|Energetic, confident and full of sass, BANG sugar BANG -Cooper and Matt Southwell- arrived on the rock scene five years ago. Their music was full of retro cool. It sounded like it could have come out of the punk scene of the late-seventies/early eighties. Yet, it also contained a modern flavor. Their in-your-face rockers were heavily influenced by the music of the British Invasion and ‘77 style punk rock. Cooper and Matt’s vocal harmonies were soon the trademark of their sound. The sonic landscape created by their girl-guy tandem leads hooked the ear and took it on a rock’n’roll holiday. Their strong melodies and enticing harmonies were a sweet come on, masking dark tales of the seedy side of life in Los Angeles. In the five years since their formation, BANG sugar BANG have earned the reputation of being “one of the hardest-working and most creative promoters in town” (Music Connection). Their DIY, Do-Or-Die ethic is responsible for much of their success. They have toured the nation consistently, self-booking all the dates. They have produced two full length CD’s with another due early in 2007. They have recorded with notables such as Geza X, Paul Roessler and their latest CD wa recorded with Steve Albini. They have shared the stage with greats such as the Dead Kennedys, the Dickies, International Noise Conspiracy and Nina Hagen, to name a few. The band toured nationally as direct support for punk legends the Adicts last Fall. In addition, they have started their own scene with a club in Los Angeles called Kiss or Kill (www.kissorkillclub.com). The scene is dedicated to fostering LA’s punk rock and power pop community. They named the scene Kiss or Kill after the X lyric “We’re desperate, get used to it. We’re desperate, it’s Kiss or Kill”, which is pretty much how the band felt about playing the LA rock scene at the time the created the club. The concept was to create a rock scene that was purely about the music. The band began producing rock shows with a cheap $3 cover, drink specials, an emcee armed with a squirt gun full of FREE tequila and good bands. What began nearly three years ago as a monthly event quickly turned weekly. Currently the club averages an attendance of 250 people every Tuesday night. No one makes any money off the night. All of the money made at the door goes into a fund to benefit every Kiss or Kill band through advertising and production of a yearly compilation CD, on the bands War Room Records label. The LA Weekly has said of Kiss or Kill, “The Sunset Strip’s vampire venues are, fiscally and artistically, sucking us dry. Kiss or Kill’s the tourniquet: Pucker up, suckers.” Attracted to the band’s hard work ethic, the strength of Thwak Thwak Go Crazy!! and the band’s prolific nature, SOS Records signed BANG sugar BANG in 2005. The band has licensed their music to numerous film and TV projects, most notably ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy and MTV’s Road Rule Challenge. They have played ESPN’s Summer X Games Eleven. They won the DiscMakers Independent Music World Series in 2005. The win garnered the band over $35, 000 worth of goods and services. The band and their music were featured in Motorola’s MotoMixer campaign. Recently, the John Lennon Educational Foundation chose BANG sugar BANG as the first band to produce a music video for. Greg Gordon, formerly of the Nervous Return, recently joined BANG sugar BANG. His hard-hitting, energetic style is the perfect complement to Cooper and Matt’s songwriting. With Greg on drums, the band is poised to push new musical limits and tour more than ever before. |
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