Deadbolt is an American rock band from San Diego, California. Fusing rockabilly and surf music with tongue-in-cheek horror-themed lyrics, Deadbolt has called itself the "scariest band in the world", classifying their musical style as "voodoobilly".
Contents
History
The band originally formed in 1988 as a trio, featuring guitarist and vocalist Harley Davidson, bassist and vocalist Robert "RA" MacLean and drummer Les Vegas. Both Vegas and MacLean have since left the band. The other current members of the band are bassist Gary "3rd Degree" Burns (part of the band's "Wall Of Thunder") and drummer Tank Johnson. Tank Johnson died on January 11, 2015. Former members of the band include The PhanTom (bass and guitar), Claymore Mines (bass), The Coroner (bass), Coffin Boy (bass), Moose Cutter (bass), and Mark Davidson (Harley's brother) a.k.a. Lord Von Crappo who still occasionally plays with the band. Vocalist/guitarist Diana Death occasionally contributes.
Three members of the band were also in a short-lived offshoot group called Strangers 1800, which performed music from Spaghetti Western films and TV westerns and released one EP, When Men Were Men and the Sheep Were Scared and one split record with Deadbolt on Goldenrod Records.
Musical style and influences
Bassist Gary Burns described the band's music as "voodoobilly—the darker side of the rockabilly family." The band's music fuses surf music and rockabilly with horror-themed lyrics. Vocalist Harley Davidson performs spoken vocals. Ian Trumbull, writing for AllMusic, compared the band's music to "the Ventures playing spooky surf music behind a dry, Dragnet style narrative". The band has called itself the "scariest band in the world" as part of its tongue-in-cheek humor. The band uses power tools during their live performances, showering their audiences with sparks.
Discography and videography
Albums
Creepy World (cassette only) – Mondo Records, 1992
Shrunken Head – Cargo/Headhunter Records, 1993
Tiki Man – Cargo/Headhunter Records 1994
Tijuana Hit Squad – Cargo/Headhunter Records, 1996
Zulu Death Mask – Cargo/Headhunter Records, 1998
Voodoo Trucker – Cargo/Headhunter Records, 1999
Hobo Babylon – Cargo/Headhunter Records, 2002
Haight Street Hippie Massacre: The Best of Deadbolt (compilation) – Cargo/Headhunter Records, 2003
I Should Have Killed You – Cargo/Headhunter Records, 2005
Live at the Casbah – Re:Live, 2005
Friday the 13th Massacre (Live) – Hod Rod Surf, 2009
Voodoo Moonshiner – Voodoobilly Records, 2010
Live In Berlin at The Wild At Heart November 21, 2009 (2 CD & 3 disc album) – Knockout Records (German Import), 2010
Buy a Gun – Get a Free Guitar (CD & LP) – Deadbolt Records, 2011
Singles
"Down in the Lab" – Smells Like Grease for Peace, Standard Recordings, 1992 (split with Rocket from the Crypt's "Cha Cha Cha")