Archie and The Bunkers: 'Hi-Fi Organ Punk' Returns To Europe - New Single Release On Third Man Records

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Archie and The Bunkers hail from the birthplace of punk and a major rustbelt gem: Cleveland, Ohio. Self-described “hi-fi organ punk”, the band is two brothers still in high school - one on drums, the other on organ. 

Although newcomers to some extent, the results are electric and positively explosive, some say reminiscent of The Cramps, The Hentchmen, Billy Childish – every incarnation of top-notch rock you can imagine. It’s rare to take an organ and make it the centerpiece of a rock ‘n’ roll band and have it make so much sense. They are a musical anomaly in that the compositions they write are refreshingly new, but they draw their influences from classic musicians and movies of the past. The band’s raw garage punk sound draws heavily from Cullen’s melding of divergent musical styles. Influences range from jazz organ greats like Jimmy Smith, and Richard “Groove” Holmes, to punk icons Dead Boys, The Stooges, The Screamers, and more. 

On stage, the siblings attack their songs with an energy that whips the audience into a frenzy. The unique growl of Cullen’s whirring, overdriven organ and the driving beat of Emmett’s 4-piece drum kit, leave concert-goers in shock at the sonic assault levied by only two.

2015 marked the release of their first full-length album on Dirty Water Records. It’s 12 songs were recorded at the storied Ghetto Recorders in Detroit. Legendary producer/engineer Jim Diamond captured that unique Archie sound that’s been dubbed ‘HI-FI Organ Punk.’ Emmett describes their sound as, “rock’n’roll that’s been peeled back to it’s raw foundation. That neither 18-year-old Emmett (on drums and vocals) nor 16-year-old Cullen (organ and vocals) O'Connor is old enough to ask for booze on their backstage rider, doesn't matter. Not a jot. They pump out simple, and simply good, stripped-back punk sounds that are bereft of any bullsh**.

Almost two years has passed, since the 'dynamic duo' sent in their demo into Dirty Water Records war room, where we jumped at the chance to propel these brilliant "snot rags" up to where they belong; the future of rock 'n' roll. Now, it seems almost every label and 'tastemaker' worth their salt are bidding up on the boys. Archie and the Bunkers are on a trajectory that transcends the record industry and have always been the masters of their own destiny. 

The late, great Lux Interior (and Cleveland native) from The Cramps kind of predicted them way back in 1991, "You got your big business types trying to make this happen all over the place, but that's not the way it ever happens. You get some nasty little 15-year-old kids who make music in their garage, and that's the way it happens. They get tired of waiting for somebody else to do something for them, they do it themselves." They self-released a vinyl-only, 6-song EP titled, "Mystery Lover."

The band kicked off 2016 with a tour that spanned six countries and every time they played, people's jaws would drop to the floor and within two songs everybody at the bar had left their seats to go stand in front of the stage to watch and listen to them. Archie and the Bunkers are really pulling out all the stops in 2017, with a five week 'uber grinder' tour of the European continent covering every prime club and festival slot this summer. If you didn't get stung by their buzz last time around, you have ample opportunity to get your eyes and ears kicked in. The band's success and growing popularity on the Global music scene is no mystery to Emmett who says he never experienced any form of stage fright or pre-show jitters. "I just like playing out, having a good time and sharing our music with other people in the clubs," he said. "I love the adrenaline." Soon, Europeans all over will be loving it too.

                                                                                                                                                                        Emmett plays exclusively cheap vintage Japanese drum kits and is endorsed by splintered drumsticks.

Cullen is endorsed by various organs and keyboards found on Craigslist.