Los Straitjackets

Los Straitjackets is an American instrumental rock band that formed in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, in 1988. Originally comprising guitarists Danny Amis (formerly of the Raybeats), Eddie Angel and drummer L. J. "Jimmy" Lester under the name The Straitjackets, the band split up soon after forming, but reunited as Los Straitjackets in 1994 with the addition of bassist E. Scott Esbeck. Esbeck left the band in 1998 and was replaced by Pete Curry. The current lineup also features Greg Townson on guitar and Chris Sprague on drums.

The band has released fourteen studio albums, four collaboration albums and eight live albums.

History

Eddie Angel was a noted rockabilly guitarist who moved to Nashville in the early 1980s to record and perform with the Planet Rockers. Danny Amis recorded and performed with the Raybeats, then worked as a sound engineer in Nashville. The two formed The Straitjackets in 1988 with Jimmy Lester, a Nashville session player who played and toured with Webb Wilder as well as Robert Gordon. They played several gigs during the summer of that year, but soon broke up.

In 1994 they reformed as Los Straitjackets, adding bass player Scott Esbeck. Their first album, ''The Utterly Fantastic and Totally Unbelievable Sound of Los Straitjackets'', was released the following year on Upstart Records. In the post-''Pulp Fiction'' surf revival, the group began attracting a following, though their music is not entirely surf-oriented.

Over the next few years, the band developed a cult following through its tight instrumentation and stage shows. In its live performances, band members dress in identical black suits, gold Aztec medallions, and personalized Mexican wrestling masks. Danny Amis, a fan of Luchador films and Mexican culture had suggested the band wear the masks he had purchased in Mexico at the band's first gig on a whim; the crowd went wild and a tradition was born. Frontman Amis (aka "Daddy-O Grande") was the sole spokesperson of the band, and would introduce the songs in fast, heavily accented Spanish.

In 1998 Esbeck left the band during the recording of ''The Velvet Touch of Los Straitjackets'' and was replaced by Pete Curry, formerly of the Halibuts, a 1980s surf-revival group. In 2005 Lester left and was replaced by Jason "Teen Beat" Smay. They have become known as frequent collaborators, recording ''Sing Along with Los Straitjackets'' with a number of different artists. They were nominated for a Grammy Award for their collaboration with blues singer Eddy Clearwater, ''Rock 'N' Roll City''.

Their stage shows have become more elaborate and frequently feature choreography, guest vocalists such as Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater, Kaiser George of the Scottish band the Kaisers, Big Sandy, and the burlesque dancing troupe The World Famous Pontani Sisters. In recent years, they have staged festive Christmas shows during the holiday season.

In 2010 Danny Amis was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. He was sidelined from recording and touring while under treatment. Los Straitjackets recruited guitarist Greg "Gregorio El Grande" Townson to fill Amis' role during his absence. In 2012 Amis announced that his cancer was "under control" and he would return to recording and limited touring with Los Straitjackets in September 2012. This coincided with the band's new studio release ''Jet Set'' and debut of new drummer Chris "Sugar Balls" Sprague. Amis now lives in Mexico City.

In late 2016, Los Straitjackets were due to embark on a tour with NRBQ. Prior to the tour, Pete Curry had to undergo shoulder replacement surgery. While he was recovering, his replacements consisted of Eddie's son, Max, Todd Bradley of the Hi-Risers, and Juan Ugalde of The Outta Sites.

On May 19, 2017, the band released ''What's So Funny About Peace, Love And...'', a tribute to the music of Nick Lowe. In 2019 the band embarked on a UK tour backing Lowe. Their February 2019 single with Lowe, "Love Starvation," was described by '' Rolling Stone'' magazine as "a peppy-sounding old-school rock song that paints a bleak lyrical picture of romantic fallout." Lowe said of the band: "Apart from being a fantastic rock ‘n’ roll band, they know how to play tons of different styles really well. They can knock you out a version of Bacharach and David's " The Look of Love" with no trouble at all."

Film and television

Los Straitjackets provided some of the music for the independent film ''Psycho Beach Party'', and appeared briefly in the film. They also recorded two albums of music specifically for television and commercial use, and their work is often heard as filler or background music on radio and television shows.

In the late 1990s, Conan O'Brien had the band perform Christmas music each holiday season on his late-night television program.

Band members

;Current members
*Eddie Angel – guitar (1988, 1994–present)
*Pete Curry – bass (1998–present)
*Chris Sprague – drums (2012–present)
*Greg Townson – guitar (2010–present)
;Former members
*Danny Amis – guitar (1988, 1994–2017)
*E. Scott Esbeck – bass (1994–1998)
*Jimmy "L. J." Lester – drums (1988, 1994–2005)
*Jason "Teen Beat" Smay – drums (2005–2012)
;Timeline

ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:25
PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:0 right:50
Alignbars = justify
DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
Period = from:01/06/1988 till:31/12/2022
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy

Colors =
id:guitar value:green legend:Guitar
id:bass value:blue legend:Bass
id:drums value:orange legend:Drums
id:Lines value:black legend:Albums

Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom

ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1989

BarData =

bar:Danny text:"Danny Amis"
bar:Eddie text:"Eddie Angel"
bar:Greg text:"Greg Townson"
bar:Jimmy text:"Jimmy Lester"
bar:Jason text:"Jason Smay"
bar:Chris text:"Chris Sprague"
bar:Scott text:"Scott Esbeck"
bar:Pete text:"Pete Curry"

PlotData=

width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
bar:Danny from:01/06/1988 till:01/09/1988 color:guitar
bar:Danny from:01/05/1994 till:12/01/2017 color:guitar
bar:Eddie from:01/06/1988 till:01/09/1988 color:guitar
bar:Eddie from:01/05/1994 till:end color:guitar
bar:Greg from:01/01/2010 till:end color:guitar
bar:Scott from:01/05/1994 till:01/10/1998 color:bass
bar:Pete from:01/11/1998 till:end color:bass
bar:Jimmy from:01/06/1988 till:01/09/1988 color:drums
bar:Jimmy from:01/05/1994 till:01/04/2005 color:drums
bar:Jason from:01/04/2005 till:01/01/2012 color:drums
bar:Chris from:01/01/2012 till:end color:drums

LineData =

at:15/03/1995 color:black layer:back
at:15/06/1996 color:black layer:back
at:15/06/1999 color:black layer:back
at:25/09/2001 color:black layer:back
at:15/12/2001 color:black layer:back
at:08/10/2002 color:black layer:back
at:04/09/2003 color:black layer:back
at:09/09/2003 color:black layer:back
at:11/11/2004 color:black layer:back
at:01/06/2005 color:black layer:back
at:03/04/2007 color:black layer:back
at:07/04/2007 color:black layer:back
at:28/04/2009 color:black layer:back
at:28/12/2009 color:black layer:back
at:28/04/2012 color:black layer:back
at:28/04/2014 color:black layer:back
at:28/11/2014 color:black layer:back
at:28/11/2015 color:black layer:back
at:22/04/2017 color:black layer:back

Discography

Studio albums

*''The Utterly Fantastic and Totally Unbelievable Sound of Los Straitjackets'' (1995)
*'' ¡Viva! Los Straitjackets'' (1996)
*''The Velvet Touch of Los Straitjackets'' (1999)
*''Sing Along with Los Straitjackets'' (2001)
*'' Encyclopedia of Sound'' (2001)
*'''Tis the Season for Los Straitjackets!'' (2002)
*'' Supersonic Guitars in 3-D'' (2003)
*''Play Favorites'' (2004)
*''Encyclopedia of Sound, Vol. 2'' (2005)
*''The Further Adventures of Los Straitjackets'' (2009)
*''Yuletide Beat'' (2009)
*''Jet Set'' (2012)
*''Play The Great Instrumental Hits!!!!!!'' (2014) (Record Store Day Release)
*''What's So Funny About Peace Love And...'' (2017)

Live albums

*''Pink Dominoes (Live At KFJC)'' (1995)
*''Winter Swell II (Live At KFJC)'' (1996)
*'' Damas y Caballeros!'' (2001)
*''Los Vivos y Los Raros'' (2003)
*''Live On Spanish TV'' (2003) (Released in Spain only)
*''In Concert'' (2008) (Also released as a DVD)
*''Mas Alla Del Limite'' (2008)
*''Quality Holiday Revue Live '' (2015) (With Nick Lowe)
*''Twist Party!!!'' (2007) (With Kaiser George and The World Famous Pontani Sisters)
*'' Rock en Español, Vol. 1'' (2007) (With Big Sandy,Cesar Rosas and Little Willie G.)
*''Sings The Great Instrumental Hits!!!!!!'' (2014) (With Deke Dickerson)

Compilation albums

*''Mondo Zombie Boogaloo'' (2013) (6 tracks: "It's Monster Surfing Time", "Que Monstruos Son" (feat. Keith Streng & Mary Huff), "Theme From Young Frankenstein", "Theme From Halloween", "The Ghoul On The Hill", "¡Ghostbusters!")
*'' Dr Demento Covered In Punk'' (2018) (1 track: "It's A Gas")
*''Complete Christmas Songbook'' (2018) (compiles ''Tis the Season'' and ''Yuletide Beat'' with four additional tracks from singles and compilations)

References

Notes

Other sources

Interview with Chris "Sugarballs" Sprague @ Rockerzine.com 2014

External links

Official website

Eddie Angel - Official Website

Danny Amis - Official Website

Encyclopedia Of Music Vol. 1 & Vol 2: 2 CDs by Los Straitjackets on LoveCat Music

{{DEFAULTSORT:Straitjackets, Los
Surf music groups
Musical groups from Nashville, Tennessee
Masked musicians
Bands with fictional stage personas
Musical groups established in 1988
Musical groups disestablished in 1988
Musical groups reestablished in 1994
1988 establishments in Tennessee
1994 establishments in Tennessee
Yep Roc Records artists
Rounder Records artists