Still TRASHED!

The Trashmen are a rock and roll band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1962. The group's lineup was Tony Andreason on lead guitar and vocals, Dal Winslow on guitar and vocals, Steve Wahrer on drums and vocals, and Bob Reed on bass guitar. The group played surf rock which included many elements from garage rock.

The Trashmen's major notable hit was 1963's "Surfin' Bird", which reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the later part of that year. The song was a combination of two R&B hits by The Rivingtons, "The Bird's the Word" and "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow". The earliest pressings of the single credit the Trashmen as composers, but following a threat from The Rivingtons' legal counsel, that group was subsequently credited as composers. The song was later recorded by many artists, including the Ramones, The Cramps, Silverchair, Pee-Wee Herman, Equipe 84, and even the thrash metal band Sodom. 

The Trashmen went on to have other hit singles on the charts. In 1964, "Bird Dance Beat" hit #30 on the Billboard in the United States, as well as becoming a top 10 hit in Canada, and a mega hit in Brazil. Five other Trashmen singles charted, and overall they released 14 albums. They were prolific enough for a four CD box set of their work to be released later.

The group disbanded in 1967 but reunited in the 1980s, they played together until the death of Steve Wahrer, who died of cancer in 1989[2]. Tony Andreason's brother, Mark, filled Steve's shoes as drummer. In 1999, The Trashmen played in Las Vegas, Nevada at The Las Vegas Grind to a full house. Since then, they have reunited to play select gigs including Chicago (July 2007), Spain (September 2007), Chicago (November 2007), Wisconsin, and Cleveland (March 2008). The Trashmen played for the first time in over a decade in their homestate of Minnesota, when they played the birthday bash for KOZY (AM) Radio at the Reif Center in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. The Trashmen returned to Grand Rapids, where they played in 1964.

They have since been touring Europe and the US with successful 2009 gigs in Germany, The Netherlands, France, Spain, Belgium, Italy, and Austria, with many more playdates on the calendar. (Wikigoddamnpedia)

Kid Congo Powers Pays Tribute to Mentors
Nov 30th 2009 

http://www.spinner.com/2009/11/30/kid-congo-powers-pays-tribute-to-mentors/

by Julian Marszalek

Most artists are lucky to play with - at a stretch - just one decent band yet Kid Congo Powers has had more good fortune than most having contributed his idiosyncratic guitar sound to psychobilly pioneers the Cramps, the influential blues-punk outfit the Gun Club and also Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. An impressive track record by any standard, the guitarist has paid tribute to his former mentors.

Playing the legendary 100 Club Sunday night (Nov. 29) with his current band, the Pink Monkey Birds, Kid Congo was moved to praise the late Cramps front man Lux Interior.

Introducing a version of 'I'm Cramped,' Powers said, "I wanna thank Lux Interior for this. I wanna thank him for the music and the photography and everything. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here. Actually, none of us would be here tonight!"

He also paid tribute to the Gun Club's deceased leader Jeffrey Lee Pierce by tearing through the band's classics 'Sex Beat,' 'For The Love of Ivy' and an instrumental version of 'Mother of Earth.'

The Gun Club's influence is keenly felt to this day, most notably on the White Stripes who have also been known to play the band's 1981 debut album, 'The Fire of Love', its entirety prior to taking the stage. Singer-guitarist Jeffrey Lee Pierce died in 1996 after suffering a brain hemorrhage.

The Cramps' Lux Interior passed away on Feb. 4 this year.

Spotted in the crowd at last night's concert were Spiritualized's Jason Pierce, Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie and Power's former Gun Club colleague, bassist Rom Mori.

HEY KIDS! IT'S A GODDAMN GIANT MUMMY! NO SHIT!!