THE TERRORSAURS
Schlock Singles
(WILD Records)

 

England is never at a loss to come up with some new music sound, even when it comes to the time honored surf-rock instrumental genre. Case in point is Schlock Singles by the trio known as The Terrorsaurs. Wild is right word as these guys go primal on an all instrumental CD that mixes punk angst with surf-rock and you get something called punk-surf. Anyway the instro mags and web sites are buzzing about The Terrorsaurs saying they must be on to a new sound that revamps Link Wray and The Ventures while the results are an exciting blend of nitro instro. Speaking to mwe3.com about the Terrorsaurs’ sound, group guitarist Carl Harris, alias El Guapo, confesses, “We'd describe it as proto-surf. There’s an obvious rock/punk edge which cannot be denied. We have no definite formula but it’s really based around obscure garage rhythms and tracks of the early to mid 1960's.” The way-out looking cover CD definitely puts this one in the goth-surf instro realm. The Terrorsaurs are rough and ready and they get their sound in focus on their appealing, self-produced set of "Schlock & Roll". Caution: The Terrorsaurs make savage rock & roll and is definitely not for squares. www.terrorsaurs.com


mwe3.com presents an interview with
El Guapo of The Terrorsaurs



mwe3
: Can you tell us where you’re from and where you live now and what you like best about it?

El Guapo: We're all from central midlands area in the U.K. near the second city of Birmingham. It's an industrial place but has a thriving eclectic music scene.

mwe3: The new CD by The Terrorsaurs is called Schlock Singles. How did you come up with that title for the album? The Terrorsaurs sound influenced by Davie Allan And The Arrows and Link Wray to name a couple of 1960s legends. Who were your big guitar influences growing up and what songs and albums had a big impact on you?

El Guapo: We're pretty much influenced by 1950's/60’s Schlock/Sci-Fi films so really wanted to create a musical background to those type of movies hence 'Schlock Singles'... It’s obviously surf inspired but features short concise tracks, no guitar solos as such. Think “Everybody Up” by The Fender Four... raw, brutal and not a wasted second. Obviously people like Dick Dale are influences but more recently perhaps Messer Chups/The Surfites. Having said all this the Terrorsaurs probably do have a more rock/garage/punk edge than some surf bands do, and the guitar sound is not dissimilar to that of the Fender distortion of the Dead Kennedys.

mwe3: When did The Terrorsaurs form as a band? Who’s in the band, what are your real and stage names, and how would you describe the sonic chemistry among the players?

El Guapo: The Terrorsaurs formed in 2011 with members King Fink (Ian B) El Guapo (Carl H) and T. T. Shaker (Keith E) we definitely have a sonic rock edge mirrored by our live shows. Being rock based we have a kind of hard edged timing and chemistry which suits our live visuals.

mwe3: Would you describe The Terrorsaurs’ sound as being surf-rock or surf-noir or is there more an even more cutting punk rock edge to it? Are there musical parameters in the band or does anything go?

El Guapo: We'd describe it as proto-surf. There’s an obvious rock/punk edge which cannot be denied. We have no definite formula but it’s really based around obscure garage rhythms and tracks of the early to mid 60's.

mwe3: How did you hook up with Wild Records and what is the relationship between you and the label? What other artists are on the label that you like

El Guapo: We hooked up with WILD records early 2014 when they saw our promo vid and we hit it off instantly. We're tailor made for their distinct attitude. Everything on WILD is pretty ace, Delta Bombers , Rhythm Shakers, Dragtones it's all vital.

mwe3: Were there a lot of special effects added in during the recording and mixing process for the Schlock Singles CD? For instance, track 7, “Man Vs. Terrorsaur” features some amazing special effects in the mix that makes you hair stand on edge. What about that track and what tracks are getting the most airplay and is there a single from the CD?

El Guapo: “Man Vs. Terrorsaur” is one of our faves. We just wanted to create an atmosphere of a man versus monster standoff then fight, which we think works pretty well. We're very pleased with that track... it's a great encore at shows! There aren’t a lot of effects added at all on the album, the gong on “Watusi Moon”, the waves on “Psycho Beach”, pretty much all us.

Regarding airplay, “Monkey Tremolo” was featured on Dead By Mono's No Way Out Vol. 2 CD so it has a lot of airplay. “Watusi Moon” tends to get singled out and “Cave Beat” also seems to go down well on the garage rock DJ circuits. We have two new tracks coming out on a limited edition 45 early next year on Dig The Fuzz records so watch out for that.

mwe3: There are a number of different camps in the guitar instrumental world. Do you identify with the more melodic and refined sounds of say The Shadows and the Ventures or with the more hard rock side of instro rock say more recently with groups like Los Straitjackets? What rock instrumental bands, among the recent groups, do you enjoy listening to? Can you make a few recommendations?

El Guapo: This is a tough question but our recorded output has quite a smooth edge and groove to it sort of like Bomboras, or Huntington Cads at times. Live though it is quite different it is a lot more raw. Messer Chups still pretty much lead the way for us but there are a lot of great garage/surf inspired Japanese bands out there at the moment Baitones, Theee Bat, Yummys it's like they have rediscovered the rawness of early, classic garage.

mwe3: What guitars are you featuring on the Terrosaurs CD? Do you collect guitars and various sound effects and pedals and what amps and strings do your use on your guitars?

El Guapo: We don’t really go in for pedals as such. We use Fender Jaguar/Strat guitars & Fender Jazz bass... the indestructible Fenders do us proud. The guitar uses Fender 250H strings with a Fender Princeton, Vox AC30 and also for some of the recording of the new album, a Marshall Artiste amp... incredible reverb on this vintage beauty...! The bass uses Nanoweb strings for a heavy driven sound, bass amps are Orange. We also use a dedicated spring reverb tank in the studio.

mwe3: The Terrosaurs’ live shows must be pretty amazing. What are your concerts like and do you play outside the UK? Where would you like to play live?

El Guapo: The live show is pure Schlock 'n' Roll :), more edge than the studio recordings. We also use a fllm backdrop of various movie clips, in venues that have a projector/screen, to add to the atmosfear.(See pic on the right) The aim is simply to put on a show hence the costumes. We've played Spain , France, London, Birmingham, and next year we have Spain again and Japan, in March 2015. We would love to play the US, which will hopefully happen over the next couple of years.

mwe3: The Terrorsaurs Facebook page has some great graphics, especially promoting your live shows. Who does your posters and other graphics and how important is image in promoting the Terrorsaurs sound?

El Guapo: The posters/flyers/graphics are a joint effort and all part of the 'package' really, it’s important that everything compliments each other, the sound, the compositions, the visuals and the artwork. There's no nudity on any Terrorsaurs flyer but there's plenty of suggestion...

mwe3: Are you planning a follow up to the Schlock Singles CD and what kind of directions would you like to bring The Terrorsaurs music in next?

El Guapo: We have a new CD album out mid 2015 on WILD records Atomic Lizard Party, most of it already features in our live set. It’s more of our “Schlock n’ Roll”, but with more up-tempo cuts, and a slightly heavier sound. There’s also a couple of singles being talked about and a couple of tracks on compilations. All details will be available on the website. www.terrorsaurs.com

 

 
   
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