Psychobilly
Psychobilly is a genre of music generally described as a mix between the British punk rock of the 1970s and the American rockabilly of the 1950s. The genre is also characterized by lyrical references to horror films, violence, exploitation films, lurid sexuality and other topics generally considered taboo, sometimes presented in a comedic, tongue-in-cheek fashion. Psychobilly music is generally played with an upright bass instead of an electric bass.
The term "psychobilly" was first used by Wayne Kemp when he penned the Johnny Cash song "One Piece at a Time," a Top 10 hit in 1976, where he makes reference to a "psychobilly Cadillac", although this song has nothing musically to do with Psychobilly. It came into use as a genre a few years later, when the Cramps described their music as "psychobilly" and "voodoo rockabilly" on flyers advertising their upcoming shows. Although the Cramps rejected the idea of being a part of the psychobilly scene, they, along with artists such as Screamin' Jay Hawkins and the Stray Cats, are considered important precursors to psychobilly. Musically speaking, there are also antecedents in the garage rock scene of the 1960s and the pub rock scene of the 1970s. The very first verifiable psychobilly band is considered to be the Meteors in south London in 1980. With one member being part of the rockabilly subculture, another being part of the punk subculture, and the last being a horror movie fan, their musical ideas overlapped to begin psychobilly as it exists today. The Meteors also invented the concept of psychobilly being apolitical, by encouraging their shows to be a "politics-free" zone in order to avoid disputes among fans, as was becoming common in the punk rock scene of the time.
In 1982, a nightclub called Klubfoot opened in Hammersmith, west London, creating a home for the UK psychobilly scene. The club was eventually demolished and replaced with offices and a bus station. Because the psychobilly scene has never become very popular, psychobilly fans often organize "Psychobilly Weekenders" where many bands are featured on one bill to attract many attendees from all over. The first weekenders were organized in the UK in the mid-80s. In the U.S., they happen with frequency in Texas [1], New York and California.
Psychobilly eventually spread throughout most of Europe, (particularly Germany, Italy, and Spain), Canada, parts of the United States, and is gradually spreading to Asia, especially Japan. While the psychobilly of the early 1980s (the Meteors, the Sharks, Batmobile [2]) was similar to punk or 1960s garage rock, with obvious rockabilly influences, the psychobilly of the later 1980s and 1990s (the Nekromantix, Demented Are Go, the Klingonz, Mad Sin, Asmodeus [3], Milwaukee Wildmen) had a different sound which was a bit harder. The psychobilly of 2000s is closer to the American psychobilly sound (The Spectres, The Knuckle Draggers [4], the Koffin Kats [5], Los Gatos Locos, the Barnyard Ballers [6], The Young Werewolves, The Beards and The Matadors[7]).
Okay so now what is Gothabilly?
Gothabilly is a portmanteau which refers to an unusual fusion of rockabilly music and the Goth culture. Separate from "Psychobilly" due to the comedic aspect that is often inhibited in the over the top, violent lyrics. Often the vocal styles are very similar to classic rockabilly. While the gothabilly subgenre is widely acknowledged to have been started by The Cramps in the late 70's, the term itself didn't come into fruition until the early 90's in an interview with Salon Betty frontwoman, Betty X. The adage quickly caught on.
On a similar note, the terms Death Lounge and Deathabilly can also be credited to Betty X in the same time period.
Among the bands of this genre of music:
· Bone Orchard
· Calabrese
· The Coffinshakers
· The Cramps
· The Cryptkeeper 5
· Concumbre Zombi
· Cult of the Psychic Fetus
· Dark Violence of Beauty
· Dr. Daniel & the Rockabilly Vampires
· Frankenstein
· Ghoultown
· The Hillbilly Headhunters
· Koffin Kats
· Salon Betty
· Scary Boom
· The Young Werewolves
