The Formaldehydes

If Tiger Beat ever dedicated an issue to the hottie bad boys of psychobilly, sure as shit you'd see the mugs of San Diego's Formaldehydes gracing the cover, asking the preadolescent readership, "Can You Tame Their Wild Souls?" And untamed they are, as drummer Mr. Hyde and guitarist Gizmo play...

By Benjamin Leatherman

December 23, 2004

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If Tiger Beat ever dedicated an issue to the hottie bad boys of psychobilly, sure as shit you'd see the mugs of San Diego's Formaldehydes gracing the cover, asking the preadolescent readership, "Can You Tame Their Wild Souls?" And untamed they are, as drummer Mr. Hyde and guitarist Gizmo play at breakneck speed while bass-playing front man Galactic Gabe snarls lurid lines about supernatural mass murders and seduction by a bare-naked succubus, adding a few howls for good measure. He's apparently traded his soul to Satan, as his demonically hard plucking of a flaming-red upright produces a rhythmic thwack that dominates the band's sound -- a siren call for the uninitiated to join their Formalde-Klan. That, and their twentysomething good looks and gravity-defying hair have earned them salacious flirts from across the Internet. One female's post on the band's Web site (www.theformaldehydes.com) stated, "Honestly you kids are so good looking and your music is killer. So . . . you single?" Oh, have mercy!

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Benjamin Leatherman is a staff writer for Phoenix New Times where he focuses primarily on arts, culture, music, and nightlife. He began writing for New Times in 2003 and joined the staff full-time in 2005. Prior to that, he contributed to magazines such as Tips & Tricks and The Wrestler. Benjamin has earned multiple awards from the Arizona Press Club including an award for sports enterprise reporting in 2009 and an award for statewide arts reporting in 2014. He holds a bachelor’s of arts in journalism from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Contact: Benjamin Leatherman

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