Le Shok
Encyclopedia
Le Shok was a synthpunk
band from Long Beach
, California
, USA. The band was made up of members of various other punk bands from the area and existed from 1997 until early 2001, releasing numerous 7" records, one full-length, and touring the US twice.
(drums), and singer Hot Rod Todd.
After hearing a rehearsal tape, Darryl Licht from Action League joined the band on keyboards, and Over the Counter Rusty (also from Treadwell) joined as the bassist.
The band released four 7" records on various labels, and in 2000, Gold Standard Laboratories
released the band's sole album, We Are Electrocution, and the band went on a nationwide tour of the United States.
Shitty Shaan, who had filled-in for Darryl at shows he couldn't make, was eventually brought on full-time as a second guitarist, until Darryl left the band for good and Shaan switched to keyboards. Material recorded while the band was still a six-piece found its way onto various vinyl releases.
When Andrew subsequently left the band, Shaan took over guitar duties and John Fones of Tunigs was brought in on keyboards. Following their second US tour, Fones departed and Darryl briefly rejoined the band before Shaan quit, signaling the demise of the band in early 2001.
Following the break-up, members of Le Shok played in bands including Nazti Skinz, Neon King Kong, The Distraction, T-Cells, FM Bats
, Gods Iron Tooth, and Dirty Girls.
Synthpunk
Synthpunk is a music genre combining elements of electronic music and punk rock. The term was coined by Damian Ramsey in 1999 as an attempt to retroactively identify a small sub-genre of punk music from 1977 to 1984 that involved musicians playing synthesizers in place of electric...
band from Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA. The band was made up of members of various other punk bands from the area and existed from 1997 until early 2001, releasing numerous 7" records, one full-length, and touring the US twice.
Biography
Le Shok formed in 1997 (originally named The Shock) by Asshole Andrew from Treadwell (guitar), Joey Juvenile from The LocustThe Locust
The Locust is a musical group from San Diego, California, United States known for their unique mix of grindcore speed and aggression, mathcore complexity, and new wave weirdness.- Style :...
(drums), and singer Hot Rod Todd.
After hearing a rehearsal tape, Darryl Licht from Action League joined the band on keyboards, and Over the Counter Rusty (also from Treadwell) joined as the bassist.
The band released four 7" records on various labels, and in 2000, Gold Standard Laboratories
Gold Standard Laboratories
Gold Standard Laboratories or GSL was an independent record label which was founded in 1993 in Boulder, Colorado by Sonny Kay. In 2000, it was relocated to San Diego, California, USA, and two years later, to Los Angeles. It was headquartered in L.A...
released the band's sole album, We Are Electrocution, and the band went on a nationwide tour of the United States.
Shitty Shaan, who had filled-in for Darryl at shows he couldn't make, was eventually brought on full-time as a second guitarist, until Darryl left the band for good and Shaan switched to keyboards. Material recorded while the band was still a six-piece found its way onto various vinyl releases.
When Andrew subsequently left the band, Shaan took over guitar duties and John Fones of Tunigs was brought in on keyboards. Following their second US tour, Fones departed and Darryl briefly rejoined the band before Shaan quit, signaling the demise of the band in early 2001.
Following the break-up, members of Le Shok played in bands including Nazti Skinz, Neon King Kong, The Distraction, T-Cells, FM Bats
FM Bats
FM Bats is a four-piece punk band from Long Beach, California that formed in 2004, consisting of singer Todd Jacobs , formerly of The Distraction, Le Shok, and Neon King Kong; bassist Leonardo Salas of Parades End and I'm Gonna Stab You; drummer Tony Matarazzo of Grand Elegance ; Brett Cutts; and...
, Gods Iron Tooth, and Dirty Girls.
Albums
- Soda Pop Smash This is an online compilation of all other Le Shok material that wasn't on their full-length release. It's not an official release.
- We Are ElectrocutionWe Are ElectrocutionWe are Electrocution is the debut album by nihilistic new wave punk rock band Le Shok released in 2000 on GSL. Initially available only in limited quantities on vinyl, a CD was released the following year...
(2000)
Singles & EPs
- So What 7" EP (1998)
- DNA 7" EP (1999)
- split w/Electric FrankensteinElectric FrankensteinElectric Frankenstein is an American band from Whippany, Clifton, and other areas of New Jersey. Their music is generally considered punk rock, but includes elements of hard rock and Heavy Metal as well...
7" (2000) - split w/Ink & Dagger 7" (2000)
- split w/The StitchesThe StitchesThe Stitches is a 1970s-style punk rock band formed in 1994 in Orange County, California. The Stitches record on independent labels such as Disaster, Gold Standard Laboratories, Vinyl Dog, Suburbia, TKO, and Kapow....
7" (2000) - S&M 7" EP (2001)
- LA to NYLA to NYLA to NY is an album released by the electronica/new wave punk rock band Le Shok, on Kapow! Records.-Track listing:#"122 Hours Of Fear "#"Do the Dramatic "#"Give Me Something, Help Me Please "...
6" EP (2001)
Influences
- The ScreamersThe ScreamersThe Screamers were a punk rock group active in the Los Angeles, California area in the late 1970s. The Screamers were pioneers of a genre now known as "synthpunk," and can also be classified as art punk....
- The Yummy Fur
- Thee HeadcoatsThee HeadcoatsThee Headcoats 1989 - 2000, was a band comprising Billy Childish, Bruce Brand, and Johnny Johnson. Childish was featured on guitar and vocals, Brand on drums and backing vocals, and Johnson on bass. The band was the most prolific of Childish's many musical projects, releasing fourteen full...
- TeengenerateTeengenerateTeengenerate were a Japanese punk rock band from 1993 to 1996, known for their fun style of playing garage punk with a sense of humor and often incomprehensible English lyrics. After disbanding for a time, some of its members went on to start the band Firestarter...
- The Fall
- The GermsThe GermsThe Germs are an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California, originally active from 1977 to 1980. The band's early lineup consisted of singer Darby Crash, guitarist Pat Smear, bassist Lorna Doom, and their most consistent drummer Don Bolles. Germs have since reformed in 2005 with Shane...
- The DickiesThe DickiesThe Dickies are an American punk rock group formed in San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, California, U.S. in 1977.-History:The Dickies were among the first punk rock bands to emerge from Los Angeles...
- Delta 5Delta 5-Career:The original members of Delta 5, Julz Sale , Ros Allen and Bethan Peters , formed the band "on a lark", but soon became a part of the thriving Leeds post-punk scene, and later added Kelvin Knight on drums and Alan Riggs on guitar...
- The Chosen Few
- La Peste
- Wash
External links and references
- Le Shok on MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- Biography material adapted from Le Shok
- Le Shok Discography and Pressing Information
- "Le Shok Shocker", Chris Ziegler, OC WeeklyOC WeeklyOC Weekly, a sister publication of both LA Weekly and The Village Voice, is a free, left-wing weekly paper distributed in Orange County, California and also in Long Beach....
, April 5, 2001. - "Le Shok LA to NY", review, Chris Ziegler, OCWeekly, September 27, 2001.
- 31 Scariest People in OC, OCWeekly, October 26, 2000 (Le Shok singer Hot Rod Todd is number 29)
- Maximumrocknroll #208, September 2000 (cover article)
- reviews of various records in HeartattaCk 19; Maximumrocknroll 183, 197; Punk PlanetPunk PlanetPunk Planet was a 16,000 print run punk zine, based in Chicago, Illinois, that focused most of its energy on looking at punk subculture rather than punk as simply another genre of music to which teenagers listen. In addition to covering music, Punk Planet also covered visual arts and a wide...
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