The Gonks are a five piece unit hailing from Antwerp in sunny Belgium.
With their unique take on 6ts Beat/Garage/Mod/R&B they have been “wowing” great Mod crowds at venues such as The Indra (Hamburg), Euro Ye-Ye!, Cross-Fire Club (London), Bellevue Weekender (Platamonas, Greece) (to name but a few) since 2003 and have secured themselves a name and place in the heart of the most hardened of live gig goers.
The Gonks tracks can be found on “SoulLikeFire” (Rowed Out Records), “Hipsters” (Acid Jazz), “TributeToNinoFerrer” (Larsen Records), “The Gonks e.p” (BelleVue 45 series) and now with their first full length (12 track) album “Float Yer Boat” on Green Cookie Records.
So, enjoy The Gonks “Float Yer Boat” and look out for the band at a venue near you. We promise you won’t be disappointed!
“This should be well-received by surf fanatics around the world; all the essential ingredients are here – lotsa reverb, clever tunes, tight arrangements and solid playing throughout. Good job!” Paul Johnson – Belairs, Surfaris (www.pjmoto.com)
“Made in Antigua truly rocks! The songs are unique and original and masterfully played by a band that really understands surf music. I recommend this album!” Danny Amis aka Daddy-O Grande (www.daddyogrande.com)
“I’ve listened to the new CD several times. Nice job and something all of you can be proud of. I like “Kawaramachi” and, even more, “Hurricane Season”. Anybody who loves drippy, reverbed guitar will enjoy the album.” John Blair – Jon & The Nightriders, Eliminators
“What can I say abou the new CD from the Wadadli Riders? They may be from the Caribbean but their style of surf music is like taking off on a glassy ten foot wave at the Huntington Beach Pier. Each song is like screaming across the face of a mammoth wave locked in the curl. You can feel the spray in your face listening to this CD. If you want instrumental surf, this is the real deal.” Tim Ferrill – Eliminators’ management
“Made In Antigua is a splendid release from Wadadli Riders, the only surfband in Antigua. There are a number of really superb tracks here. The sound is very traditional, but the melodies are influenced by the locale. Wonderful.” Phil Dirt – ReverbCentral.com (check out the review track by track)
“I’ve been listening to this CD all week, and enjoy it more on each spin. It is like an early 1960’s release with great playing, and great sound! Lorenzo and Niki pay tribute to a lot of great players on this record while making it sound totally fresh. Highly recommended.” Rev Hank – Urban Surf Kings
“(…) The first title Dwell At 10 is a big clue, and the reverb control must indeed have been set to max as this is a great surf blast with a melody to match. With its cascading runs and tremoloed chords it harks back to the best of the vintage surf classics and is the album’s ‘hit single’. With similar ingredients JBL D-130F does come close, but the rest of the tracks were never going to match it. However, they all have plenty of that great guitar sound and are well up to standard album fare. The Killer Wave and Hurricane Season bubble away neatly, Calm Before A Storm has a mellow start before launching into a blizzard of double-picking and there’s a gently surf ballad to close with in Going My Wave.” Alan Taylor – Pipeline Instrumental Review N. 81
The Firewalkers have been playing hot garage rock for ten years and these cool Frenchmen have set many venues on fire. The four guys dig that goddamn Rock’n’ Roll that The Cramps, The Mono Men, The Nomads, The Sonics and The Fuzztones taught them. They opened for The Fuzztones in April 2003 in Rennes and for Big Boss Man in April 2005 in Lorient. In May 2004, they played in Bourges at the fabulous Cosmic Trip Festival with Los Banditos and The Hara Kee Rees. They had previously released three songs on the Cosmic Trip Volume 3 compilation.
Some records do what they have to do without getting noticed straight away. ‘Nervous Breakdown’ by The Firewalkers is such an album. This French quartet adopts the Green Hornet-formula and adds a bass player. Organ fuelled garage-punk to dance to! About 90% of all other releases in the genre can’t compete with Nervous Breakdown! The Firewalkers’ mission is a successful one. KindaMusic.nl
This foursome plays solid garage rock, with the 60’s sounding organ being the main driving force. Most important of all, this collective radiates more than enough fire to justify the chosen band name. FileUnder.nl
French band The Firewalkers already play together for 10 years, and it shows, since this foursome exactly know what they want. Which is to play garagerock ‘according to the book’. They remind mostly of The Fuzztones. PlanetTrash.nl
The four Frenchies of The Firewalkers make their debut with ‘Nervous Breakdown’ and it’s a clear statement straight away. Garage and surf that’s played in a powerful manner and with loads of fun. Irresistable and this moment’s finest party disc! GonzoCircus.com
TMGS: “Crime Scene Love”, Open Road (Again) CD, Sonic Rendezvous (2007)
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BIO
TMGS started a decade ago as a 100% instrumental surf and spaghetti western band, with it’s full name being: “The Moe Greene Specials”. The twang guitars and trumpet sound are still there but the music has evolved over the years to a more melodic pop/rock with definite alt. country influences. Over time some of the original musicians left, other members joined and since the beginnning of 2008 the band came to it’s final cast. Ever since TMGS has officially become the band’s name, also to emphasize their subtle break with the past.
TMGS is: Kristof Janssens (acoust. & electr. guitar, vocals), Peter Lodiers (electr. guitar, vocals), Gert Herrijgers (acoustic & electr. bass), Koen Van Loon (trumpet, percussion, vocals), Bart Raats (trumpet), Dirk Van Rosendaal (drums, percussion, vocals), Yves Seyns (keyboards, organ, vocals).
REVIEWS
“The Moe Greene Specials play a seriously moody and dramatic form of spaghetti western, with multiple guitars that create a thick wash of sound, and bass and drums, and accompanied by horns that add to the Morricone experience. This album is really fit for a film score.” Phil Dirt – Reverb Central (USA)
“It’s certainly the best spaghetti western album that Enrio Morricone never made and, to my ears at least, better than any of the albums hi did make. This is because it is intended for listening to rather than as an accompaniment to pictures. If you have any spagwest albums you certainly need this one too. If you ever fancied trying one and weren’t sure where to start, then this is the place. Ok hombre?” Alan Taylor – Pipeline magazine (UK)
“From Belgium, The Moe Greene Specials play cinematic instrumental surf and spaghetti western tunes that evolve almost symphonically, with trumpets doubling the guitars. Musical influences vary from Calexico-style desert songs to Stax soul to Dick Dale.” ZPTDUDA music.com (USA)
“(…) Hiermee maken ze een superpakkende, instrumentale mix van surf, texmex, americana, western, easy tunes en lichte soundscapes. Ofwel een heel fijne mix van Friends Of Dean Martinez, Calexico, Dick Dale, Pixies, The Treble Spankers en een vleugje Scenic. Het is niet alleen lekker, het is ook retegoed! Het zou de ideale soundtrack van een spaghettiwestern kunnen zijn, maar het kan ook je ideale plaat zijn om achterover te liggen in je hangmat en een koel bier bij te drinken (…)” Subjectivisten.org (NL)
“(…) Hun instrumentale surf n’ western zou niet misstaan als soundtrack voor een klassieke mafiafilm. Zeer fraaie en pakkende liedjes, vormgegeven met contrabas, trompet, conga’s, castagnetten en andere toepasselijk authentieke instrumentelarij. Het gebeurt mij niet vaak dat een plaat mij vanaf de eerste kennismaking direct pakt maar deze keer is het helemaal raak. Ik kan hier heel erg van genieten, zo mooi en vooral sfeervol als dit album is (…)” fileunder.nl (NL)
DISCOGRAPHY
The Moe Green Specials (CD) Green Cookie Records (2005)
“Maplewood Drive” by TMGS. A video clip created by Scott Beck for the TMGS song, using shots from the movie “The Bride Wore Blood”.
For more information, visit the Bride wore Blood or the Moe Greene Specials
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TMGS: “The Bride Wore Blood” trailer
Trailer for the 2006 Bluebox Limited release “The Bride Wore Blood: A Contemporary Western.”
A bounty killer is hired to protect a bride-to-be in this contemporary Western. When secrets reveal the past, blood is shed and a deadly mystery unfolds.
