There is an old garage located in a graveyard somewhere in the outskirts of Minneapolis, Minnesota and the sound of the Toxenes is waking the dead. The three piece band are creating a intoxicating mix of whiskey drenched garage powered music that is about to take the world by storm and not only raise the dead but provide a sound that is going to capture new fans everywhere. They have just unleashed their debut CD Electric Shock on Killjoy Records featuring 12 smoldering hot tracks of intense surf/punk/psychobilly/garage music filled with wild energy that delivers a sound that will keep you coming back for more.
The Toxenes include Ariel Dombush on vocals and bass, Madalyn Rowell on drums and vocals and Monet Wong on guitar. Monet and Dombush were previously in the L’assassins and teamed up with Rowell on drums to form the band. Dombush said, “Monet and I formed The Toxenes from the ashes of our last band L'Assassins. We had seen Mady playing drums in a local Minneapolis band called Devil Baby, long story short, the 3 of us fell in love and gave birth to what is now this triad of monstrosity The Toxenes!! We all have played in previous projects so there was no intent to form the group other than playing and performing is purely what we love to do.”
From the title track Electric Shock to Bad Girls Go to Hell, the CD is loaded with a sound that is mixed to perfection and a feel that explodes with a raw sound that can only come from the garage and is sure to grab your soul. It is one LP you cannot get enough of and won’t overdose on. The band recorded the LP in April and May with Mike Wisti mastering it at Albatross Studios. “Lots of practice/writing and re-righting, whiskey, tough experiences and lonely nights…haha, said Dombush about the creation of the CD. It was a very combined effort between the 3 of us; we worked hard to put these songs together with intention towards a genre we love.”
If you are a fan of garage music you will love the Toxenes and if you haven’t tuned into this style of music, it will make you a believer. And the Toxenes deliver. “We mix what we like listening too. So there's elements of Surf, Garage, Punk, Rockabilly, Psychobilly (minus the upright-fight me) and Rock n' roll! Warning to the public? We don't care if you don't like it; it's what we do!”
When it comes to garage music, these girls have the sound, the look, the attitude and passion to deliver a sound that is sure to hook you. “You can play it clean and it's cool, you can play it dirty and it's probably better. It can kinda get pretentious as far as the collectors go. But it's a genre that carries rock n' rolls legacy on. It makes a point to cover old standards, exposing those classic songs to newer generations. It's a genre that has respect for the artists of the past and highlights their influence throughout the new music being created!”
The band also released a music video for the title track, Electric Shock with the help of their friends, and plenty of fun for Halloween. “We were approached by some friends to write a theme song for their short film called "Alley Cats" it’s a movie about an all-girl gang prowling town looking for one of their members. In turn for us providing the music and writing a theme song for the film, they offered a music video as trade-thus the birth of the Electric Shock video! Janet Kolterman, Nyala Sarita, and Kaytee Callahan are the brains behind the film Alley Cats, and the gals who also wrote, and put everything together for our video! It was a great experience, and alot of fun having all of our friends hangout with us for the day. It was like Halloween 3 months early so really, what could be better??!”
Expect plenty of shows and touring to follow in support of Electric Shock. In the meantime, be sure to find out all about this band and look for a live show when they come to your town. It’s one show you won’t want to miss because their live shows offer plenty of energy and great music. “You can find us on Bandcamp, Facebook, YouTube! We just had the COOLEST label out of Germany reach out to us, they're called Killjoy Records! They're releasing Electric Shock onto cassette tape, and putting out a 7" for us. We spent a good part of the summer writing new songs for that single and came up with some stuff we're excited about! The single's titled "Hot Rod," and we got another new one called "Green Room." We also recorded our version of one of our favorite bands The Pandoras’ song "Caveman." So long story short, we got some real cool stuff coming up- stay tuned!!!!
So, if you have been just getting through day to day and need some real music energy to energize your senses, get your “Electric Shock” treatment from the Toxenes. It will not only give your ears the kind of music they need but your heart the music it desires with a shock and a twist!
The Toxenes - Electric Shock
Toxenes Facebook
Toxenes web site
