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Twinkeyz
The Twinkeyz were a punk rock band formed in 1977 in Sacramento, California.[1][2] They are credited as Sacramento's first punk band,[3] and as one of the first bands to create a "small but thriving new wave scene" in Sacramento.[4] HistoryThe band's leader and songwriter, Don Marquez, took the stage name Donnie Jupiter upon forming the Twinkeyz in 1977.[5][6] The name "Twinkeyz" was chosen as a tribute to Twink, drummer for the British group Pink Fairies, rather than as a reference to Twinkies, a snack cake.[7] Jupiter also cited groups such as the Ramones, Television and Blondie as early inspirations for the band.[8] The group began in Davis, California, as a recording project between guitarists Jupiter and Walter Smith, joined by Keith McKee, a professional touring drummer.[5] David Houston, a Sacramento-based producer, also played synthesizer and recorded the band at his Moon Studios.[6] In 1977, the band self-released "Aliens in Our Midst", their first single,[1] on a record label they called Twirp.[9] Interest in the single prompted the formation of a live band, which included guitarist Tom Darling, drummer Marc Bonilla, and backup vocalist Wit Witkowski.[5] After the first performance at a house show in San Francisco, Smith left the band.[5] With Jupiter and Darling remaining as the stable core,[5] the band continued with a revolving membership that included Steve Bateman on vocals and percussion, and Dan Dollar (credited as Honey) on guitar, bass, and vocals.[4] After renaming their label Grok Records, the group re-released "Aliens in Our Midst" in 1978 with a new B-side, "One Thousand Reasons".[9][10] Their second single, "E.S.P.", was released on Grok in 1978, with the B-side "Cartoon Land".[9][10] Alpha Jerk, the first and only LP by the Twinkeyz, was released in 1979 on Plurex Records, a Dutch record label run by Minny Pops founder Wally van Middendorp.[7] It was pressed in a limited edition of 1800 copies.[11] A remixed and remastered version was released in May 2016 by S.S. Records.[12][13] Two Twinkeyz compilations have been released on Anopheles Records. The first, Aliens in Our Midst: Complete Recordings 1977–1980 was released as a CD in the United States in 1998,[1] and in Japan in 2000. A second compilation, Cartoon Land, was released on clear vinyl in 2002. Since disbanding the group in 1980, Marquez has worked primarily as a visual artist, creating paintings and comics.[6] Reviews and critical receptionAccording to AllMusic's Richie Unterberger, the Twinkeyz were an early example of the D.I.Y. musical movement, with "obvious influences from '60s psychedelia, Stones-ish rock, and the Velvet Underground":[2]
Alpha Jerk and compilations
In a review of the 1979 LP Alpha Jerk, Unterberger called the album a "pastiche of new wave and pre-Paisley Underground sounds, colored by goofy preoccupations with science fiction imagery on songs like 'Aliens in Our Midst' and 'E.S.P.'"[11] Reviewing the 2016 reissue, the Sacramento-based music magazine Submerge wrote that the 1979 release "suffered greatly" from poor mastering, remedied by "ex-KDVS alumni and audiophile Karl Ikola [who] worked alongside Jupiter on this remixed and remastered version. The end result is a delicious, psyche-warping platter way ahead of its time."[13] In The Vinyl District, Joseph Neff wrote that "the enlightening and appealing Alpha Jerk stands as a worthwhile instance of pre-codified punk form".[7] Neff noted that touchstone proto-punk influences such as the Velvet Underground were "interspersed with the atmosphere of a bunch of guys getting it all down on wax before the rulebook was chiseled into granite."[7]
Joe Gross called the band "underknown" in Spin's review of the 1998 compilation CD Aliens in Our Midst: Complete Recordings 1977–1980, and added:
"Aliens in Our Midst"The band's first single, "Aliens in Our Midst", has had a continuing critical impact for over 30 years:
"Aliens in Our Midst" was covered by Wussy on their 2018 album What Heaven Is Like.[18] Yo La Tengo performed a live cover during a 2011 pledge drive for nonprofit radio station WFMU.[19] A live cover by Game Theory, featuring Donnie Jupiter as a guest performer, appears as a bonus track on the 2014 Omnivore reissue of Game Theory's 1982 debut album Blaze of Glory.[20] Recording personnelOn the band's 1977 single, "Aliens in Our Midst" b/w "Little Joey", the band's members were listed as Donnie Jupiter (vocals/guitar), Steve Bateman (vocals, percussion), Walter Smith (vocals, guitar, bass), and Wit Witkowski (bass).[21] Keith McKee also performed on drums, and Dave Houston was credited as engineer.[21] The 1978 recording lineup, listed on the Grok re-release of "Aliens in Our Midst" backed with "One Thousand Reasons", consisted of Keith McKee (drums), Donnie Jupiter (lead vocals & rhythm guitar), and Tom Darling (lead guitar & bass). Dave Houston was credited as producer (with the Twinkeyz), and for synthesizer and special effects (with Jupiter).[22] The same lineup was listed on the sleeve of the 1978 single "E.S.P." b/w "Cartoon Land".[23] In 1979, the Plurex Records release of Alpha Jerk listed the band as Donnie Jupiter (vocals, guitar, bass), Honey (vocals, bass, guitar), Keith McKee (drums, vocals), and Tom Darling (vocals, guitar, bass).[24] The LP was produced by the Twinkeyz and recorded at Moon Studios; Dave Houston also played bass and synthesizer.[24] Notes
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