Twinkeyz | |
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| Origin | Sacramento, California, US |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1977–80 |
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| Past members |
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TheTwinkeyz were apunk rock band formed in 1977 inSacramento, California.[1][2] They are credited asSacramento's first punk band,[3] and as one of the first bands to create a "small but thriving new wave scene" in Sacramento.[4]
The band's leader and songwriter, Don Marquez, took the stage name Donnie Jupiter upon forming the Twinkeyz in 1977.[5][6] The name "Twinkeyz" was chosen as a tribute toTwink, drummer for the British groupPink Fairies, rather than as a reference toTwinkies, asnack cake.[7] Jupiter also cited groups such as theRamones,Television andBlondie as early inspirations for the band.[8]
The group began in Davis, California, as a recording project between guitarists Jupiter and Walter Smith, joined by Keith McKee, a professional touring drummer.[5] David Houston, a Sacramento-based producer, also played synthesizer and recorded the band at his Moon Studios.[6]
In 1977, the band self-released "Aliens in Our Midst", their first single,[1] on arecord label they called Twirp.[9] Interest in the single prompted the formation of a live band, which included guitarist Tom Darling, drummer Marc Bonilla, and backup vocalist Wit Witkowski.[5] After the first performance at a house show in San Francisco, Smith left the band.[5] With Jupiter and Darling remaining as the stable core,[5] the band continued with a revolving membership that included Steve Bateman on vocals and percussion, and Dan Dollar (credited as Honey) on guitar, bass, and vocals.[4]
After renaming their label Grok Records, the group re-released "Aliens in Our Midst" in 1978 with a new B-side, "One Thousand Reasons".[9][10] Their second single, "E.S.P.", was released on Grok in 1978, with the B-side "Cartoon Land".[9][10]
Alpha Jerk, the first and only LP by the Twinkeyz, was released in 1979 on Plurex Records, aDutch record label run byMinny Pops founder Wally van Middendorp.[7] It was pressed in a limited edition of 1800 copies.[11] A remixed and remastered version was released in May 2016 by S.S. Records.[12][13]
Two Twinkeyz compilations have been released on Anopheles Records. The first,Aliens in Our Midst: Complete Recordings 1977–1980 was released as a CD in the United States in 1998,[1] and in Japan in 2000. A second compilation,Cartoon Land, was released on clear vinyl in 2002.
Since disbanding the group in 1980, Marquez has worked primarily as a visual artist, creating paintings and comics.[6]
According toAllMusic'sRichie Unterberger, the Twinkeyz were an early example of theD.I.Y. musical movement, with "obvious influences from '60s psychedelia,Stones-ish rock, andthe Velvet Underground":[2]
The band sometimes sounded like a much lighter variation ofLou Reed's ethos, in fact, with a generous sprinkling of science fiction-ish lyrics and nods to pop culture. Jupiter's fairly straight-ahead rock tunes were garnished by burbling psychedelic guitars and synths that seemed to be trying to emulate theMellotron bursts on '60s albums likethe Rolling Stones'Satanic Majesties Request.[2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [11] |
| The Vinyl District | A−[7] |
In a review of the 1979 LPAlpha Jerk, Unterberger called the album a "pastiche of new wave and pre-Paisley Underground sounds, colored by goofy preoccupations with science fiction imagery on songs like 'Aliens in Our Midst' and 'E.S.P.'"[11] Reviewing the 2016 reissue, the Sacramento-based music magazineSubmerge wrote that the 1979 release "suffered greatly" from poor mastering, remedied by "ex-KDVS alumni and audiophile Karl Ikola [who] worked alongside Jupiter on this remixed and remastered version. The end result is a delicious, psyche-warping platter way ahead of its time."[13]
InThe Vinyl District, Joseph Neff wrote that "the enlightening and appealingAlpha Jerk stands as a worthwhile instance of pre-codified punk form".[7] Neff noted that touchstoneproto-punk influences such as the Velvet Underground were "interspersed with the atmosphere of a bunch of guys getting it all down on wax before the rulebook was chiseled into granite."[7]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Spin | 8/10[1] |
| AllMusic | [14] |
Joe Gross called the band "underknown" inSpin's review of the 1998 compilation CDAliens in Our Midst: Complete Recordings 1977–1980, and added:
The foursome seem thrilled with every scuzzy note they play, cutting their modernized garage-junk blare with treated vocals, acid-zone guitar, plus the occasional synthesizer blurt and Mellotron wash... This collection, featuring the meltdown of "Alpha Jerk" and the feedback pocket symphony of "Wild Love," leaves you thinking you don't need much else in the way of ear candy. The live songs almost overshadow the studio material, their anti-fidelity rumble reaching the kind of apex of highGuided by Voices would kill for.Aliens lets you know both what was and what might have been if the Twinkeyz hadn't vanished into the ether by the dawn of the '80s.[1]
The band's first single, "Aliens in Our Midst", has had a continuing critical impact for over 30 years:
"Aliens in Our Midst" was covered byWussy on their 2018 albumWhat Heaven Is Like.[18]Yo La Tengo performed a live cover during a 2011 pledge drive for nonprofit radio stationWFMU.[19] A live cover byGame Theory, featuring Donnie Jupiter as a guest performer, appears as a bonus track on the 2014Omnivore reissue of Game Theory's 1982 debut albumBlaze of Glory.[20]
On the band's 1977 single, "Aliens in Our Midst" b/w "Little Joey", the band's members were listed as Donnie Jupiter (vocals/guitar), Steve Bateman (vocals, percussion), Walter Smith (vocals, guitar, bass), and Wit Witkowski (bass).[21] Keith McKee also performed on drums, and Dave Houston was credited as engineer.[21]
The 1978 recording lineup, listed on the Grok re-release of "Aliens in Our Midst" backed with "One Thousand Reasons", consisted of Keith McKee (drums), Donnie Jupiter (lead vocals & rhythm guitar), and Tom Darling (lead guitar & bass). Dave Houston was credited as producer (with the Twinkeyz), and for synthesizer and special effects (with Jupiter).[22] The same lineup was listed on the sleeve of the 1978 single "E.S.P." b/w "Cartoon Land".[23]
In 1979, the Plurex Records release ofAlpha Jerk listed the band as Donnie Jupiter (vocals, guitar, bass), Honey (vocals, bass, guitar), Keith McKee (drums, vocals), and Tom Darling (vocals, guitar, bass).[24] The LP was produced by the Twinkeyz and recorded at Moon Studios; Dave Houston also played bass and synthesizer.[24]
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