NERVOUS IN SUBURBIA MUSIC PROJECT: BLAZIN' HALEY

Blazing Haley formed in 1996/1997 in Santa Barbara, California as a psychobilly/roots rock/punk band, combining these influences with other styles (garage, metal, lounge, etc.) Notorious for their stage antics & straight up balls-out, full tilt, whiskey soaked, guitar driven, frenzied rock and roll live shows that included a fur-covered, skull-topped stand-up bass, rhinestone studded cowboy hats, crazy stage antics, sweat-drenched greased-back pompadours, with a huge following on the LA/OC scene. Or pretty much wherever they laid their hats! But Blazing Haley is a band of hoodlums that simply don't care what you think; they did this because they loved to.

Vocalist Matt Armor croons the blues and belts out power rock with some deep, bassy howling like he was born with a pair of horns and a pitchfork, putting all other rock-a-billy front men to shame.
Guitarist Brian Lakey wields his super-charged six-string, starting with the typical blues-based rock-a-billy histrionics and finishing somewhere around ‘70s arena rock with hard rock pyrotechnics.
The rhythm section of drummer Chris Story's hyper-hyperactive tempos and mad-dog stand-up bassist Dave Kruger pushes the tunes down the track like a runaway freight train.

They churn out songs about hot-rod culture, girls, dive bars, and road trips, backed by a balls-out rhythm section and cool-injected guitars. The fiery style of the 1st song on this demo, "V-12 Ford", shoots out of the gates roaring with a bump and grind fury of a revved up Ford, preaching anti-Chevy sentiments to the perverted, "I'm looking to kick that Chevy's a**!" followed by the sexy swagger, slow-mover croon of "Vegas". A ballad necessary to cool the fiery jets of the previous track, "Vegas" is a truly classic tearjerker, recanting the tragic tale of a lovelorn 14-year-old with a burnin' need to get his doll to Vegas, but no drivers license to do it. The third track on this demo, "Sleeper" is that kind of rock'n'roll shindig that your parents spent the night 'til dawn hip swingin' their asses to. The demo ends with a real scorcher, "Back For No Good Reason", suggesting that the Reverend Horton Heat had some heat comin' that coulda passed him on the right, if he didn't keep his eye on the road ahead.

Equal parts of The Supersuckers' white trash punk and the frantic psycobilly, punk-a-billy sounds of The Reverend Horton Heat's top-fuel dragster rock, Santa Barbara’s Blazing Haley raised some serious hell. Fans of The Blasters, The Reverend Horton Heat, Hillbilly Hellcats, Jason and the Scorchers and even admirers of Brian Setzer will find this to their personal satisfaction.

David Kruger:     double stand-up bass.
Chris Story:     drums, bongos
Brian Lakey:     guitars
Matt Armor:     vocals

This demo was made sometime in 1997/1998. Their debut album titled "Sleeper" followed and was self-released in January 1999, followed by the release of their sophmore album "Mas Chingon" in 2002.

"All you greased-back, chain-walleted, 'cool cats' take notice-
this is how you WISH your band would sound" -- Flipside Magazine

"Blazing Haley plays loud and fast with an intensity level up there with the Reverend Horton Heat and The Cramps" -- Los Angeles Times

"...for fast driving on a open road with either your girl by your side or your drunk friends thrown in the back of your truck." -- Norma J.

"Heavy, upbeat , rockabilly punk...... kind of a punkmetal Stray Cats." -- Tom B.