pop. The single's extra tracks featured two songs from the album recorded on their British tour, "Hurricane Heart Attack" boasting a guest appearance from ex-Spaceman 3 front man Sonic Boom that together with "Inside Outside" successfully conveyed a sense of the band's gigantic live sound.