d.smith is a reclusive musician, singer/songwriter and misanthrope, best known for his work with Bar/None recording artist Shirk Circus. In addition to temporary stints with Inger Lorre and The 65’s as well as releasing several solo efforts, he owns and operates Redrum Sound, a recording studio, and is also a founding partner of Rainhouse Multimedia, a production collaborative that provides audio and visual arts for film, television and the interwebs.

Thanks in large part to musical cohort Bobby Diamond, the band’s sound often seems difficult to pigeonhole. However, that is admittedly because they draw from such a wide range of influences, rather than from just sheer talent or originality. And while you may have an easier time getting tickets to a Zeppelin reunion than catching them live, they are in a state of constantly writing and recording new material and have been for years now, with all proceeds being donated to local dog rescue organizations.

Smallpox is an open-ended modern rock collaborative formed in 2019, featuring former members of Cupid and Psyche, Shirk Circus, The 65’s and The Subway Surfers.

Current members include Bob Diamond, Daniel Smith and Sigi Surf.

Discography

V/A – “From ’93 Til Infinity: A Dromedary Records Compilation”

Smallpox – “The Covers Album” LP

“Flip Your Wig” (single – streaming only)

“Groping for Luna, Vol. 1” CD

Disparate elements of pop, glam, garage and punk come together in Tenterhooks’ sound.

Fronted by Lenny Zenith, Tenterhooks is one of few transgender-led bands.  Veteran bass player James Pertusi, multi-faceted guitarist Hiro Suzuki and powerhouse drummer Scott Campbell round out the band.  Tenterhooks’ 2013 debut gig at Hank’s Saloon in Brooklyn was SRO, and attendees were incredulous that it was the band’s first show.  Their volatile, raw sets yielded propulsive indie pop with a punch.

Zenith began playing in New Orleans in his 20s, fronting several bands including RZA and Mink Bikini, and opening for major acts.

Throughout the 90s, Zenith and Pertusi were in NYC’s critically-acclaimed noise pop band Jenifer Convertible, whose releases – including 7″ single “Car Song/Co-Dependency,” produced by James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem) and a CD entitled Wanna Drag?, produced by Wharton Tiers (Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr.) were well-received.

Recently profiled on Vice.com, Zenith will also be featured in the documentary film about the early New Orleans punk scene entitled Almost Ready.

Pertusi produced and engineered Tenterhooks’ debut EP at [the end] studios in Greenpoint, Brooklyn (Kaiser Chiefs, Dirty Projectors), and released in 2015, Meanwhile in Another Part of Town was Tenterhooks’ only release. Zenith has gone on to found Xyyx Records, a label that works to provide a platform for trans and nonbinary artists.

“Meanwhile in Another Part of Town” EP

Friends. Bandmates. Lifers.

Worldsucks is the culmination of 20-plus years of friendship and musical kinship. Guitarist/vocalist Mark Scully and drummer/vocalist Nick D’Amore started out in the NJ Hardcore scene of the mid-to-late 90s. They joined forces in 1998 when Nick joined NME, a ragtag quartet of musical misfits within the scene.

In the three years since their debut, Worldsucks has only gotten more ferocious. Their second record, A Reckoning, was released at the outset of the pandemic in early 2020. It’s the result of a sustained creative burst wherein the band wrote its fastest and most furious songs to date, mirroring Mark and Nick’s increasing frustration with U.S. society and the world around them – with an ever-so-slight glint of hope.

Now, Worldsucks has turned its attention to a new enemy: Christmas. To commemorate the holidays in These Uncertain Times ^TM^, the band injected the traditional song “Must Be Santa” with some much-needed fury and angst. But, that wasn’t dark enough. The band reached new depths of evil with a different spin on “Must Be Santa” with the soon-to-be-classic “Must Be Satan.” Two sides of the same gold foil chocolate coin.

Metal Christmas to all, and to all eternal night!

Discography

“Must Be Santa” b/w “Must Be Satan” single

John S. Hall of King Missile fame is back with You, Me and This Fuckin’ Guy (formerly King Missile IV), featuring Azalia Snail and Dan West of LoveyDove.

Adopting the persona of cranky, nature-loving poet This Fuckin’ Guy, Hall expresses wondrous appreciation for the beauty of the world around him, but doesn’t suffer fools.

The music created by Azalia Snail and Dan West is equally singular. Utilizing Snail’s trademark space vocals and vintage omnichords in conjunction with West’s arsenal of virtuous musicality, the duo creates the perfect cushion for Hall’s prickly repartee.

John S. Hall is the lyricist, vocalist and co-founder of legendary Atlantic and indie recording artists King Missile (“Detachable Penis.”) He’s a NYC favorite, performing spoken word and singing as a solo artist in several area musical projects including Unusual Squirrel, The Hat Cousins, The Lincoln Memorial and Sensation Play.

LoveyDove tour Europe regularly and are working on a third album. Azalia’s most recent solo album is Neon Resistance) and Dan’s latest is _d’Animal l’Ogic. West is a composer and arranger, music producer and mastering engineer.

Discography

“Garden” single

“Garden Variety Fuckers” LP