Introducing…Zodiac Panthers

Introducing…Zodiac Panthers
As we always try to bring bands to your attention that you might never have come across and when we do we like to pass it on down the line and we continue to introduce quality music when we hear it.  Today is no exception ladies and gents can we please introduce the most excellent Zodiac Panthers… 

Where Dya get the name Zodiac Panthers from?
I Lifted the zodiac part from Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction. I always loved that name. The panthers part came from looking at MC5 albums with all the white panther party propaganda. It just clicked Zodiac Panthers would be a great name!
Who is in the band and what do they play?
I’m Johnny Yeagher (vocals/guitar), Angela Yeagher (drums/backup vocals) & Nate Erney (bass).
Where do the Zodiac Panthers call home?
We’re from Wilmington, North Carolina.
What are your influences?
We’re influenced by 60s garage rock & 70s/80s punk mostly. Sonics, Music Machine, Stooges, Ramones, Testors, The Cramps, The Saints. The list could go on!
Who brings what to the table as far as songwriting goes?
I write all of the music and most of the lyrics. Angela also writes lyrics and helps come up with lyrical themes. Once Angela and Nate work out their parts the songs take on a whole new life. That’s when it sounds like the Zodiac Panthers.What releases have you had so far and what can we expect over the next 6 to 12 months as far as recordings go?
We’ve released three EPs:
‘Zodiac Panthers’ / I Don’t Gotta, But I’m Gonna, Cause I Wanna’ / ‘Hexray Vision’

Four singles: ‘I’d Rather Be Dead’ / ‘Primal Astrology’ / ‘666 Feet Away From My Love’ / ‘Black Leather Heart’

Luckily I have a home studio so we can continue to release new music. ‘666 Feet Away From My Love’ and ‘Black Leather Heart’ were released during this pandemic. We have more material we’ll be releasing in a couple of months.

What about post pandemic and playing live?
This pandemic has definitely hurt us as far as playing shows and promoting our band. Playing live is how we generate most of our income for the band and make the majority of our fans. I’m just not sure how soon it’ll get back to normal or what the new normal will be.

If you could co-write with anyone who would you like a crack at? I guess alive or dead is fair game. 
It would be Stiv Bators. I love his vocal style and his lyrics. He was definitely one of a kind. Very raw.

We’re heading to a desert island and you have to travel lite. Give us three records you’d take one book and three films?
The first New York Dolls record. I never get tired of hearing it. It’s so perfect.

The Jim Carrol Band – Catholic Boy. He’s one of my favorite lyricists. Theirs so much attitude in his voice.
The first Ramones record. It changed my life. It was my introduction into punk.
I usually read music biographies. So my one book would be ‘Please Kill Me’. As far as punk history books go, it’s the best.
As for Movies, It would be ‘Escape From New York’. An awesome sci-fi movie starring Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken. It’s a killer! Next up ‘Trick or Treat’ which was a great ’80s heavy metal horror movie. Some of the scenes were actually filmed here in Wilmington. The Warriors is one of my all-time favorite movies. It’s so dark, grimy and sleaze. I love all the different gangs and how they have to fight their way back home.

Singles Club – Rocktober second sitting

Singles Club – Rocktober second sitting

Thee Headshrinkers (Shrink Ray Records) slap on some reverb and hit those cymbals Thee Headshrinkers are here to ‘Save Your Life’ with a groovy lick on the guitar and a song that indeed lies somewhere between Mark E Smith fronting The Cramps and poison ivy joining The Fall and just rocking out without a care in the world. To flip this bad boy over you get more of the same with ‘Head On’ sounding like it was recorded by Ron, Scott, and the Iggster, and even they were too fucked up to remember where they left the tapes. Excellent songs and a great vibe coming out of thee Headshrinkers I particularly like ‘Head On’ they should tour with Thee Hypnotics when COVID fucks off they’d be a lot of fun methinks.  get it Here

 

WARRIOR SOUL – ‘Elected‘ (Livewire/Cargo Records), the track is taken from their covers album called ‘Cocaine and Other Good Stuff‘, out in November ‘Elected’ is the first peek into the album and to be fair to Kory who is no stranger to a cover after tackling some quality songs previously taking on the ‘Coop is a no brainer. Maybe bludgeoning down the smoother edges of the original Warrior Soul have left in those cool horns and knocked out a very decent ‘Elected’ to be fair. Kory turns in a very tidy vocal as well to be fair.  If you want to hear it before you pick up your copy of the album stream it here

 

Zodiac Panthers – ‘Black Leather Heart’ (Bandcamp)  Cheeky artwork to accompany a gloriously bubblegum Poppin slab of loud, fun punk rock n roll.  Zodiac Panther sounds like Turbonegro when they were kings of everything sleazy and garage punk rock. But there’s a healthy dose of Ramones going on as well but these cats have got it going on and if there is an album heading our way that pulls together this along with the Hexray Vision stuff then they are onto a winner and its something we would need to hear otherwise what’s the point this stuff could very well be the magic potion that fights off this pandemic. Rock and Roll baby and we fuckin’ like it!

zodiacpanthers.com / Facebook / Instagram

 

 

Teen Creeps – ‘Seeing Shapes’ (Pias)  Harking back to a sound that filled every student uni certainly in America with the likes of Dinosaur Jr or Buffalo Tom with a healthy dose of mid-period Lemonheads thrown in for good measure.  Teen Creeps have absorbed the lot and gone down the Teenage Fanclub route of writing a decent song with what they have and ‘Seeing Shapes’ is what spilt out in the studio.  this is the first single from the album ‘Forever’ that’s set for an early 2021 release and if this is the benchmark then I’ll be having some of that along with many others.  top tune. Facebook

 

Mad Caddies – ‘House on Fire’ (FAT WRECK CHORDS) 25 years and still standing this Californian band had some big plans for this year (Pre Pandemic) it’s not all bad though because the band were able to work on this EP (their first new music in six years) and finally they finished recording and got the damn thing released. Opening track is a gentle commercial number.  The band refers to it as punk rock turned ska and that’s about the size of it.  With one eye on the commercial success, they’ve hit a winning formula and the band’s horn section run riot here ‘Waiting For the Real Thing’ is pure pop.  I think they’ll be adding a whole heap more to their half a million sales with this. In these dark times, it’s a little ray of sunshine for sure.

 

 

J. Graves – ‘Deathbed’ (Illumin Records)  Call me lazy call me what you like but J Graves reminded me of PJ Harvey. Certainly on first play but there’s more to this than sounding like someone else because ‘Deathbed’ is a gutsy introduction from the repetitive guitar lick to the guttural howls on the chorus to the trashy drum beat its got something and I like it.

Portlands Jessa Graves has the talent and the post-punk rattle of ‘Time Travel’ has a real vibrant DIY feel to it and the X-Factor of it being a bloody good song.  ‘Lo The Morning’ is the third offering and proving that the first two are no flunk. wrapping up the EP is ‘331’. interesting, experimental and above all good. pick it up here at  Bandcamp

GILBY CLARKE ‘Tightwad’ (Golden Robot Records) ‘Tightwad‘ is the latest single from Gilby Clarke, and the follow up to his recent singles The Gospel Truth and Rock n’ Roll Is Getting Louder. It was written around a guitar riff he wrote while trying out a new fuzz pedal. Lyrically, it was inspired by deceit, treachery and the creative extremes people will go through to get ahead. Tightwad features Motley Crue’s Nikki Sixx on bass and Stephen Perkins (Janes Addiction) on Drums. Facebook

 

 

 

 

KING BULL – ‘What Happened Here?’ (Riot Records) Boundless energy and guitars that are louder than everything else x 10.  Nowt wrong with that for us.  Canada’s King Bull has got a pocket full of catchy hard rockin’ tunes born in the ’70s and fueled by a fuzz box guitar and a bad attitude.  ‘Secret Sauce’ reminds me of another tune but I can’t quite put my finger on it. This EP gets better the more you play it and the songs get better as the EP wears on ‘Dontcha Know’ is wonderfully flamboyant from the guitar lick to the vocals its a ripper.  I’m only disappointed there isn’t a full-blown ballad on here but these five will keep me going as they save the best ’til last with ‘B Side Baby’ being the pick of the bunch and makes you want to punch the air in some arena wearing the silk scarf you picked up off their merch table.  Thoroughly enjoyed check em out! Facebook  Pre-order/save What Happened Here? HERE

Various Artists – Tribute To Testors (Zooed Out Records)

Various Artists – Tribute To Testors (Zooed Out Records)

A few years ago Sonny Vincent’s family were the victims of a terrible life-changing accident. Sonny at the time was living in Europe and plying his trade playing Rock and Roll for a living.  The former Testors frontman dropped everything to be by his family’s side and care for his loved ones.

The American health system is what it is meant that Sonny has had to graft and fight for every single bandage and rubber glove since that fateful night.  Unable to do what he does Sonny has been by his family’s side since and through the kindness of others has kept his head above water and there was a compilation album released where the proceeds went to Sonny and his family’s medical costs and now after taking pre-orders it was a no brainer to part with a small donation and get a double CD in return of 32 covers of Testors songs from all over the globe.  Many will be unknown to most some will be known to many so without further delay lets dig in.

Now out of the 32 tracks on offer the only gripe I have which is a minor gripe but did half a dozen bands have to record ‘Bad Attitude’ and another few recorded ‘Zooed Out’ or ‘Together’.  Picky I know but maybe it might have been better for them to toss in an original song influenced by Testors I dunno, oh stop moaning I know I know.

First up on disc one is The Enders ripping through ‘Madras Prison’ and it sort of sets the tone for what’s to come and that’s a full force compilation album of dedicated punk rock and rollas doing what they do best and helping a brother when he needs a hand. Take a deep breath because this is a rocket-fuelled ride – hold on to your undercrackers because Baby Shitters own ‘Tracy McPrichtease’ and the solo rips and I’m sure when Sonny heard this he raised an eyebrow at least.

I actually own the Black Cat Rebellion album so I’m aware of these guys and their contribution is quality and sleazy. Another I’m up to speed with is Zodiac Panthers and their take is caustic and fired up and ‘Primitive’.  I ain’t ever heard of the Electric Tool City Boys but they blast through ‘Bad Attitude’ and give it some of their own attitude as they take it, strip it back and kick it around for a while before  doing it all again faster and harder this is turning out to be one hell of a compilation album with bands I’ve never heard of really impressing me.  I’ll be honest there isn’t a bad track on offer here and the bands chosen deserve so much credit as does whoever put this together because I bow down to their superior knowledge of underground punk n roll n trash rock n roll because there are so many awesome bands on this CD its insane.

It’s not really until the tenth track when Frank Makak kicks back and plays ‘Rainy Night’ at less than full tilt and I needed the breather and when it’s as good as this I just smile. things do pick up again mind as you’d expect.  the first disc is brought to a close with Les Lullies knocking out a rampant ‘Bad Attitude’ aaaaand breath, hell, go for a lie-down CD two is coming up.

Not a name I was expecting to see on this punk tribute was that of Scandinavian Black Metal legends Darkthrone but fuck me sideways ‘Bad Attitude’ is apt and theirs is a punk as fuck version even if its not that much of a stretch from Black Metal to punk  its great to hear them pay their dues and do it so well.  you also have Simon Chainsaw rockin’ up with his offering of ‘You Don’t Break My Heart’. After Flesh Rag tip up with the third interpretation of ‘Bad Attitude’ as well as it’s delivered maybe there should have been a limit to what you could record.

A band several of us rave over is Londons Los Pepes who offer up ‘Together’ in their own style and with their harmonies its the obvious choice and exceptionally delivered. Clockwork Boys from Lisboa deliver ‘Morte’ (Its Only Death) and jolly good it is too (as you’d expect).

You do get four versions back to back of ‘Together’ with the Psychotic Turnbuckles delivering a live version that sounds like an old school bootleg played in a bucket of water but hey it’s punk rock yeah? Hell yeah! and to be fair it’s a world away from Lester Greenowski’s take on the same track all smokey and late-night an excellent take on a classic. But wait Billy The Kidd has done the last version and its a sparse piano ballad, not something I saw coming thats for sure so lumping these same songs together is fine as the interpretations are magnificent making this one hell of a tribute album leaing just Cheap Damage to play ‘Scary’ with strings n all making it very seductive indeed. Closing off the whole shebang is The DC Spectres with ‘Sonny Vincent Knows’ and what a splendid way to end this CD.  Some garage punk played by people who give a shit and care about their brothers and sisters on the other side of the pond.

Big Hearted bands help because they care about Sonny and his family now dig deep people and share the love and in return, you’ll get your hands on a mighty fine compilation CD with some great playing of some great Testors tunes.  Now don’t hang about get on it! Now!!!

 

Author: Dom Daley

Order now!!- TESTORS ‘COVERS’ Double CD Benefit ALBUM !!
$15 USA
$22 Europe
includes shipping!
https://paypal.me/sonnyvincent?locale.x=en_US

or go to directly to Sonnys PayPal address and send as gift for family/friend.
His PayPal is-

sonnyvincentpersonalmail@gmail.com
(Include your mailing address in the PayPal note!)

You can also contact him on facebook about sending a check and other ways to order this Album!!