Like the potent tiki cocktail they take their name from, the Alameda, CA surf rock band Aloha Screwdriver mixes the high-octane with a retro sweetness, and provides a swift kick in the ass. Their music sounds like the imagined soundtrack of an adrenaline-soaked Quentin Tarantino fever dream. It builds on the overdriven, aggressive surf revival of the '90s, ties it back to the orphaned branches of '60s spaghetti western soundtracks and instrumental garage rock
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Like the potent tiki cocktail they take their name from, the Alameda, CA surf rock band Aloha Screwdriver mixes the high-octane with a retro sweetness, and provides a swift kick in the ass. Their music sounds like the imagined soundtrack of an adrenaline-soaked Quentin Tarantino fever dream. It builds on the overdriven, aggressive surf revival of the '90s, ties it back to the orphaned branches of '60s spaghetti western soundtracks and instrumental garage rock, and wraps a big freakshow bow around it with their high-energy, costumed performances.
The trio formed in 2009, and arguably have no business playing surf music. Drummer Steve Slater comes to the group having played in the industrial rock group Trip Device. Grant Shellen, Aloha Screwdriver's bassist, is best known for fronting the San Francisco Bay Area indie rock band Farewell Typewriter. And lead guitarist Donald Bell has never actually taken a guitar lesson, coming to the group after 8 years composing abstract electronic music under the name Chachi Jones. The result of this unlikely collaboration is a rough, raw approach to a traditional sound that borders on naive but never fails to stir things up.
Aloha Screwdriver appeals mainly to an underground rock audience, but they've paired well with bands from diverse genres such as ska, punk, and rockabilly. Whether its opening for the boogie swamp pop of Southern Culture on the Skids, or the sci-fi punk of The Phenomenauts, Aloha Screwdriver always seems to go well with groups who have a knack for theatrics and audiences looking for something off the beaten path.
In 2011, Aloha Screwdriver released their first CD, titled No Way Out. Recored to tape entirely on vintage gear, the 8-song EP has a uniquely saturated, old school sound that sonically sits right alongside '60s recordings of Dick Dale, but calls itself out with its punk-tempo pacing and rock-inspired drumming.
As a nod to both the vintage eye-candy exotica records of Martin Denny and the cult film influence of Pulp Fiction, the cover of No Way Out features pin-up model Cherry Dollface brandishing a gun. It's a cover that gets noticed, and its befitting of a band that doesn't know how to turn down or play slow.
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…shrink me down again
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