The Warlocks

The Warlocks are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1998 by guitarist/singer Bobby Hecksher. The band's music has ranged from psychedelic rock to drone music. There have been many changes in personnel since their formation, with Hecksher the only constant member.[6][7]

For other uses, see Warlock (disambiguation).

The Warlocks
OriginLos Angeles, California, United States
Genres
Years active1998–present
Labels
Associated actsThe Brian Jonestown Massacre
Websitewww.thewarlocks.com
MembersBobby Hecksher
John Christian Rees
Earl V. Miller
Christopher DiPino
George Serrano
Jason Anchondo
Past membersRyan McBride
Bob Mustachio
Jenny Fraser
Jana Risher
Mimi Sato
Corey Lee Granet
Jeff Levitz
Jennifer Chiba
Caleb Sweazy
Laura Grigsby
Hunter Crowley
Bobby Tamkin
Anton Newcombe
Theresa Saso
Danny Hole
Bobby Martine

History

Formation and signing to Bomp!

The band was founded in 1998 in Los Angeles by Bobby Hecksher, adopting a name used by both the Velvet Underground and the Grateful Dead in their early days.[8][9][10] At the age of fifteen, Hecksher moved to Los Angeles from Florida with his family.[11] Hecksher's first instrument was cello, eventually moving on to bass guitar.[11] Hecksher's grandfather owned a radio station.[12]

In the years preceding the formation of the band Hecksher was busy with a number of other projects in Los Angeles, including Charles Brown Superstar, Don Knotts Overdrive (Hecksher left DKO in 1995 and the band eventually changed their name to Head Set due to legal threats from the actual Don Knotts), and Magic Pacer, played bass with Beck on the Stereopathic Soulmanure album and also with the Brian Jonestown Massacre for a brief period.[13][14][15][16]

The Warlocks played their first gig on July 4, 1998. Receiving comparisons with White Light/White Heat-era Velvet Underground and Spacemen 3, the band signed a two-album deal with renowned indie label Bomp! in October 2000.[6][14][15] Supposedly signed in Hecksher's blood, the contract with Bomp! yielded the band's debut release in 2000, the mini-album The Warlocks.[14] This was followed by the release of their first full-length record, Rise and Fall, in 2001. Rise and Fall received a four-and-a-half-star review from AllMusic, with Bryan Thomas describing it as a "solid effort".[17] Hecksher worked as a games tester for DreamWorks until at least 2001.[18][19][20]

Birdman and Mute contracts

After the release of Rise and Fall the band split with Bomp! and signed with Birdman.[17] The EP Phoenix was released by Birdman in 2002 and was followed by a full-length album of the same name, which was also released in 2002, to positive acclaim.[21][22] Phoenix included a collaboration with Peter Kember (Sonic Boom), of Spacemen 3 and Spectrum, on the song "Hurricane Heart Attack".[23] "Shake the Dope Out" and "Baby Blue" were also released as singles. The group toured the US and overseas with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, the Raveonettes and Interpol.[11]

Following Phoenix, the Warlocks signed to Mute and released Surgery in 2005, produced by Tom Rothrock.[11] The record represents a departure from their earlier psychedelic sound into dreamier pop territory, while retaining the band's hard-edged brand of rock. The songs on this record are shorter and more structured than some of their previous work.[24] "Come Save Us" was released as a single. Surgery received a mixed reception from critics; A PopMatters review by Stephen Haag rated it at 6 out of 10, while a Pitchfork review gave the album only a 1.7 out of 10 rating, with Nick Sylvester describing the album as "A mopey bunch of trite sap O.D.-type tales almost as unstomachable as the band's former crapothecary hymns."[24][25] Prefix gave the album 8.0 out of 10, describing it as "far more approachable" than their earlier releases.[26] The album's lack of commercial success led to the end of their deal with Mute.[27]

Later releases

In the years after Surgery, the band toured internationally and sustained changes to the lineup, leading up to the 2007 release of Heavy Deavy Skull Lover on Tee Pee.[27][28] The album was, according to Hecksher, recorded over a single weekend, with the band members quitting afterwards.[28] The album is considered darker than their previous work, with the band exploring a more experimental direction.[29] A review in Spin described the album as "funereal" and "sluggishly unrealised", while AllMusic called it "uneven".[27][30] Heavy Deavy Skull Lover was recorded as a four-piece and marks a brief hiatus from the band for founding member John Christian Rees, who later returned before work began on their 2009 album, The Mirror Explodes. The Mirror Explodes was released in 2009 via Tee Pee.[31] Production of the record was assisted by Joey Santiago of the Pixies.

The years following The Mirror Explodes saw two online releases by the band, available through Bandcamp, as well as a reissue of Rise and Fall via Zap Banana/Cargo in October 2010 which included previously unreleased rarities and artwork by Darren Grealish. The first of the online releases, the highly experimental EXP, was released on January 1, 2010. The second, Enter At Your Own Skull: Unreleased Volume One, a compilation of B-sides, demos and outtakes, was released on June 9, 2011. Besides the online releases and Rise and Fall reissue, the years after The Mirror Explodes were filled with intermittent touring and more line-up changes, resulting in the band solidifying as a five-piece.

The band provided another commercial release in 2013 with Skull Worship, also via Zap Banana/Cargo (distribution). Skull Worship was released on November 26, 2013.

The Warlocks' seventh studio album, Songs from the Pale Eclipse, was released on September 2. A single, "Lonesome Bulldog", was released in promotion for the album in June 2016.[32]

The Warlocks' eighth studio album, Mean Machine Music, was released May 31, 2019.

The Warlocks' ninth studio album, The Chain, was released April 3, 2020.

Musical style

The band's music has been described as psychedelic rock.[22][28] In 2008 Hecksher said of the band's sound "...even though it's seemingly chaotic, achieving our sound is a really specific process. We need all these big, hollow-bodied guitars going through old Fender amps with reverb, or it won’t work."[28]

In 2007 bassist Jenny Fraser described the songwriting process: "Hecksher writes the skeleton of the songs and everyone writes their own parts. He always draws the picture and we paint it in."[29]

Hecksher acknowledges influences including the Velvet Underground, Spacemen 3, Spiritualized and the Jesus and Mary Chain.[33]

Personnel

Discography
Studio albums
Release date Album Label
October 16, 2001 Rise and Fall Bomp!
November 5, 2002 Phoenix Birdman
Mute
August 23, 2005 Surgery Mute
October 23, 2007 Heavy Deavy Skull Lover Tee Pee
May 19, 2009 The Mirror Explodes Tee Pee
November 26, 2013 Skull Worship Zap Banana
Cargo
September 2, 2016 Songs from the Pale Eclipse Cleopatra
May 31, 2019 Mean Machine Music Cleopatra
April 3, 2020 The Chain Cleopatra
Live Album
Release Date Album Label
October 13, 2017 Vevey Cleopatra Records
Sept 9th, 2020 The Warlocks: Live at Webster Hall 2006 Fuzz Club
Online albums and compilations
Release date Album/EP Label
January 1, 2010 EXP Bandcamp
October 25, 2010 Rise and Fall: EP and Rarities Zap Banana
Cargo
June 9, 2011 Enter At Your Own Skull: Unreleased Volume One Bandcamp
May 9, 2019 Enter At Your Own Skull: Unreleased Volume Two Bandcamp
Mini-albums/EPs
Release date Album/EP Label
November 11, 2000 The Warlocks Bomp!
August 13, 2002 Phoenix Birdman
June 25, 2019 Skull Worship Lost Gems EP Bandcamp
Singles
  • "Baby Blue" (2003), Mute
  • "Shake the Dope Out" (2003), Mute
  • "Hurricane Heart Attack" (2003), City Rockers
  • "It's Just Like Surgery" (2005), Mute
  • "Come Save Us" (2005), Mute
  • "Isolation"/"Red Camera" (2006), Bomp!

References
  1. Goldberg, Eric (November 22, 2013). "TV Ghost: Disconnect | PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved July 26, 2016. The music evokes the gothic low-end drive of Joy Division and the dark neo-psychedelia of the Black Angels and the Warlocks.
  2. Ranta, Alan. "The Warlocks – Surgery | Music Review | Tiny Mix Tapes". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
  3. Kot, Greg (March 19, 2010). "Shoegaze Rock Still Looking Down". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
  4. Davidson, Mike (September 23, 2003). "Drone Rock Wizards – The Warlocks". Gigwise. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
  5. Krista Caproni (June 21, 2016)"The Warlocks Summon Their Inner ‘Lonesome Bulldog’ on Bone-Chilling New Single" "Spin.com" Retrieved Oct. 30, 2017.
  6. Davidson, Mike (2003) "Drone Rock Wizards - The Warlocks", Gigwise.com, September 23, 2003. Retrieved October 27, 2013
  7. Kot, Greg (2003) "The Warlocks' magical musical show", Chicago Tribune, March 21, 2003, p. 3 ('Friday' section)
  8. Neuberg, Eva (2001) "The Warlocks, Bobby Hecksher’s Latest West Coast Headtrip", NY Press, April 10, 2001. Retrieved October 27, 2013
  9. Ritter, Travis (2006) "A Witch of a Show", Houston Press, February 23, 2006. Retrieved October 27, 2013
  10. Epstein, Dan (June 22–28, 2001). "Capsule Band Profiles". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on June 27, 2001.
  11. Appleford, Steve (2003) "Black moods, black magic", Los Angeles Times, December 25, 2003, p. E28
  12. Inman, Jeff (2007) "Space Oddity: The Warlocks Kick Out The Psychedelic Jams—Just Don’t Call ’Em A Jam-Band", City Weekly, June 11, 2007. Retrieved October 27, 2013
  13. John Zeiss (November 6, 2007). "The Warlocks, Interview in the Dark, Dark Night interview". prefixmag.
  14. Mills, Fred (2001) "The Warlocks The Warlocks", Broward Palm Beach New Times, April 5, 2001. Retrieved October 27, 2013
  15. Thomas, Bryan "The Warlocks Biography", Allmusic. Retrieved October 27, 2013
  16. Jacks, Kelso (2000) "Record News", CMJ New Music Report, April 17, 2000, p. 19. Retrieved October 27, 2013
  17. Thomas, Bryan "Rise and Fall Review", Allmusic. Retrieved October 27, 2013
  18. "– New York's essential guide to culture, arts, politics, news and more » The Warlocks, Bobby Hecksher's Latest West Coast Headtrip". Nypress.com. April 10, 2001. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  19. "Trespasser: Jurassic Park (1998) Windows credits". MobyGames. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  20. "Medal of Honor (Video Game 1999)". IMDb.com.
  21. Simpson, Dave (2003) "The Warlocks: Phoenix", The Guardian, March 14, 2003. Retrieved October 27, 2013
  22. Robbins, Ira "Warlocks", Trouser Press. Retrieved October 27, 2013
  23. Kenneally, Tim (2003) "The Warlocks", Spin, January 2003, p. 33. Retrieved October 27, 2013
  24. Haag, Stephen (2005) "The Warlocks: Surgery", PopMatters, August 22, 2005. Retrieved October 27, 2013
  25. Sylvester, Nick (2005) "The Warlocks Surgery", Pitchfork Media, September 27, 2005. Retrieved October 27, 2013
  26. "The Warlocks Surgery" Prefix, March 5, 2008. Retrieved October 27, 2013
  27. Lymangrover, Jason "Heavy Deavy Skull Lover Review", Allmusic. Retrieved October 27, 2013
  28. "The Warlocks cast a heavy spell", Metro, August 26, 2008. Retrieved October 27, 2013
  29. Righi, Len (2007) "Warlocks bassist detects meaning beneath chords of 'Skull Lover'", Taiwan News, November 30, 2007. Retrieved October 27, 2013
  30. Anderson, Stacey (2007) "The Warlocks Heavy Deavy Skull Lover", Spin, December 2007, p. 126. Retrieved October 27, 2013
  31. "Album Reviews: The Warlocks: The Mirror Explodes". Pitchfork. June 11, 2009. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
  32. Caproni, Krista (June 21, 2016). "The Warlocks Summon Their Inner 'Lonesome Bulldog' on Bone-Chilling New Single | Spin". Spin. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
  33. Morris, Chris (2000) "What's Selling This Yuletide at Indies; Warlocks EP Offers a Tasty Preview", Billboard, December 23, 2000, p. 57. Retrieved October 27, 2013
  34. Straub, Daniel (2004) "The Warlocks: "Drogen gehören zu unserer Musik"", laut.de, February 4, 2004. Retrieved October 27, 2013
  35. Gowing, Liam (2013) "Elliott Smith: 'Mr. Misery' Revisited, 10 Years After the Singer-Songwriter's Controversial Death", Spin, October 21, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2013
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