Lamps

by Heather PharesThe Lamps' cantankerous, chaotic L.A. garage punk is the brainchild of singer/guitarist Monty Buckles, drummer Josh Erkman, and bassist Tim Ford. Buckles, who is also a filmmaker and has directed videos for Be Your Own Pet, the Intelligence, A-Frames, and Black Lips, was loosely involved with the Los Angeles underground music scene before starting the band with Erkman. The duo got as far as practice sessions at Buckles' apartment and then petered out; a while later, they reunited and added Ford to the fray. As a trio, the Lamps recorded one demo on a cassette player and another on Ford's eight-track recorder, then played a show at a friend's party that led to a gig supporting the Orphans and American Death Ray at L.A.'s underground venue Juvee. At a show with the Deadly Snakes, the Lamps caught the attention of In the Red's Larry Hardy, who signed the band. Their self-titled debut EP, which featured Piranhas guitarist Nai Sammon on a few tracks, arrived in 2005; their first full-length, also entitled The Lamps, was released in 2007 and boasted a more expansive, but still cranky and abrasive, sound.