In 2006 after a back operation, Doc, bass player with Katsquire, Doctor Bison and a thousand scratch bands, picked up a 16 Track digital porta studio, sat in his living room and thought, “ wonder how this works? “ . A few days later he’d started writing a couple of songs and a couple of weeks after that had recorded a whole albums worth of tracks. First idea was to sell them as a library album for adverts, TV and elevators, but good friend and former band cohort Rob ‘Livestock’ Davies persuaded him to get it pressed up and released. The result was DIED JOGGING.
“I wasn’t looking for a band at the time so I pressed it and released it on the web. Sent a few copies to Fanzines and radio stations around the world and set up a Headshrinkers website. The album had some fantastic revues and quite a bit of airtime worldwide and sales came from Australia, Japan, USA and lots of European countries. Occasionally I would toy with the idea of putting a band together and taking it on the road but there never seemed to be a good time.”
After moving to Deepest, darkest West Wales he finally met up with Richie Evans, Double bass player and lifelong Rockabilly fan. He’d played with bands including Tootinskamoon, a successful Ska outfit, but his true passion was Rockabilly. Doc shifted from bass to guitar and vocals they started a search for a drummer and that illusive second guitarist.
“I would have given up trying after the first half dozen, I’ve never been one for rehearsing and that’s as far as we were getting, but Richie kept me going with his ardent enthusiasm, as did a few friends and supporters. You know who you are”.
Drummer John ‘haircut’ Lovell was playing in Richie’s other band, Monsterometer at the time and fancied a crack at the job. They decided to rework a lot of the old songs, stay as a three piece and Doc & the Headshrinkers, the band, was born. A handful of rehearsals under their belts and at last, Died Jogging, Heart Attack and others from that first album got a well-received live airing at the Rampin in Cilgerran.
Doc immediately set to work on penning some new songs and went into Fflach studios in Cardigan, with the aid of Wyn and Richard Jones, to record a single, “If there wasn’t any sinners the saints wouldn’t look so good” choosing to release on 7” vinyl. A trip to local venue The Parrot in Carmarthen with friends and supporters produced the video, released on Youtube, that goes side by side with it. Official launch party was set for 21st July 2017.
The Headshrinkers first album as a band, entitled “Crash Land” was released in March 2018 and received wide recognition with great reviews on social media and press, and most of its tracks have soared the global airwaves.
At the end of 2018 John left the band due to outside commitments. Local lad Meurig Griffiths and Alex Wellock filled in with the gigs early in 2019 in outstanding form but now we have the pleasure of new boy Motoredd Flemming from Cardiff on the boxes. He brings a new lease of life and a razor-sharp edge to the Headshrinkers. the future looks mad!
The Headshrinkers are currently working on the new material for their third release, ‘In The Doghouse’ set for the studio in October. There’s a great mix of tracks but it’s pure Headshrinker. Catch the new stuff at the upcoming gigs as they nail them tighter than a ducks arse.
One of the most exiting Rock n Roll outfits in the world today. They fire their own updated brand of Red Hot, Raw, Punked up Rock n’ Roll into the 21st Century all guns blazing, so get off your lazy fat arse and go and see them.
HAAAWWWWAAAAAAAYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
