The Mission Creeps Electronic Press Kit (EPK)

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Band Pictures

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Photo credits: Top L-R 1-5 Matthew Besinger, 6 Cake; Bottom L-R 1 Diana Price 2 Les Owens 3 Matthew Besinger 4 Les Owens
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Biography

THE MISSION CREEPS

BIO
The Mission Creeps are a band from Tucson, Arizona, most noted for their live shows. Hailing from the same town that conjured such bands as Calexico and Machines of Loving Grace, they describe themselves as "Horror-Surf" alongside such creepy notables as The Ghastly Ones, The Cramps, The HorrorPops, and Deadbolt.

Originally seeking to "add vocals to surf music," the band progressed to bring in other instrumentation and dimensions while staying true to their roots. Their music features psychotic theremin, reverb-drenched guitar, and velvety vocals set to swampy bass with polyrhythmic backbeats.

The band consists of singer, guitarist, theremin player James Arrr; bassist Miss Frankie Stein, Drummer "Mr Furious", and Gore Ya on percussion. The Mission Creeps' music combines surf, garage, goth, psychobilly and blues with dark and sardonic lyrics. Their live shows unleash demons of their own, with go go dancers, projection, and unbridled passion. It's a scary fun time for all.

Sometimes they even scare themselves

Press Reviews

Phoenix New Times
The Mission Creeps: Oh, the horror-surf!

Kudos to any band that incorporates go-go dancers in its stage show. In addition to punky/pretty bass player Frankie Stein, Tucson psychobilly group The Mission Creeps also have two go-go dancers, both with sexy espionage names like Katarina and Oksana.

But seeing a Mission Creeps show isn’t just about the eye candy – this quartet oozes out reverb-heavy, slinky music in the fine tradition of “horror-surf” bands like The Cramps and the HorrorPops, creating a creepy, ambient vibe that would make the band’s songs at home on any Quinten Tarantino or neo-noir film soundtrack.

- Niki D'Andrea

Eugene Weekly (OR) - " Case of the Zombies" by Deanna Uutela

"The Mission Creeps stay true to the classic surf rock style coined by The Cramps, using zombie inspired themes (check out the tracks "Graveyard Shift" and "Empty Coffin"), fast tempos and bluesy guitar riffs. 

The lead singer, James Arrr, has the perfect voice for this genre of music — a little Elvis mixed with some Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash. The band manages to stand out from the growing crowd of gothabilly and surf rock bands with their use of a multitude of instruments: accordion, theremin, harmonica and percussion, as well as a live show that includes gyrating go-go dancers and B-movie inspired theatrics. It looks like somebody's got a case of the zombies!"

Gonzai Music Magazine, France by Little Johnny Jet

"It's an open door to some orgasmic music, music that was made in the way Tarantino makes movies, millions of gimmicks put together reminding of what we love in music.

The Mission Creeps . . . are from Tucson Arizona . . . concert halls are not by millions, neither are bands, just a few remaining warriors objective enough not to forget their first loves, watching Bill Murray's movies while listening to The Stray Cats."

San Francisco Bay Guardian by Richardson

" . . .bands like Arizona's Mission Creeps still ply their horror-rock trade with necromantic alacrity. 

The hepcat heptet combine surf rock, punk, and the Doors, topping it off with an eerie dosage of Ennio Morricone–inspired gunfight licks that fit seamlessly into the band's tales of desert-highway depravity."

Tucson Weekly by Annie Holub

". . . the tour de force of guitarist/singer James Arrrgh, guest keyboardist Namoli Brennet, bassist Frankie Stein, conga drummer Gore Ya, and new drummer Sinful Bryn had the crowd at Surly Wench toasting to necrophilia and singing along to their unofficial theme song, Creepy."

TucsonScene.com by James Hudson

"The Mission Creeps are for fans of the Cramps, Bauhaus, spooky surf-rock, select Doors songs, and low-budget horror flicks from the 60's and 70's."

Vodka Tonic Media by Vodka Vil

"The Mission Creeps blend the spookiness of Deadbolt and The Ghastly Ones with the suave lyrical delivery of The Flaming Stars and Lux Interior."

KXCI by Dr. Dan

"The Mission Creeps are another local band that has transitioned from good to great. Check 'em out."

AZNightbuzz.com by Adrienne Lake

"And the real treat of the evening came last when Tucson's Mission Creeps gave a performance that nobody would forget. Not content to just be a band playing Cramps-inspired, spooky garage tunes, the Creeps added a backdrop of artfully juxtaposed film and two slow-mo, in-sync backup dancers in nursey garb. 

Never have I heard a more perfect cover of "Bela Lugosi's Dead" before. Needless to say, they nailed the Cramps cover ("Goo Goo Muck") too. The dual drummers were a nice touch and filled out the band's sound perfectly. After the last note was played, enthusiastically applauding converts could be heard murmuring how they would definitely be at the Creep's Halloween show at Plush. And it must have been Triangle L resident and uuber DJ Kidd Squidd who bellowed, "What a perfect way to end the night!"

Discography

In Sickness and In Health - 11 song LP available on Refractory Records
Ghouls Among Us - 6 Song EP available on Refractory Records

CD Review

Carbon 14 Magazine by Rob Zero

"With song titles like "Case of the Zombies"and "Empty Coffin," you might expect this Arizona quintet to be yet another Misfits-influenced rock band. But this couldn't be further from the truth. The Mission Creeps tread lightly through the oft-travelled landscape of horror rock with a unique, haunting sound that is the perfect soundtrack for a lonely car ride across the desert.

While it could be argued that In Sickness and In Health is more Chris Isaak than Cramps, vocalist/guitarist James Arrr effectively channels his inner Lux Interior while accompanying himself with reverb-drenched surf guitar sounds. The songs are the disc are sleek and sexy, particularly the ones that feature the vocals of Becca "The Beastmaster" Horton; she's a punk rock Emmylou Harris, filling out the songs with smooth, sultry harmonies.

The album's best track "Graveyard Shift," is a twisted slice of Americana with killer dueling male/female vocals. This excellently-recorded CD is a nice surprisem and one of themore interesting things to go into my stereo in a long time. "

KZSU- Stanford CD Revie
by Sadie O.

Horror surf garage rock with bluesy bits, and theremin, yay! It's hard to tell how seriously to take these folks – a lot of it's great fun, but some of it is fairly depressed. Lo-fi, in that there's no attempt to make the vocals sound perfect (singer has a decent voice, mind you), and there's definitely a major Cramps element.
Review by Track.

Case of the Zombies: starts with lots of theremin and electronics (spooky noises) then midtempo creepy surf rock. Definite homage to the Cramps, quite lo-fi.

Headstone: frug-a-go-go in the graveyard. Nice vocal harmonies, straightforward garage rock, Nuggets-oid.

Creepy: fun ultra-slow oozing stroll, farfisa, fun lyrics.

Spiderhole: long congas intro, guitar and squeepy theramin... slow, downbeat. The spiderhole may be vaguely related to a wormhole, but it's hard to tell.

Sssick: very quiet intro, whispery noises very slowly building to extremely slow, somewhat bluesy crawl. Quite convincing, but I'm not sure of what, exactly.

Empty Coffin: squeeps for a moment, then fuzz-rock. Do the pony! But watch out for the blood.
3 Sheets to the Wind: starts with very quiet guitar, downtempo waltz, depressed pirate song with accordion. Arrr!

The Crussian: jaunty guitar and vocals intro, then bouncy, bluesy bop with harmonica.

Graveyard Shift: bouncy, bluesy “working in the coal mine” meets “I'm a lumberjack” polka with cowbell.

Unholy Truths: melancholy guitar and piano, slow, sad, and of course, weird.

Haunted Sandcastle: several seconds of near-silence, then bits of spooky noises, slow bluesy crawl. Instrumental with hauntings. Theremin wind noises for last 30 seconds.

"In recent months, the five-piece band . . . has made its name with its dynamic, theatrical live shows, in all their faux-gothic, campy, B-movie horror-flick glory.

Even without the dazzle of The Mission Creeps' live show, the songs stand on their own quite nicely, thanks.

Like a toned-down version of the Cramps by way of Deadbolt, the twangy, reverb-heavy guitar, Arrr's genuinely sexy bellowing croon (à la Bauhaus' Peter Murphy) and the band's grinding rhythms all add up to something more than your standard clad-in-black, death-obsessed affair. The majority of songs here are slow-burning grinders that ooze sexual tension (even if they feature song titles like "Case of the Zombies," "You Make Me Sick" and "Graveyard Shift"), though there are some exceptions. "Empty Coffin" is 2 1/2 minutes of fuzzed-out guitar and lusty male/female vocals that brag about ownership of a money tree (but nowhere to plant it) and a '57 Chevy. "The Sheets to the Wind" is a sea chantey abetted by an accordion, while harmonica is put to good use on "The Crussian."

Recorded by Jim Waters at his Waterworks West studio, In Sickness and in Health stands as a fine representation of this genre, which can easily devolve into its trappings at the expense of songs. Much to their credit, The Mission Creeps prove here that they've got the songs to transcend those trappings."

Artist Information

Instrumentation
James Arrr - Guitar, Theremin, Vox
Miss Frankie Stein - Bass, Accordion
Gore Ya  - Congas, Percussion
Bryn Mr. Furious - Drums
Jake the Impaler - Percussion, Keys

Stage Requirements

4 electric outlets up front for lighting and projector
1 XLR for vocal mic (James has his own mic (Shure 55sh, and a reverb delay unit)
1 vocal mic up front
1 mic for 1 guitar amp(SM57 or similar)
XLR out for DI to bass amp
1 Mics for congas
1 Mic for 2nd percussionist
1/4"out for Keys
Mics for drums (e.g., kick, snare)

Influences

The Cramps, Nick Cave, Cop Shoot Cop, Johnny Cash, Iggy and the Stooges, Dead Kennedys, Flaming Stars, Bauhaus, The Doors, Robert Johnson, The Ghastly Ones, Link Wray, Southern Culture on the Skids, Deadbolt, The Meteors, Vincent Price, Bela Lugosi, Devil's Food Cake, Hot Pants, Hot Rods, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, The Anacondas, figures in the the corner of your eye, shooting stars, the moon, naysayers, hypnotism, psychics and empathics, thinking too much, Guinness, SPY music, experimental hair dye, staying up waaay too late imbibing way too much of everything, not eating stuff off the sidewalk unless there is a layer of green fungus on it, each other, discovering you're not the only one who "feels and thinks this way" . . .

The Mission Creeps have proudly played shows with the following great bands:

Firewater, Deadbolt, Al Foul, The Struts, The Sawyer Family, Mora Tau, Ghost Motor, VooDuo, Devil Doll, Tom Walbank, W.O.M.B., The Dead Tones, The Deludes, Monsters Are Waiting, Devil Doll, Voodoo Organist, The Creepy Creeps, Thee Corsairs, The Oh-Nos, The Love Me Nots, Music Video, Provocative Whites, The Tombstones, Shrimp Chaperone, Jumper, Whiskey Bitch, Sonic Titan, The Giraffes, SupaGroup, Charley Horse, The Horrorpops, Insignificant Others, Namoli Brennet, Venus DeMars, The Resistors, The Dollyrots, Suite 666, Al Perry, Fukisan Go, Pat McGee, The English Beat, Shawn Mullins, Gin Blossoms, The Jons, The Zsa Zsas, Love Me Nots, Shark Pants, Ultramaroon, Deadbolt, Thee Swank Bastards, Thee Corsairs, Thee Oh Nos, Hell on Heels, The Beta Sweat, Antique Scream, The Impossible Ones, Slutty Putty, The Rebel Set, The Last Call Brawlers, Chango Malo, Mostly Bears, The Kohl Heart, Ms. Led, The Atomic Bride, The Verb, Robert Roth & Friends, The Endeavors