Editing Psychobilly

{{Short description|Musical genre that fuses rockabilly with punk rock}}
{{Infobox music genre
| name              = Psychobilly
| other_names       = Punkabilly
| stylistic_origins = <!--
Note: Please do not change the genres without first reading the "Music" portion of the "Style" section of the article. All the genres listed here are referenced in that section using reliable third-party sources. No genre should be added to this list that is not included in that section with a reference, nor should any genres be removed from this list that are referenced in the body of the article. Genres are listed alphabetically in the interest of maintaining a neutral point of view. If you wish to dispute any of these genres, please use the article's talk page. Thank you.-->
{{hlist|[[Rockabilly]]|[[punk rock]]|[[garage rock]]}}
| cultural_origins  = Late 1970s California, New York, Southern United States
| regional_scenes   = [[Europe]] (particularly England, Germany, and [[Denmark]]), United States (particularly [[southern California]]), [[Japan]], [[Brazil]], [[Canada]]
| derivatives       = 
| subgenrelist      =
| subgenres         =
| other_topics      = * [[Country rock]]
* [[cowpunk]]
* [[Garage punk (fusion genre)|garage punk]]
* [[gothabilly]]
* [[horror punk]]
* [[list of psychobilly bands]]
* [[rock and roll]]
}}

'''Psychobilly''' (or '''punkabilly''') is a [[rock music]] fusion genre that fuses elements of [[rockabilly]] and [[punk rock]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/psychobilly |title=Definition: Psychobilly |website=Merriam-Webster Dictionary |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304025902/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/psychobilly |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |access-date=September 7, 2013}}</ref> It has been defined as "loud frantic rockabilly music",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/psychobilly |title=Definition of Psychobilly |website=The Free Dictionary.com |access-date=September 7, 2013}}</ref> it has also been said that it "takes the traditional [[country rock|countrified rock]] style known as rockabilly, ramp[ing] up its speed to a sweaty pace, and combin[ing] it with punk rock and imagery lifted from [[horror film]]s and late-night [[sci-fi]] schlock,... [creating a] gritty [[honky tonk]] punk rock."<ref name="AboutCom">{{cite web |url=http://punkmusic.about.com/od/punktionary/g/Psychobilly.htm |title=Psychobilly |website=About.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160321191707/http://punkmusic.about.com/od/punktionary/g/Psychobilly.htm |archive-date=March 21, 2016}}</ref>

Psychobilly is often characterized by lyrical references to science fiction, horror (leading to lyrical similarities to [[horror punk]]) and [[exploitation films]], [[violence]], lurid [[human sexuality|sexuality]], and other topics generally considered [[taboo]], though often presented in a comedic or [[tongue-in-cheek]] fashion. Psychobilly bands and lyrics usually take an [[politics|apolitical]] stance, a reaction to the right- and [[left wing]] political attitudes which divided other British [[youth culture]]s.<ref name="Downey, 77"/> It is often played with an upright [[double bass]], instead of the [[bass guitar|electric bass]] which is more common in modern rock music, and the [[hollowbody electric guitar]], rather than the solid-bodied electric guitars that predominate in rock. Many psychobilly bands are [[power trio|trios]] of electric guitar, [[double bass | upright bass]] and drums, with one of the instrumentalists doubling as vocalist.

Psychobilly has its origins in [[New York City|New York City's]] 1970s punk underground, in which [[The Cramps]] are widely given credit for being progenitors of the genre and the first psychobilly band to gain a following.<ref name="wapost">{{cite news |first=Alexander F. |last=Remington |title=Lux Interior, 62 - Co-Founder of the Cramps, An Early Psychobilly Band |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/05/AR2009020503630.html |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=February 6, 2009 |access-date=August 23, 2017 |quote=Lux Interior ... was lead singer and co-founder of the pioneering psychobilly band the Cramps, ... which formed in the early 1970s, [and] were the first band to gain a following in psychobilly ....}}</ref> The music gained popularity in [[Europe]] in the early 1980s, with the UK band [[The Meteors]], but remained underground in the United States until the late 1990s.<ref>Downey, p.77. "Before Tiger Army started touring in support of their 1999 debut, the psycho scene in the U.S. was practically nonexistent. There were fans in a few towns who hung with the rockabillies or punks, but psycho was their little imported secret."</ref><ref>Downey, p.78. "European record labels like Nervous (U.K.) and Crazy Love (Germany) were crucial as psychobilly continued to be virtually unnoticed in the U.S."</ref> The second wave of psychobilly began with the 1986 release of British band [[Demented Are Go]]'s debut album ''[[In Sickness & In Health]]''.<ref name="Downey, 78"/> The genre soon spread throughout [[Europe]], inspiring a number of new acts such as [[Mad Sin]] (formed in Germany in 1987) and the [[Nekromantix]] (formed in [[Denmark]] in 1989), who released the album ''[[Curse of the Coffin]]'' in 1991.<ref name="Downey, 80"/> Since then the advent of several notable psychobilly bands, such as the U.S. band [[Tiger Army]] and the Australian band [[The Living End]], has led to its mainstream popularity and attracted international attention to the genre.

==History==
The evolution of psychobilly as a genre is often described as having occurred in waves. The first wave occurred in New York City in the 1970s and reached [[United Kingdom|Britain]] in the early 1980s, the second wave took place at the end of that decade and spread through the rest of Europe, and the third crested in the late 1990s with the genre finding international popularity.<ref name="Downey, 77">Downey, p.77.</ref>

===Precursors===
The wildly theatrical [[shock rock]] aesthetic of [[Screamin' Jay Hawkins]] in the 1950s, and the [[outsider music]] of the [[Legendary Stardust Cowboy]] in the late 1960s have been cited as a precursor to what would become psychobilly.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iICsBwAAQBAJ&q=psychobilly+legendary+stardust+cowboy&pg=PT1765|title=American Countercultures: An Encyclopedia of Nonconformists, Alternative Lifestyles, and Radical Ideas in U.S. History: An Encyclopedia of Nonconformists, Alternative Lifestyles, and Radical Ideas in U.S. History|first=Gina|last=Misiroglu|date=26 March 2015|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781317477280|access-date=5 September 2020|via=Google Books}}</ref> The members of the Meteors and the Cramps both cited the song "Love Me" (1960) by the Phantom as the first song in the genre.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hann |first1=Michael |title=Big quiffs, zombies and dead crows: the wild world of psychobilly |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/jul/30/big-quiffs-zombies-and-dead-crows-the-wild-world-of-psychobilly |website=[[The Guardian]] |date=30 July 2021 |access-date=7 July 2024}}</ref>

===Origins in the United States===
[[File:The-Cramps.jpg|thumb|upright|left|[[The Cramps]] are progenitors of psychobilly.]]
{{Quote box |quote=The Cramps weren't thinking of this weird subgenre when we coined the term "psychobilly" in 1976 to describe what we were doing. To us all the '50s rockabillies were psycho to begin with; it just came with the turf as a given, like a crazed, sped-up hillbilly boogie version of country.

We hadn't meant playing everything superloud at superheavy hardcore punk tempos with a whole style and look, which is what "psychobilly" came to mean later in the '80s. We also used the term "rockabilly voodoo" on our early flyers. |source=—[[Poison Ivy (musician)|Poison Ivy Rorschach]]<ref name="Spitz 174">{{cite book |last1=Spitz |first1=Marc |author-link1=Marc Spitz |last2=Mullen |first2=Brendan |author-link2=Brendan Mullen |title=We Got the Neutron Bomb: The Untold Story of L.A. Punk |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BXyCHYk3C90C&q=we+got+the+neutron+bom |access-date=May 8, 2010 |edition=1st |year=2001 |publisher=[[Three Rivers Press]] |location=[[New York City]] |isbn=0-609-80774-9 |pages=34–35}}</ref>|align=right |salign=right |width=30%}}
In the mid- to late 1970s, as [[punk rock]] became popular, several [[rockabilly]] and [[garage rock]] bands appeared who would influence the development of psychobilly.<ref name="Downey, 77"/> The term "psychobilly" was first used in the lyrics to the [[country music|country]] song "[[One Piece at a Time]]", written by [[Wayne Kemp]] for [[Johnny Cash]], which was a Top 10 hit in the United States in 1976. The lyrics describe the construction of a "psychobilly [[Cadillac (automobile)|Cadillac]] using stolen auto parts."<ref name="Downey, 78">Downey, p.78.</ref>

The Cramps, who formed in [[Sacramento, California]], in 1972 and relocated to [[New York City|New York]] in 1975 where they became part of the city's thriving punk movement, appropriated the term from the Cash song and described their music as "psychobilly" and "rockabilly voodoo" on [[flyer (pamphlet)|flyers]] advertising their concerts.<ref name="Downey, 78"/> The Cramps have since rejected the idea of being a part of a psychobilly subculture, noting that "We weren't even describing the music when we put 'psychobilly' on our old fliers; we were just using [[carny]] terms to drum up business. It wasn't meant as a style of music."<ref name="Downey, 78"/> Nevertheless, The Cramps, along with artists such as [[Screamin' Jay Hawkins]], are important precursors to psychobilly.<ref name="Downey, 77"/><ref name="Downey, 78"/> The Cramps' music was heavily informed by the sound and attitude of 1950s American rockabilly, including [[Hasil Adkins]], whose song "She Said" they covered on 1984's compilation album ''[[Bad Music for Bad People]]'',<ref>{{cite web |last=Raggett |first=Ned |title=Bad Music for Bad People - The Cramps |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/bad-music-for-bad-people-mw0000651702 |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=January 27, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Cramps {{!}} Similar Artists, Influenced By, Followers |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-cramps-mn0000137580/related |website=AllMusic |access-date=January 27, 2014}}</ref> along with other songs from the [[Sun Records]] catalog. Their 1979 album ''[[Songs the Lord Taught Us]]'' is influential to the formation of the psychobilly genre.<ref name="Downey, 80">Downey, p.80.</ref>
{{clear}}

===First wave in Britain===
[[File:The Meteors live in Pordenone, Italy, 2006.jpg|thumb|right|[[The Meteors]] are the first definitive psychobilly band.]] Although the Cramps have been recognized as an "early" or "pioneering" psychobilly band,<ref name ="wapost" /> About.com calls [[The Meteors]] "the first true psychobilly band", noting their blend of the "themes of horror, punk and rockabilly". They were the first band to use the term 'Psychobilly' as a description of their music.<ref name="AboutCom"/> Formed in [[South London]] in 1980,<ref name="marcus">{{Cite magazine |last=Marcus |first=Andrew |date=March 2009 |title=No, Seriously, Ask That Guy: The Meteors |magazine=[[Alternative Press (magazine)|Alternative Press]] |location=[[Cleveland, Ohio]] |issue=248 |page=118}}</ref> their albums ''In Heaven'' (1981) and ''Wreckin' Crew'' (1983) are recognized as landmarks of the early years of the genre.<ref name="Downey, 77"/><ref name="Downey, 80"/> "Starting in the neo-rockabilly scene, the Meteors were quickly shunned for being too different. Excuses for exclusion from rockabilly concerts varied from the band having too extreme of a sound to their drummer having green hair."<ref name="furious.com">{{cite web |last=Katz |first=Nate |title=The Dawn of Psychobilly |url=http://www.furious.com/perfect/psychobilly.html |website=Perfect Sound Forever |access-date=October 20, 2013 |date=February 2012}}</ref> The Meteors blended elements of punk rock, rockabilly, and [[horror film]] themes in their music. Another commentator argues that [[Misfits (band)|The Misfits]]' "American Nightmare" may have been the first psychobilly song.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://keeptahoeemo.tripod.com/tiffanihenning/id14.html |title=History of Psychobilly |website=Keep Tahoe Emo |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160104223729/http://keeptahoeemo.tripod.com/tiffanihenning/id14.html |archive-date=January 4, 2016 |access-date=September 7, 2013}}</ref><!-- intriguing to give The Misfits that credit...same obsession with B movie horror and gore :) -->

The Meteors also articulated psychobilly's [[politics|apolitical]] stance, a reaction to the right- and left-wing political attitudes which divided other British youth cultures.<ref name="Downey, 77"/> Fans of The Meteors, known as "the Wrecking crew", are often attributed with inventing the style of [[moshing|slam dancing]] known as "wrecking", which became synonymous with the psychobilly movement.<ref name="Downey, 78"/> The short-lived Sharks, formed in [[Bristol]] in 1980, followed closely behind The Meteors with their influential album ''Phantom Rockers''.<ref name="Downey, 77"/><ref name="Downey, 81">Downey, p.81. "Another London band The Ricochets were the first band after The Meteors to call their music psychobilly. Their debut album ''Made In The Shade'' from 1982 is another influential psychobilly album."</ref> Demented Are Go are a Welsh psychobilly band that was formed around 1982 in Cardiff. They were one of the earliest in the initial wave of bands to mix punk rock with rockabilly, and as a result, are highly influential to the psychobilly scene. Another significant British band were the [[Guana Batz]], formed in [[Feltham]], [[Middlesex]] in 1983.<ref name="Downey, 81"/> Their first album, 1985's ''Held Down to Vinyl at Last'', has been described by [[Tiger Army]] frontman [[Nick 13]] as "the most important release since the Meteors' first two albums."<ref name="Downey, 77"/>

The [[Klub Foot]] [[nightclub]], opened in 1982 at the Clarendon Hotel in [[Hammersmith]], served as a center for Britain's emerging psychobilly movement and hosted many bands associated with the style. Johnny Bowler of the Guana Batz describes the club as "the focal point for the whole psychobilly scene. You'd get people from all over at those gigs. It built the scene." Representatives from record labels such as [[Nervous Records|Nervous]] used the Klub Foot as a recruiting ground to sign up new bands.<ref name="Downey, 77"/> A live [[compilation album]] entitled ''Stomping at the Klub Foot'' was released in 1984, documenting the club's scene and the bands who played there.<ref name="Downey, 77"/><ref name="Downey, 80"/> At the same time psychobilly bands were forming elsewhere in Europe, such as [[Batmobile (band)|Batmobile]] who emerged in the [[Netherlands]] in 1983, released their debut album in 1985, and soon began headlining at psychobilly festivals and at the Klub Foot.<ref name="batmobile myspace">{{cite web |title=Batmobile |website=[[Myspace]] |url=http://www.myspace.com/batmobillly |access-date=July 23, 2008}}</ref>

===Second wave in Europe===
The second wave of psychobilly is noted as having begun with the 1986 release of British band [[Demented Are Go]]'s debut album ''[[In Sickness & In Health]]''.<ref name="Downey, 78"/> The genre soon spread throughout [[Europe]], inspiring a number of new acts such as [[Mad Sin]] (formed in Germany in 1987) and the [[Nekromantix]] (formed in [[Denmark]] in 1989), who released the album ''[[Curse of the Coffin]]'' in 1991.<ref name="Downey, 80"/> [[The Quakes]] formed in [[Buffalo, New York]] in 1986, but had such difficulty building a following in their hometown that they moved to London the following year, where they released the album ''Voice of America'' in 1990.<ref name="Downey, 77"/><ref name="Downey, 78"/><ref name="Downey, 80"/><ref name="Downey, 81"/> Another significant release of this era was the compilation album ''Rockabilly Psychosis and the Garage Disease'', which acknowledged the genre's roots in rockabilly and garage rock.<ref name="Downey, 80"/>
[[File:Dementedarego 1.jpg|thumb|left|Demented Are Go's singer's stage blood make-up is an example of the horror-film schtick some psychobilly bands adopted.]][[File:Mad Sin - Ilosaarirock 2008.jpg|thumb|right|The influential German band [[Mad Sin]] in 2008. From a psychobilly fashion perspective, note the bassist's red-dyed pompadour and the guitarist on the right's crop cut sides.]]
The second-wave bands broadened the music's scope, with the introduction of new and diverse musical influences into the sound.<ref name="Downey, 78"/> Record labels such as Nervous and Crazy Love helped the genre to expand, although it still remained largely unnoticed in the United States, where the albums were poorly distributed and most psychobilly bands preferred to play weekenders than to tour.<ref name="Downey, 78"/> Nick 13 states that while other British youth trends such as [[scooter (motorcycle)|scooter]] riding, the [[skinhead]] subculture, and [[2 Tone (music genre)|2 Tone]] [[ska]] crossed over to the United States during the 1980s, psychobilly did not.<ref name="Downey, 78"/>

However, one American act that emulated the style was [[The Reverend Horton Heat]], formed in [[Dallas, Texas]] in 1985. Their 1990 single "[[Psychobilly Freakout]]" helped introduce American audiences to the genre.{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}} The band was heavily inspired by [[The Cramps]], and original Cramps members [[Lux Interior]] and [[Poison Ivy (musician)|Poison Ivy]] have both identified The Reverend Horton Heat as the latter-day rockabilly/psychobilly band most closely resembling the style and tone of The Cramps.<ref name="Downey, 79">Downey, p.79.</ref> Horton Heat noted that the lack of audience awareness of the band was in some ways a benefit: "Somehow, as a band, we continue[d] to fly just below the radar of the whole music business. Which means we g[o]t to concentrate on being [touring] musicians, not recording artists."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2002/oct/17/20021017-092907-3355r/ |title=Drugs, Drinking, Women |newspaper=The Washington Times |date=October 17, 2002 |access-date=February 8, 2018}}</ref>

===Third wave internationally===
[[File:July Stuff 032.jpg|thumb|right|[[Tiger Army]], shown here performing on the 2007 [[Warped Tour]], are one of the most significant American psychobilly acts.]] The third wave of psychobilly began in the mid-1990s, with many acts incorporating influences from genres such as: [[hardcore punk]], [[indie rock]], [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]], [[New wave music|new wave]], [[goth rock]], [[surf rock]], [[country music|country]], and [[ska]].<ref name="Downey, 78"/> Psychobilly became popular in the United States, particularly in [[southern California]], where [[punk rock]] had thrived and remained popular since the 1970s. The area's large Latino community, which revered early [[rock and roll]] icons, also played a part, as did the popularity of bands like the horror-influenced [[Misfits (band)|Misfits]] and country/rockabilly-inspired [[Social Distortion]], as well as a celebration of [[hot rod]] and [[motorcycle]] culture.<ref name="Downey, 78"/> In the mid to late 1990s European bands [[Demented Are Go]], [[Godless Wicked Creeps]] and [[The Hangmen (British band)|The Hangmen]] each played their own US live tours, motivating the fledgling US scene.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.thehangmen.uk/about|title=The Hangmen - About|website=The Hangmen|access-date=2018-10-15}}</ref> In contrast, there were US bands like [[The Kings of Nuthin']] from Boston, who toured Europe extensively for several years.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kings Of Nuthin'—Tour 2003 - 2007 |url=https://www.livegigs.de/kings-of-nuthin |website=Livegigs.de |date=2025 |access-date=April 7, 2025}}</ref>

[[File:Reverend Horton Heat.JPG|thumb|[[The Reverend Horton Heat|Reverend Horton Heat]] playing in 2010|alt=]]
[[Tiger Army]], formed in [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]] in 1996, became the dominant American psychobilly act following the release of their 1999 self-titled debut.<ref name="Downey, 80"/> Their touring in support of the album helped to establish a foothold for psychobilly across the United States.<ref name="Downey, 77"/> [[Los Angeles]]-based [[Hellcat Records]], run by [[Rancid (band)|Rancid]]'s [[Tim Armstrong]], became home to many psychobilly acts, including [[Tiger Army]], [[Devil's Brigade (band)|Devil's Brigade]] and the Danish groups [[Nekromantix]] and [[HorrorPops]], both of whom relocated to southern California in the early 2000s.<ref name="Downey, 78"/>

[[Guana Batz]] members Pip Hancox and Johnny Bowler relocated there as well, moving to [[San Diego, California|San Diego]] where they sometimes perform with [[Slim Jim Phantom]] of the [[Stray Cats]] under the name Guana Cats.<ref name="Downey, 81"/> Another notable California psychobilly band formed in the 1990s was [[The Chop Tops]]. They have toured with bands like German psychobillies [[Mad Sin]] and the [[Nekromantix]], and have opened for the [[Dead Kennedys]], [[Suicidal Tendencies]], [[Dick Dale]], [[John Lee Hooker]], and [[Chuck Berry]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thechoptops.com/band.html |title=Performers They've Played With |website=The Chop Tops |access-date=April 23, 2012}}</ref>

The genre remained vital in Europe, where new acts continued to appear. In 1992, the Kryptonix emerged in France while the [[Godless Wicked Creeps]] formed in Denmark the following year,<ref name="Downey, 78"/><ref name="Downey, 82">Downey, p.82.</ref> The Sharks re-formed in Britain, releasing the album ''Recreational Killer'',<ref name="Downey, 81"/> The Snakes formed in Italy in 2004. Psychobilly also expended to new continents Battle of Ninjamanz formed in [[Japan]] in 1994 and Os Catalepticos formed in [[Brazil]] in 1996.<ref name="Downey, 82"/>

In the UK however most bands had split up, [[The Hangmen (British band)|The Hangmen]] – who had formed after the first and second waves – became reliant on live events that did not specifically cater to the much depreciated Psychobilly audiences, resulting in the genre being introduced to a wider audience and the band acquiring a more diverse following that included punks and bikers.<ref name=":0" />

====Canada====
Psychobilly also spread to Canada.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://punkabilly.ca/punkabilly-bands-to-check-out/ |title=Punkabilly Bands to Check Out |date=April 10, 2016 |first=Lauren |last=Spike |access-date=April 15, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161029133214/http://punkabilly.ca/punkabilly-bands-to-check-out/ |archive-date=October 29, 2016 }}</ref> Stylistically, Déjà Voodoo (who sometimes described themselves as "sludgeabilly") and Condition, both from Montreal, are an early forerunners of the genre. As early as 1983, both bands issued recordings that displayed the rockabilly and garage punk influences of psychobilly, as well as a lyrical tendency towards horror and dark themes, often presented with humour.

Although it was not acknowledged as such at the time, Montreal's Mongols likely came closest to true psychobilly. From the somber Cramps-ish original title track to the covers of deranged rockabilly (Hasil Adkins), fifties rhythm 'n' blues (via psychobilly forefathers The Sonics), sixties garage rock by Quebec teenage sensations Les Lutins, and obscure, off-kilter instrumentals (one by The Nautiloids), their mini-LP ''Sleepwalk'' (1986) runs the gamut of all the musical bases of the genre. In addition, a few years later, The Mongols had their only other recording, "Bébé Cadavre" (Cadaver Baby), included on the ''Lachés Lousses'' compilation (1990).

Edmonton's Dusty Chaps might also be seen as an early exponent of the style with the inclusion of their sinister "Psychopath of Love" on Nervous Records' compilation ''Boppin' In Canada'' (1991). Following in those tracks, in the mid-nineties, were Vancouver's Deadcats. Their guitarist, Mike Dennis, had previously played in hardcore punk bands The Bill Of Rights and Forbidden Beat. Besides his own band, Dennis also issued early recordings by Montreal psychobillies The Alley Dukes, and Bloodshot Bill – who is also sometimes associated with the genre – on his Flying Saucer Records label.

The Gutter Demons were a band formed in 2002 in [[Montreal]], [[Quebec]], who became one of the most recognizable Canadian psychobilly bands,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thegutterdemons.com/index.php |title=The Gutter Demons |website=thegutterdemons.com |access-date=October 31, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130924145104/http://www.thegutterdemons.com/index.php |archive-date=September 24, 2013 }}</ref> their live debut came supporting [[The Hangmen (British band)|The Hangmen]] from the UK on their Canadian Tour of that year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/thehangmen/photos/a.128863060974/10155882758500975/?type=3&theater |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/91250105974/10155882758500975 |archive-date=2022-02-26 |url-access=limited|title=The Hangmen|website=www.facebook.com|language=en|access-date=2018-10-15}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The Brains<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/TheBrainsMTL |title=TheBrains |website=Facebook |access-date=July 1, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160731051843/https://www.facebook.com/TheBrainsMTL |archive-date=July 31, 2016 }}</ref> is a band from Montreal.

[[The Creepshow]] is a band from [[Burlington, Ontario]], [[Canada]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://thetorontotimes.com/content/view/504/66/ |first=Adam |last=Grant |title=The Creepshow |website=The Toronto Times |date=November 13, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024233724/http://thetorontotimes.com/content/view/504/66/ |archive-date=October 24, 2007}}</ref> which formed in 2005; they write the majority of their songs about [[horror film]]s. [[The Switchblade Valentines]] are a Canadian psychobilly band from [[Victoria, British Columbia|Victoria]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://themetropolitan.ca/back_issues/mp_5-2.pdf |title=Die Poor/Switchblade Valentines/Koffin Kats June 25th 2007 at Logan's Pub |magazine=The Metropolitan |location=[[Victoria BC]] |volume=5 |issue=2 |date=July 2007 |access-date=October 20, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706205457/http://themetropolitan.ca/back_issues/mp_5-2.pdf |archive-date=July 6, 2011}}</ref> [[Big John Bates]] is known as "one of [[Vancouver]]'s most notorious musicians" (''Globe & Mail'' - Toronto). The band re-branded in 2011 as "Americana Noir" (a rustic offshoot of the [[dark cabaret]] genre)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wild4washingtonwine.com/2013/03/day-two-big-john-bates-and-brandy-bones.html |first=William |last=Pollard |title=Day Two: Big John Bates and Brandy Bones Bates Interview |website=Wild 4 Washington Wine |date=March 12, 2013 |access-date=September 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160318220811/http://www.wild4washingtonwine.com/2013/03/day-two-big-john-bates-and-brandy-bones.html |archive-date=March 18, 2016}}</ref> when the [[Gretsch]]-endorsed<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gretschguitars.com/artists/artist.php?id=39 |title=Gretsch® Artists: Big John Bates |website=Gretsch Guitars.com |access-date=September 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020215907/http://www.gretschguitars.com/artists/artist.php?id=39 |archive-date=October 20, 2013}}</ref> Bates was joined by [[Montana]]'s Brandy Bones on [[Hofner]] upright bass and cello.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hofner-strings-bows.com/news/news/view/label/Brandy%20Bones/ |title=News: Brandy Bones |website=Hofner Guitars and Strings |access-date=September 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160509064335/http://www.hofner-strings-bows.com/news/news/view/label/Brandy%20Bones/ |archive-date=May 9, 2016}}</ref> Lauren Spike<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.LaurenSpike.com |title=Lauren Spike |website=LaurenSpike.com |access-date=August 31, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161008200444/https://www.laurenspike.com/ |archive-date=October 8, 2016 }}</ref> is a band from [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]], [[Canada]], who have played many large shows such as Amnesia Rockfest.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://punkabilly.ca/amnesia-rockfest-rocker-contest-2016/ |title=Amnesia Rockfest |website=punkabilly.ca |access-date=August 31, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161029014406/http://punkabilly.ca/amnesia-rockfest-rocker-contest-2016/ |archive-date=October 29, 2016 }}</ref>

[[File:The Creepshow - Psychobilly band - Live at Star & Garter, Manchester, United Kingdom - August 7th 2012.png|thumb|Canadian psychobilly band [[The Creepshow]] playing in Manchester in 2012|alt=]]

==Musical style==
{{Listen
 |filename     = The Cramps - Zombie Dance.ogg
 |title        = "Zombie Dance" by The Cramps
 |description  = [[The Cramps]] combined [[rockabilly]] and [[punk rock]] with [[horror film]] lyrical imagery, laying the framework for psychobilly as this song demonstrates. From the album ''[[Songs the Lord Taught Us]]'' (1979).
 |filename3    = The Meteors - Wreckin' Crew.ogg
 |title3       = "Wreckin' Crew" by The Meteors
 |description3 = This [[The Meteors|Meteors]] song inspired the psychobilly style of [[moshing|slam dancing]] known as "wrecking".<ref name="Downey, 78"/> From the album ''[[Wreckin' Crew]]'' (1983).
 |filename4    = The Reverend Horton Heat - Psychobilly Freakout.ogg
 |title4       = "Psychobilly Freakout" by The Reverend Horton Heat
 |description4 = "[[Psychobilly Freakout]]" by [[The Reverend Horton Heat]] illustrates the fast tempos and [[double bass]] playing common to psychobilly. From the album ''[[Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em (The Reverend Horton Heat album)|Smoke 'Em if You Got 'Em]]'' (1991).
 |filename5    = Nekromantix - Curse of the Coffin.ogg
 |title5       = "Curse of the Coffin" by the Nekromantix
 |description5 = This song by the [[Nekromantix]] demonstrates the genre's [[double bass#Slap-style bass|"slap" style]] of bass playing and horror lyrical imagery. From the album ''[[Curse of the Coffin]]'' (1991).<!-- This song almost has a speed metal/thrash sound...awesome!! -->
}}
Musically, psychobilly is rooted primarily in two genres: late 1970s [[punk rock]] and 1950s American [[rockabilly]]. [[Tiger Army]] frontman Nick 13 explains: "The number-one misconception people have is that psychobilly is the same thing as rockabilly. Rockabilly is on the family tree, but it's a totally different sound and attitude."<ref name="Downey, 77"/> Psychobilly progenitors [[The Cramps]] acknowledge their music's deep roots in American [[blues]], [[rhythm and blues]], and traditional [[rock and roll]].<ref name="Downey, 78"/><ref name="Downey, 79"/> ''[[Alternative Press (magazine)|Alternative Press]]'' writer Ryan Downey notes that contemporary psychobilly also draws from other [[Rock music|rock]] genres and subgenres: "Driven by the rhythmic pounding of a [[Double bass|stand-up bass]], the music swings with the snarl of punk rock while sometimes thrashing alongside [[speed metal]] or crashing headlong into [[country music|country]] icon [[Hank Williams]]."<ref name="Downey, 77"/>
[[File:Bloodsucking Zombies From Outer Space Club Sin 2009.jpg|thumb|left|The Bloodsucking Zombies from Outer Space show the use of horror-film stage costumes and the decoration of the upright bass.]]
Craig Brackenridge lists other sources of inspiration: 1960s [[garage punk]], [[glam rock]], revival rock 'n' roll, and [[heavy metal music|heavy metal]].<ref name="amazon.com">{{cite book |last=Brackenridge |first=Craig |title=Hells Bent On Rockin': A History of Psychobilly |year=2007 |publisher=Cherry Red Books |isbn=978-1901447804 }}</ref> Nate Katz states that "[w]hile traces of glam, metal, and punk can be found in psychobilly, at its core, psychobilly emerged from rockabilly, particularly the [[neo-rockabilly]] movement [in] London during the late 1970s".<ref name="furious.com"/> Katz states that "The Sharks brought in elements of [[new wave music]] to their sound." Moreover, "[i]n the song 'Take a Razor to Your Head,' they clearly seek out those breaking away from neo-rockabilly into psychobilly".<ref name="furious.com"/>

Downey acknowledges that contemporary psychobilly's roots extend into [[2 Tone (music genre)|2 Tone]] [[ska]], [[garage rock]], [[hardcore punk]], [[street punk]] and [[Oi!]].<ref name="Downey, 77"/><ref name="Downey, 78"/><ref name="Downey, 82"/> Hilary Okun, publicist for [[Epitaph Records|Epitaph]] and [[Hellcat Records]], notes: "The music appeals to fans of punk, [[Indie rock|indie]], [[Heavy metal music|metal]], [[New wave music|new wave]], [[goth rock|goth]], rockabilly, [[surf rock|surf]], [and] country."<ref name="Downey, 78"/> The influence of heavy metal on the psychobilly style resulted in the [[Nekromantix]]'s 1994 album ''[[Brought Back to Life]]'' being nominated for a [[Grammy Award]] in the category of "Best Heavy Metal Album".<ref name="starkult">{{cite web |title=Nekromantix |website=Starkult Promotion |url=http://www.starkult.de/bands/index.php3?band=nekromantix.txt |access-date=July 17, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060809052444/http://www.starkult.de/bands/index.php3?band=nekromantix.txt |archive-date=August 9, 2006 }}</ref>

Psychobilly is commonly played with a simple [[guitar]]/[[Bass guitar|bass]]/[[Drum kit|drum]]/[[Singing|vocal]] arrangement, with many bands consisting of only [[power trio|three members]]. Often the [[guitarist]] or [[bassist]] will be the lead [[singing|vocalist]], with few acts having a dedicated singer (Mad Sin being one of the examples with a dedicated singer).

Psychobilly guitarists often play rockabilly-style hollowbody archtop guitars with f-holes and a tremolo bar. Guitarists may play punk-style power chords one moment, and then shift into rockabilly-style fingerpicking and rockabilly guitar-style seventh chords, with a heavy focus on minor chords and palm muting. Notes are often bent, either by pulling the string down or by using the tremolo bar. Gretsch hollowbody guitars are a popular choice. Guitarists often use 1950s-style tube amplifiers such as by makers such as Fender and it is common to see stacks of two speaker cabinets. As with rockabilly guitarists, the overdrive tone usually comes from what is produced naturally by overdriving the tube amp, rather than by plugging into a distortion [[Effects unit|pedal]].{{citation needed|date=November 2013}}

An upright [[double bass]] is often used instead of the electric bass found in most rock bands (though an electric bass is sometimes optional). The use of the upright bass is influenced by 1950s rockabilly and rock and roll musicians, particularly in the use of [[walking bass]] lines and the use of slapping.
The bass is often played in the [[Double bass#Slap-style bass|slap style]], in which the player snaps the string by pulling it until it hits the fingerboard, or hits the strings against the fingerboard, which adds a high-pitched percussive "clack" or "slap" sound to the low-pitched notes. [[Kim Nekroman]] and [[Geoff Kresge]] are two examples of psychobilly bassists who have developed a rapid, percussive slap bass technique. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17CJcHKMsRk&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D17CJcHKMsRk This live Nekromantix song showcases Kim's rapid percussive slapping].
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUcM724fbHU&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DKUcM724fbHU This live Tiger Army song shows Kresge's rapid slap bass technique.]

Psychobilly bassists often use gut strings, to get the deep, low 1950s tone. Like rockabilly bassists, psychobilly bassists often use both a bridge pickup and a fingerboard pickup, with the latter being used to pick up slapping and percussive sounds. Psychobilly bassists often decorate their basses by painting them with retro pin-up style images or designs or by putting stickers on them.

[[File:HorrorPops live 03.jpg|thumb|left|[[HorrorPops]] frontwoman [[Patricia Day]] plays an elaborately decorated [[double bass]], a common instrument in psychobilly.]]
Some acts have made their upright bass the centerpiece of their stage shows; some psychobilly musicians elaborately decorate their upright bass, such as Nekromantix frontman [[Kim Nekroman]], whose "coffinbass" is in the shape of a [[coffin]], with a headstock in the shape of a [[Christian cross|cross]]. Nekroman created his original "coffinbass" from an actual child-sized coffin, and has since designed new models to achieve better acoustics, as well as collapsibility for easier transportation.<ref name="thursby">{{cite web
 |last       = Thursby
 |first      = Erin
 |title      = On the Lighter Side of Death: Interview With Nekromantix
 |website    = EU Jacksonville
 |date       = April 26, 2007
 |url        = http://eujacksonville.com/pages/04-19-07/nekromantix.htm
 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20121208124208/http://eujacksonville.com/pages/04-19-07/nekromantix.htm
 |url-status   = dead
 |archive-date= December 8, 2012
 |access-date = August 10, 2007}}</ref> Another notable act to use a coffin-shaped bass is the [[Brazil]]ian psychobilly band Os Catalepticos.<ref name="Downey, 82"/> [[HorrorPops]] frontwoman [[Patricia Day]] also uses an elaborately painted and decorated double bass.

The Cramps performed without a bass player in their early career, using two guitars instead. They did not add a bass guitar to their arrangement until 1986, and have used an electric bass since that time. Cramps guitarist/bassist [[Poison Ivy (musician)|Poison Ivy]] sees this as one of the distinctions that separate the band from the psychobilly movement: "I think psychobilly has evolved into a gamut of things... It seems to involve upright bass and playing songs extremely fast. That's certainly not what we do."<ref name="Downey, 78"/>

Samantha Von Trash's history of psychobilly lists 13 essential albums for people new to psychobilly: The Cramps: ''Songs the Lord Taught Us''; Reverend Horton Heat: ''Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em''; The Misfits: ''Static Age''; Social Distortion: ''Mommy's Little Monster''; ''The Essential Johnny Cash''; Cult of the Psychic Fetus: ''Funeral Home Sessions''; Cult of the Psychic Fetus: ''She Devil''; Demented Are Go: ''Satan's Rejects''; 7 Shot Screamers: ''Keep the Flame Alive''; Nekromantix: ''Curse of the Coffin''; "Rockabilly Riot!" compilation; Thee Merry Widows' self-titled EP; Stray Cats: either ''Built For Speed'' or ''Rock This Town''.

===Stage shows===
[[File:LivingEnd2009.jpg|thumb|[[The Living End]] demonstrate psychobilly stage antics; in this photo, the guitarist is standing on top of the upright bass.|alt=]]<!-- I love the bass rig...not just an 8x10", but also ANOTHER 2x10" on top...raw power!! -->
The performance style in psychobilly concerts emphasizes high energy and a lot of interactions between the band members and with the audience. The HorrorPops sometimes switch instruments for fun, and Kim Nekroman does stunts such as playing the fingerboard of his Coffinbass with his tongue. Demented are Go are known for their wild stage show, which included simulated on-stage sex with a vacuum cleaner. The Australian band [[Zombie Ghost Train]] were known for appearing on stage in "zombified" clothes, featuring rips and bloodstains, and zombie make up, complete with fake stitches across the face.
[[File:Gibson ES-335 sunburst.jpg|thumb|upright|Psychobilly guitarists often play 1950s-style hollowbody guitars.]]
The [[Phenomenauts]] are known for their inventive and fun-filled live shows, which often include smoke machines, the Streamerator 2000, and various on-stage theatrics. [[Big John Bates]] was banned in one venue due to concerns about their overly risque stage antics. [[Deadbolt (band)|Deadbolt]] is known for its use of power tools during their live sets, and it is customary for the audience to be showered with sparks of red-hot metal during their live shows. [[King Kurt]], a 1980s band, was known for its infamous "food fight" gigs, in which eggs and bags of flour were thrown around on and off stage and audience members were given free haircuts. "King Kurt had a bad reputation for doing things that would make people question the band's stability. These included going on stage in dresses, dressed as Zulus, and playing drinking games on stage. Tabloids often accused them of mixing drugs ... into whatever they made people drink on stage, tossing dead animals into the crowds, and rampant sex occurring as they played."<ref name="furious.com"/>

"At any psychobilly show, you might see some dancing... only, it's not your average dancing. That would be what's called [[moshing|"wrecking"]]. According to wreckingpit.com, wrecking is more like a demented hybrid of "[[slam-dancing]] and freestyle wrestling". It's basically the semi-official psycho happy-dance, hence the Nekromantix song, "Struck By a Wrecking Ball"."<ref name="midnightcalling.com">{{cite web |last=Von Trash |first=Samantha |title=The Wreckin' History and Culture of Psychobilly |url=http://www.midnightcalling.com/wordpress-mc/wordpress-mc/2006/07/the-wreckin-history-and-culture-of-psychobilly/ |website=Midnight Calling |access-date=October 20, 2013 |date=July 3, 2006}}</ref> "Originally, the dancing was known as 'going mental' – this type of dancing eventually became known as 'stomping', and then finally took on its official name: 'wrecking{{'"}}.<ref name="furious.com"/> One definition of "wrecking" is "a strange form of dance that can best be described as a combination of slam dancing, [[swing dancing]], and fistfights."<ref name="furious.com"/>

===Lyrical style===
Lyrically, psychobilly bands tend to favor topics and imagery drawn from [[horror films|horror]], [[science fiction]] and [[exploitation films]], [[violence]], lurid [[human sexuality|sexuality]], and other [[taboo]] topics, usually presented in a comedic or [[tongue-in-cheek]] fashion reminiscent of the [[camp (style)|camp aesthetic]]. Shawn McIntosh and Marc Leverette note that while rockabilly and punk scenes took their retro "nostalgia very seriously, striving for authenticity", in the psychobilly scene, the "aesthetics of kitsch, camp and cheese" are openly embraced.<ref name=mcintosh>{{cite book |last1=Leverette |first1=Marc |author-link1=Marc Leverette |first2=Shawn |last2=McIntosh |title=Zombie Culture: Autopsies of the Living Dead |year=2008 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0810860438}}</ref>

Psychobilly bands drew on "all eras of horror, from Gothic novels and classic films to schlocky cold war flicks to psychological thrillers and splatter films."<ref name=mcintosh /> Psychobilly songs make reference to slashers (The Meteor's ''Michael Myers'') and serial killers (e.g., The Frantic Flintstone's ''Jack the Ripper'').<ref name=mcintosh /> Most acts avoid "serious" subjects such as politics. Original psychobilly act [[The Meteors]] articulated a very [[politics|apolitical]] stance to the scene, a reaction to the right- and left-wing political attitudes dividing British youth cultures of the late 1970s and early 1980s.<ref name="Downey, 77"/> This attitude has carried through later generations of psychobilly. [[Nekromantix]] frontman [[Kim Nekroman]] describes: "We are all different people and have different political views. Psychobilly is all about having fun. Politics is not fun and therefore has nothing to do with psychobilly!"<ref name="Downey, 78"/>
Nate Katz explains the rationale for psychobilly's apolitical stance as follows:<ref name="furious.com"/>
<blockquote>
1980 was an important year for Britain. Recently elected [[Margaret Thatcher]]'s policies led to a drastic decline in employment, especially among the blue collared and youth (Kim, 2005). A year later, there were five [[race riot]]s within the London area... On a political level, London was incredibly tense. Fans of psychobilly (known as psychos) wanted none of this, or at the very least a break from the stress created by the political world. By establishing an unwritten rule that the music was to be [[apolitical]], psychobilly music became a method of escape from the real world.</blockquote>

Katz notes that at the "same time [in the 1980s], the revival of the B-movie, particularly the return of horror movies, occurred...[,] such as ''The Howling'', ''[[The Shining (film)|The Shining]]'', a remake of ''[[The Thing (1982 film)|The Thing]]'', ''[[Friday the 13th (franchise)|Friday the 13th]]'', and ''An American Werewolf in London'' (All 80s Movies). Psychos gravitated towards these movies due to their lack of seriousness, mindless gore, and enjoyed the throwback to the original [[B-movies]] of the 1950s."<ref name="furious.com"/>

==Fashion and subculture==
[[File:Nekromantix 2011-08-13 06.jpg|thumb|right|The Nekromantix, shown here in a 2011 show, illustrate several aspects of psychobilly fashion, including shaved heads, pompadour hairstyles, and prominent tattoos.]]

According to Nate Katz, "in its early days, Psychobilly relied almost entirely on word of mouth to be spread throughout London... If your friends did not know of it [a band or gig], the odds were that you did not either."<ref name="furious.com"/> The then manager of [[The Meteors]], Nick Garrard, produced a magazine called 'Cat Talk' which was heavy on Meteors content & their new style of Psychobilly music. One of the band's original fans (Proff) produced gig flyers with a heavy horror/Frankenstein theme. Roy Williams of [[Nervous Records]] created a newsletter that would be passed around known as 'Zorch News', which allowed fans to keep up with psychobilly news that specifically related to bands involved with Nervous Records.<ref name="furious.com"/> "Despite being starved of the oxygen of mainstream music press attention for more than 25 years, psychobilly has thrived in the underground[,] building a network of fiercely loyal followers and producing a huge number of bands who each peddle their own brand of the genre."<ref name="amazon.com"/> [[Fanzine]]s are one of the ways the psychobilly scene created a social network, with ''Deathrow'' being the "...only long running psychobilly fanzine."<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1282427.Deathrow |title=Deathrow: The Chronicles of Psychobilly: The Very Best of Britain's Essential Psycho Fanzine Issues 1-38 |first=Alan |last=Wilson |date=October 1, 2006 |publisher=Cherry Red Books |location=London |isbn=978-1-90144-755-2 |via=[[Goodreads.com]] |access-date=September 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815184726/http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1282427.Deathrow |archive-date=August 15, 2016}}</ref>

Psychobilly musicians and fans, who are sometimes called "psychos" or just "Psychobillies", often dress in styles that borrow from 1950s [[rockabilly]] and [[rock and roll]], as well as 1970s [[punk fashion]]s. Long "Old Mans" overcoats, army trousers, bleached jeans & Dr Martin Boots were all part of the early "Psycho" uniform along with band logo T-shirts. Heavily painted and studded leather jackets were also worn. This was topped off by a 1950s style quiff or flat-top, often bleached with shaved back and sides. Psychobilly band members of both sexes often have prominent [[tattoo]]s, often with a vintage theme.<ref name="Downey, 77"/> Psychobilly "tattoos followed the same general notions as band designs, being highly influenced by the same movies. Common tattoos were images of the macabre nature such as bats, skulls, gravestones, as well as the occasional pin-up doll and band logo."<ref name="furious.com"/> The goal of the psychobilly scene member is to "live fast, die young, and leave a (not so) beautiful corpse."<ref name=mcintosh />

Other aesthetic later influences include the [[scooterboy]] and [[skinhead]] [[subculture]]s, although not all performers or fans choose to dress in these styles.<ref name="Downey, 77"/> Scooterboy fashion includes [[flight jacket]]s, mechanic's jackets, and motorcycle jackets. "Skinheads brought in things such as [[Doc Martens]] and [[Flight jacket|pilot jackets]] ... [and] Punks brought in clothes such as the leather jacket and tighter clothing[;] Beneath the jacket was often a band T-shirt or a [[tartan]] shirt taken from rockabillies"<ref name="furious.com"/> Psychos often cut the arms off of their leather jackets, converting them into vests, and decorate the jackets with horror imagery or band logos.

[[File:Creepers shoes.jpg|thumb|right|A pair of "double sole" creepers shoes often worn as the fashion of psychobilly musicians]]

Men often wear [[brothel creepers]] or [[Dr. Martens]] [[boot]]s and shave their heads into high [[Wedge (geometry)|wedge]]-shaped [[Pompadour (hairstyle)|pompadours]] or [[quiff]]s, [[military]]-style crops, or [[Mohawk hairstyle|mohawks]].<ref name="Downey, 77"/> The Sharks song "Take a Razor to Your Head" articulated the early psychobilly scene's code of dress, which was a reaction to the earlier British [[Teddy Boy]] movement:<ref name="Downey, 77"/> Teddy boys had long, strongly-moulded greased-up hair with a [[quiff]] at the front and the side combed back to form a [[Duck's ass|duck's arse]] at the rear. The Shark's song said: "When your Mom says you look really nice / When you're dressed up like a Ted / It's time to follow this cat's advice / Take a razor to your head".<ref name="Phantom Rockers">{{cite AV media notes
| title       = Phantom Rockers
| others      = The Sharks
| year        = 1980
| type        = CD
| publisher   = [[Nervous Records]]
}}</ref> "Like most hairstyles of the 1980s, things were taken to the extreme. People [in the psychobilly scene] tried to get their hair as tall as possible and brought in streaks of strange colors."<ref name="furious.com"/>

==See also==
*[[Hasil Adkins]]
*[[Legendary Stardust Cowboy]] (Norman Carl Odam), Psychobilly pioneer
*[[List of psychobilly bands]]
{{clear right}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{Commons category|Psychobilly}}
*Brackenridge, Craig . ''Hells Bent On Rockin': A History of Psychobilly''. Published January 1, 2007 by Cherry Red Books.
* {{cite magazine |first=Ryan J. |last=Downey |title=Psyched to Be Here |magazine=[[Alternative Press (magazine)|Alternative Press]] |date=November 2004 |pages=76–82}}
*Polhumus, Ted. ''Streetstyle: From Sidewalk to Catwalk''.(New York, Thames, 1994). (it contains a history of psychobilly up until the early 1990s)
*"Psychobilly Meltdown." (1988, October 9). ''Melody Maker'', 64, 12.
*Wilson, Alan. ''Deathrow: The Chronicles of Psychobilly: The Very Best of Britain's Essential Psycho Fanzine Issues 1-38''. Published October 1, 2006 by Cherry Red Books.

{{Punk}}
{{Country music}}
{{Goth subculture}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Psychobilly| ]]
[[Category:Rockabilly genres]]
[[Category:Punk rock genres]]
[[Category:Rock music genres]]
[[Category:American styles of music]]
[[Category:Youth culture in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Fusion music genres]]
[[Category:Musical subcultures]]
[[Category:British styles of music]]
[[Category:Underground culture]]