Magnanimous Collector: Lo-fi surf rock with a comic twist

From the outward appearance of things, I thought I would hate Thee Cormans. For starters, the word "Thee" is probably the most overused definite article in the garage rock lexicon, thanks to Billy Childish, who spawned the word’s popularity with such trailblazing bands as Thee Headcoats, Thee Mighty Caesars and several others. Second, lo-fi surf rock is a genre that died on the vine a solid decade or more ago. Reviving its rotting corpse seems both boring and repetitive.

For these reasons, I wasn’t all that excited about picking up Thee Corman’s first seven-inch from Vinyl Rites Record Co. But, considering the dearth of noteworthy L.A.-based garage acts, I thought I should at least give one listen. Sure enough, it’s a passable slab of wax that features four undistinguished surf numbers. The well-designed sleeve is better than the record itself. Still, it was nice just to see a local garage outfit releasing a record at all, and if it happened to pay homage to one of cinema’s greatest schlock-meisters, all the better. I played the record a couple of times and promptly filed it away.

It wasn’t until I caught their live act at Glendale’s Scene Bar -- opening for the Black and Whites, Lover!, the Okmoniks and the Spits -- that the good time genius of Thee Cormans really sank in. They may not be great musicians, but they’re a lot of fun to watch. Sporting masks -- Frankenstein, a gorilla and a google-eyed green monster head that looks like it could actually have been used in a Roger Corman drive-in classic -- the sloppy trio worked its way through a set of fun, fuzzed-out instrumentals. The gorilla, who is also the drummer, interspersed the songs with witty repartee, coming across like Don Rickles in a monster mask. Comedy and rock 'n’ roll is nothing new, but Thee Cormans carry it off with panache and style. They also play a lot, which makes them highly accessible.

Catch them June 16 at the Scene Bar or June 21 at the Redwood Bar and Grill.

-- Jason Gelt

Photo: Thee Cormans

Read more of the Magnanimous Collector here.