TRMRS

Orange County and Long Beach have seen a steady stream of great, scuzzy surf bands arise in the past few years. Case in point: TRMRS (pronounced "tremors," like that Kevin Bacon movie). This Costa Mesa four-piece play self-described "trash pop," which sounds like teenage energy spread furiously over punk and surf-rock riffs.

They started when two of its founding members, singer/guitarist Anthony Perry and singer/guitarist Tommy Stewart, met at a Growlers/Soft Pack show in 2009 and "have been writing songs and surfing together ever since" -- how fucking awesome and kind of cute is that?
To solidify your band crush on TRMRS, head to their bandcamp page to stream their scrappy debut, Sea Things, and their more out-there EP, Tape: Side B. More TRMRS is coming next year, too, in the form of a split 7" single with Seattle's Night Beats slated for the spring released by Volcom Entertainment & Ressurrection Records. The band said they'll hopefully release another full-length record in late spring as well.


I sat down to talk about the band with Perry and Stewart, who make up TRMRS along with bassist Loui A. Tomic and drummer Max Royer.

OC Weekly (Billy Gil): How do you guys go about recording? It usually sounds live to me -- it really captures the experience of playing in a small club or someone's house.
Tommy Stewart: We really enjoy the raw energy and warmth of that sort of vibe, but we're always trying to experiment and do other shit when it comes to recording. I know that nowadays me and Anthony really like recordings from old dub like King Tubby or Lee "Scratch" Perry and '60s fuzzed out garage records like Adrianna Lloyd, the Kingsmen, the Seeds and even the old punk shit like the Germs and the Milkshakes. All of that is entirely because you can feel the high energy off those recordings is the main reason we like them.

So for the first record, we tracked out everything live, but we did it oursevles digitally, so it gave us time to experiment and overdub some parts and have fun with it. Then we took the tracked out stuff over to Scott Montoya from the Growlers and he helped us remix everything through their analog equipment. Really beefed up the sound a lot. For the EP we released this past summer, we went to Mike McCugh at the Distillery in Costa Mesa. It's an all-analog studio with a ton of vintage equipment. We were super stoked on the way that sounded.

Who came up with the name "trash pop" for your sound? Does it feel like you have to invent genres in order to not be pigeonholed?
Anthony Perry: "Trash pop" was just a term coined by the band over a year ago, I guess. It wasn't really meant to invent a genre -- more to just accurately describe our sound in two words. We never want to be pigeonholed to any genre aside from just rock, I suppose. We like to mess around ideas from surf, psychedelic, noise, punk, garage and especially pop music.

There seems to be a great community of bands like you guys between The Growlers, Audacity, The Soft Pack, and Tijuana Panthers in Orange County and Long Beach. How do you think that cropped up? Out of necessity?
Stewart: Yeah I definitely would say it came out of necessity. I honestly just think that Orange County and California in general needed something cool to be a part of, and now I feel like the rest of America kind of follows what were doing here. There's a huge California culture that all the music really lends itself to that relates to a certain kind of surf and skate culture, fashion forward, art that has become something really modern and cool, and in return, people really want to be a part of it.

So do you think surf punk, trash pop and the like will mean the end of people thinking of the Orange County music scene as just ska and Social D bands?
Stewart: It's funny you say that because growing up in Orange County, all of our dads and older people I work with, who also grew up in OC, are all about Social D, The Adolescents, Caddillac Tramps. Our friends in Fidlar, their dad' played in the Dickies and TSOL and our drummer's dad played drums for the Adolescents and sang for D.I. So I think it's really rad to think about. It's just the older generation of California music, but it totally affects the next generation which we are apart of.

There are a lot of cool noise interludes spread throughout the music, like on Sea Things' "Reality Waves" and throughout Tape: Side B in particular. Does that point to new directions for the band?
Perry: Yeah, definitely. I suppose we're just trying break free from the oversaturated, super reverby lo-fi garage scene. I love garage bands, but there's definitely a lot of it happening right now. So I guess this is just what feels like a natural transition for us. - OC Weekly

Finding inventive ways to keep garage punk vibrant isn’t really as necessary in the genre as simply being good; or “feeling it”; or simply having fun. And when you start adding up all of those factors, it becomes natural start making the comparisons: “Not comparing TRMRS to the Black Lips would just be weird” (Stuck on an Island), “This quartet sounds like the zombiefied Ventures” (the Portland Mercury), or “What would the Sonics sound like if Link Wray played lead and they were molested by the Germs?” (OC Weekly) all having been batted around at some point. It’s not as if any of these are unwarranted–the quartet themselves liken their sound to the Black Lips, the Strokes and Link Wray–but in doing so it becomes easy to overlook the fact that they’re not simply a run-of-the-mill knockoff. A quick scan of live videos shows a band actually enjoying themselves, which translates to a bit of rowdiness on stage. Take the group’s single and subsequent music video for “Hello Self” as further proof of the passion for psych-punk fury; it’s something the guys bleed, not a mindset they fall in and out of when it comes time to record or perform. Sure the group’s music might come be similar to something else you’ve heard, but TRMRS retains an authenticity that gives them a sound of their own. In this edition of Influenza Tommy Stewart (guitar/vocals) and Anthony Perry (guitar/vocals) break down what “Hello Self” represents, what it means to be “trash pop” and how they hope to help change Orange County’s rep.

——————————————————————————————————

So, I guess you would have to understand our band in the right perspective to get what “Hello Self” is really about. We are from Orange County, CA which has long been described as a bubble or sort of a white washed culture that lacks a young lower class atmosphere. I think just from touring and traveling a lot, we’ve realized that most of North America and the world doesn’t realize what makes OC cool is the rapidly growing counter-culture in response to the whole “bubble” thing. It was never about making popular music it was about making collaborative art that really represented all four of us. We wanted to create music that was dirty, modern, provocative, and embodied the pride in our friends and the very culture that we represent. With that in mind we just started calling it “trash pop” because nothing else seemed to fit better.

“Hello Self” is one our songs that simply represented all of that. Inevitably, it gets people SO worked up regardless where we are, just about every single time we play it live. The verses talk about your up and down attitudes on life. It talks about where we live, what we want, and knowing if we would still be the same person regardless. Everything we do is a collaborative effort with our friends, family, and community. The official video for “Hello Self” was filmed by our good friend Taylor Bonin. The video isn’t so serious rather than it being a projection of our silly artistic tastes, and overall we are stoked on it and what more is to come. - CULTURE BULLY

TRMRS (pronounced “tremors”) are a young four-piece band from Costa Mesa, California, who make music in their own self-stylized genre “trash-pop.” If you’re wondering what “trash-pop” is then think of the basics of surf-rock, add a bit of scuzz, a sprinkling of psych, some feedback, crashing cymbals and rasping vocals and you’re more or less there.

Still can’t picture it? Maybe listening to their music over at their Bandcamp will help. That includes their LP Sea Things and the newly-released EP Tape: Side B, which is free to stream over there, or below, and yours to download for a mere $5.




TRMRS have come a long way since forming in early 2010, having shared the stage with the likes of Ty Segall, Tijuana Panthers, Shannon and the Clams, The Spits, Audacity, Reigning song and more. But they’re far from done touring. Dates of their current tour are below, and a video of their live performance (a cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”), which as you can probably guess from their music, is a complete riot.

If you can’t catch them this time around, make sure you stay up to date with TRMRS by following them on Facebook and Twitter. - One Thirty BM

In less than a week we covered everything we possibly could from goth-loving Orange County psych-punks TRMRS. These latest songs serve up an even more unsettling and totally unconventional sound in every sense of the words.
To give you an idea right from the beginning, TRMRS follow no other patterns but their very own spastic formula. Together these four songs will prove that statement until you have no choice but to agree as they force the 60's and 70's influenced psych right down your throat. Opener “One Foot” is an absolutely blood-pumping rager of sharp and energetic psych-punk. There’s a ripping hook around every unforeseen change up, the most lethal occurring at the 1:15 mark where an Earth-shattering tom-driven beat runs head first into blazing guitars and pummeling basses – a scuzzy onslaught of purely complete and utter destruction, just how we like it.

Following up next is “Old Paladino”, an obviously friendly and twangy jammer with plenty of shimmering guitar jangle and pounded percussion. The musical pattern suffers a few drastic changes here, from breezy and swaying sunshine jams to rowdy, bluesy tom-heavy psych-outs that solidify the idea that these dudes can rock out whenever necessary, right on command. Next up, “Homesick” features demonic guitars that sound poised and ready for something big to pop off at any moment. You can’t help but pick up vibes from a deathly fiery underworld below the madness, burning everything from the bottom up as they bust through multiple layers of brick wall – an accurate illustration of their goth-influenced surf rock. Final track “Cosmigos” is a crunchy tango with clanky percussion and the texture of the grainiest sandpaper. A sprawling change within reveals yelping guitars that only intensifies their relentless sound, to the point where you can never guess when the ending is near because they always have other ideas up their sleeve.

So there you have it, just like we warned you. There’s something new to tear you apart around every corner and if you’re not careful you’re bound to leave with multiple gashes and bruises to show for it. These scuzzy surfing psych-punks don’t seem like they are ever going to settle down and we can only hope things continue that way. Eyes on the future? You bet! Check out this rad video for “One Foot” right below and snag these songs for an easy $5 on Bandcamp – they are necessary. - STYROFOAM DRONE

In less than a week we covered everything we possibly could from goth-loving Orange County psych-punks TRMRS. These latest songs serve up an even more unsettling and totally unconventional sound in every sense of the words.
To give you an idea right from the beginning, TRMRS follow no other patterns but their very own spastic formula. Together these four songs will prove that statement until you have no choice but to agree as they force the 60's and 70's influenced psych right down your throat. Opener “One Foot” is an absolutely blood-pumping rager of sharp and energetic psych-punk. There’s a ripping hook around every unforeseen change up, the most lethal occurring at the 1:15 mark where an Earth-shattering tom-driven beat runs head first into blazing guitars and pummeling basses – a scuzzy onslaught of purely complete and utter destruction, just how we like it.

Following up next is “Old Paladino”, an obviously friendly and twangy jammer with plenty of shimmering guitar jangle and pounded percussion. The musical pattern suffers a few drastic changes here, from breezy and swaying sunshine jams to rowdy, bluesy tom-heavy psych-outs that solidify the idea that these dudes can rock out whenever necessary, right on command. Next up, “Homesick” features demonic guitars that sound poised and ready for something big to pop off at any moment. You can’t help but pick up vibes from a deathly fiery underworld below the madness, burning everything from the bottom up as they bust through multiple layers of brick wall – an accurate illustration of their goth-influenced surf rock. Final track “Cosmigos” is a crunchy tango with clanky percussion and the texture of the grainiest sandpaper. A sprawling change within reveals yelping guitars that only intensifies their relentless sound, to the point where you can never guess when the ending is near because they always have other ideas up their sleeve.

So there you have it, just like we warned you. There’s something new to tear you apart around every corner and if you’re not careful you’re bound to leave with multiple gashes and bruises to show for it. These scuzzy surfing psych-punks don’t seem like they are ever going to settle down and we can only hope things continue that way. Eyes on the future? You bet! Check out this rad video for “One Foot” right below and snag these songs for an easy $5 on Bandcamp – they are necessary. - STYROFOAM DRONE

In less than a week we covered everything we possibly could from goth-loving Orange County psych-punks TRMRS. These latest songs serve up an even more unsettling and totally unconventional sound in every sense of the words.
To give you an idea right from the beginning, TRMRS follow no other patterns but their very own spastic formula. Together these four songs will prove that statement until you have no choice but to agree as they force the 60's and 70's influenced psych right down your throat. Opener “One Foot” is an absolutely blood-pumping rager of sharp and energetic psych-punk. There’s a ripping hook around every unforeseen change up, the most lethal occurring at the 1:15 mark where an Earth-shattering tom-driven beat runs head first into blazing guitars and pummeling basses – a scuzzy onslaught of purely complete and utter destruction, just how we like it.

Following up next is “Old Paladino”, an obviously friendly and twangy jammer with plenty of shimmering guitar jangle and pounded percussion. The musical pattern suffers a few drastic changes here, from breezy and swaying sunshine jams to rowdy, bluesy tom-heavy psych-outs that solidify the idea that these dudes can rock out whenever necessary, right on command. Next up, “Homesick” features demonic guitars that sound poised and ready for something big to pop off at any moment. You can’t help but pick up vibes from a deathly fiery underworld below the madness, burning everything from the bottom up as they bust through multiple layers of brick wall – an accurate illustration of their goth-influenced surf rock. Final track “Cosmigos” is a crunchy tango with clanky percussion and the texture of the grainiest sandpaper. A sprawling change within reveals yelping guitars that only intensifies their relentless sound, to the point where you can never guess when the ending is near because they always have other ideas up their sleeve.

So there you have it, just like we warned you. There’s something new to tear you apart around every corner and if you’re not careful you’re bound to leave with multiple gashes and bruises to show for it. These scuzzy surfing psych-punks don’t seem like they are ever going to settle down and we can only hope things continue that way. Eyes on the future? You bet! Check out this rad video for “One Foot” right below and snag these songs for an easy $5 on Bandcamp – they are necessary. - STYROFOAM DRONE

TRMRS

It's only fitting that at an event where vowels go to die, Costa Mesa's TRMRS would flourish. This quartet sounds like the zombiefied Ventures, had the bloated remains of the surf guitar icons washed up on shore. It's surf rock high on the scuzz factor, frayed and loose to the point that each song nearly implodes before its climax. Slammed between the occasional spacious instrumental interludes are short bursts of shouted choruses that won't vacate your rattled skull anytime soon. TRMRS play Sun Aug 15.

- Portland Mercury

TRMRS- Page 28 - BL!SS Magazine

Prepare to shake. TRMRS are coming. The 4 piece local Orange County surf band embodies surf rock at it’s grittiest and grungiest, with enough raw youth and guitar crackle to make you quake in involuntary head bobbing and general body hopping. I talked to band member Thommy Stewart about TRMRS upcoming live album recording, happening this Saturday, August 7th at Trashpretty Vintage in Laguna Beach (a diamond-in-the-rough vintage shop besides being an unofficial patron saint to local up-and-coming bands in OC).


“Our music has been categorized as slop-pop, surf thrash rock, or as Alex Knost put it, ‘Johnny Thunders slop-pop junky rock’,” says Tommy Stewart. The sound is a product of the bandmates' upbringing as generally-harmless rabble-rouser kids living in Orange County, filling their minds and hearts with plenty of surfing and the sounds of bands like the Germs, Black Lips, Minor Threat, Bad Brains and throwbacks like The Stones and The Animals.


“We’re inspired by a lot. 60’s rock’n’roll, mixed in with all of our own subculture and friends," Tommy tells me. "People like Brooks Nielsen, Matt Taylor, Al Knost, Robbie Kegle – just to name a few people I know that have hugely influenced Anthony and me."


The TRMRS have a simple dream: to make people move. To really shake things up. No static allowed. Just pure, undefiled energy. “The whole idea is that tremors are an involuntary shaking of the body,” explains Tommy. “So really, any rise or reaction we get from anybody hearing us is exactly what we want. I just think we’re all a bunch of wisecracks [laughs], which is why people enjoy our shows. We are all really energetic and provocative.”


You’ll get your chance to shake things out this Saturday at TRMRS’ live album recording in the parking garage of Trashpretty Vintage in Laguna Beach. “It’s a shop that has become an important part of the music and art community,” says Tommy. The cover charge will be $3. But bring extra! “Trashpretty has plenty of music cassettes, records, rad vintage clothes, sunglasses, jewelry, pins etc,” says Tommy.


Other bands on the bill (also represented by Burger Records) include the Cosmonauts (Tommy describes them as a spacey punky garage band influenced by Brian Jonestown Massacre), and Audacity from Fullerton, CA (Tommy dubs them as super punk garage pop).


One last question for Tommy: Best kept secret in OC?
“Wouldn’t be a secret if I told ya. Surfing sucks. Don’t do it, sharks will eat you.”
- OC Gazzette

If Quentin Tarantino decides to greenlight a Pulp Fiction sequel, he’d be a damn fool not to use TRMRS on the soundtrack. The Costa Mesa quartet—singer/guitarist Anthony Perry, singer/guitarist Tommy Stewart, bassist Loui A. Tomic and drummer Wyatt Blair—play a surf-inspired garage rock aptly described as “trash pop” that answers the question: What would the Sonics sound like if Link Wray played lead and they were molested by the Germs?

The band play a few local shows before hitting the road to support Sea Things, a 12-track record slated for release on Nov. 5.

OC Weekly: How did TRMRS form?

Tommy Stewart: I met Anthony at a Muslims/Growlers show about two-and-a-half years ago. A couple of months later, I ended up living in the Growlers’ warehouse in Costa Mesa, just vibing off them and learning as much as I could. We started a band called Jungle Peeps that was pretty much a joke—a two-piece garage/surf Mummies-wannabe sorta thing. After that, we were still writing music, and then our friends helped us start TRMRS. It was really just an extension of Jungle Peeps, but everybody wanted to play something else, and it just became too flaky for me and Anthony. That’s when Anthony and I changed the direction of our music to something broader and less constricting.

I met Loui at a Christmas work party, and he wanted to jam with us. He grew up playing bass in the rockabilly/punk scene in Seattle, which was really cool for the new stuff we were writing, so we played a couple of shows with Loui on bass and Levi Prairie [of Gantez Warrior] on drums. With Loui and the new stuff we were playing, we really needed to record, but we didn’t have any money to do it, so the dudes at Thalia Surf Shop told us to talk to Wyatt from Marz & the Mess. We ended up recording with Wyatt for 50 bucks, and a week later, he called me up, asking to be in our band.

What do you have against vowels?

Anthony Perry: Vowels are for melvins.

Does anyone care about surf rock in 2010? If not, will they in 2011?

Stewart: If you only knew all the shit we get from our music friends in Fullerton and LA for surfing. It’s like, “Hey, bro! Surf’s up, bro! Tommy Tsunami. What’s up broham?” Super lame. But I think surf music is totally becoming more and more popular. Look at Black Lips, Ty Segall, Best Coast, the Growlers, Charlie and the Moonhearts, and Thee Oh Sees.

Perry: As far as we are concerned, TRMRS doesn’t really play stereotypical surf music. We are more into the ’60s counterculture of surfing, like Miki Dora.

Have you ever tried the white sangria at the Avalon? If not, why not? And will you?

Perry: Yeah, right, dude. This is TRMRS. We’re all about the dollar PBR, the brown-bag special, or whatever I can score from Tyler and Corey.

What gets more girls—surfing or being in a band?

Perry: We don’t get girls. We smell too bad, especially Loui.

What elements are required to be a trash-pop band?

Perry: We call it trash pop because nothing else seems to fit better. We’re not a punk band. We’re not a psychedelic band, we’re not a surf band, we’re not a folk band, and we’re not a garage band. It’s just a provocative and youthful mix of everything, everyone and the subculture that inspires us.

You’re playing the Garden Grove Warehouse for your record-release party. Will you get paid for that show in cash or free suits?

Stewart: I wish. I don’t think I even own a suit.



TRMRS perform at Avalon Bar, 820 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa, (949) 515-4650. Thurs., Oct. 21, 10 p.m. Free. 21+.

Hey, Orange County/Long Beach musicians and bands! Mail your music, contact info, high-res photos and impending show dates for possible review to: Locals Only, OC Weekly, 2975 Red Hill Ave., Ste 150, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Or e-mail your link to: localsonly@ocweekly.com.

This column appeared in print as "No Vowels Needed."
- OC Weekly