High-octane San Diego garage punks the Schizophonics return to San Francisco
San Diego-based garage-punk outfit the Schizophonics brings its energetic stage show back to the Bay Area for this headlining gig at the Bottom of the Hill Friday.
Though founded in Southern California in 2009, the group anchored by guitarist/singer Pat Beers and his drummer wife Lety can trace its roots back to when the pair met in high school in the Arizona city of Casa Grande. She invited him to play bass in her Ramones cover band, marking their first musical collaboration. Fast forward to 2008, the duo reconnected in Tuscon as Beers was preparing to relocate to San Diego and began dating (they would marry three years later). Once settled in their new city, Beers asked Lety to take over drums in his garage-rock trio, which soon thereafter took on their new name: the Schitzophonics.
The couple would play with a number of different bassists, recording a demo in 2013 and developing their unhinged style of psychedelic garage rock heavily indebted to the sound of Detroit icons the MC5 (Beers' voice has an uncanny resemblance to the 5's late lead singer Rob Tyner) and the Stooges as well as lesser known pioneers like the Sonics and the Rationals with a dash of Jimi Hendrix and James Brown added for good measure. Despite the rotating door of players holding down the bass, the band -- which would eventually drop the "t" from their name -- established itself as one of the most explosive live acts in San Diego, earning praise from the local press and teaming with Robert Lopez (aka El Vez) as his opener and backing band for a punk-rock revue tour in 2013.
After releasing singles for various labels, in 2017 the trio would issue its proper debut album Land of the Living on Sympathy for the Record -- in mono, no less. The Schizophonics' explosive stage show has led them to supporting such luminaries as fellow San Diego group Rocket From the Crypt and garage-rock stalwarts the Woggles on tour as well as opening local shows for the likes of Devo, the Damned, the Hives and Cage the Elephant.
The band released its second album, People In The Sky, on Pig Baby Records in 2019, earning them another round of critical accolades. While the pandemic curtailed their usual hectic touring schedule, Schizophonics focused their energies in the studio, recording their follow-up effort for the imprint Hoof It which came out in 2022 to rave reviews.
Last year in addition to playing a string of dates in Australia last March and their own extensive headlining U.S. tour, Schizophonics hit the road with Australian punk bands the Chats and the Cosmic Psychos, filling out one of the most high-octane bills to land at theaters across the country. With a batch of fresh tunes from their forthcoming new album that is expected to be released this fall, the group brings its latest jaunt to the Bay Area ror this show at the Bottom of the Hill Friday. they're joined by a pair of SF bands: rising all-female garage-punk power trio Buzzed Lightbeer and unhinged punks Fuzz Attack. The Schizophonics also play Thursday evening at the Starlet Room in Sacramento and Saturday night at Moe's Alley in Santa Cruz.
The Schizophonics with Buzzed Lightbeer and Fuzz Attack
Friday, April 6, 8:30 p.m. $16-$20
The Bottom of the Hill
