Kepi Ghoulie

Like a brain-starved corpse from one of the classic zombie flicks he loves, Kepi Ghoulie has risen from the dead. Admittedly, the founding member of the Groovie Ghoulies is missing a familiar appendage or two; when the Ghoulies “family” filed for divorce two years ago, the horror-punk pioneer lost not only the band’s drummer, but guitarist and wife Roach Ghoulie (no word yet if Mrs. Ghoulie kept the surname). So what’s left? Plenty, if you’re a Ghoulie purist. With his Iggy Pop man-o-rexia physique stashed into his trademark peg-leg pants and his commitment to the do-it-yourself ethos of punk rock fully unbowed, Kepi hits the road this summer for a string of live engagements, accompanied by a new back-up band. And, my, is he prolific, with three solo albums of monstrously catchy punk-pop to his credit since the Ghoulies’ breakup. Ambitiously, Kepi and his new power trio (he plays drums and sings — sort of like an undead Phil Collins) will perform two shows on the same night in central Phoenix — an all-ages affair at Trunk Space and a legal-drinkers-only engagement at the Lost Leaf after sundown. That’s a hard-working zombie.