The Fleshtones

Based in New York, primarily around Queens, The Fleshtones formed in 1976 around Peter Zaremba and Keith Streng amid the city’s punk and new wave explosion, performing at clubs like CBGB and Max’s Kansas City. The band quickly developed a garage rock sound rooted in rhythm and blues, surf and power pop — a style the Fleshtones sometimes labeled “Super Rock” — characterized by strained vocals, sharp guitars and a prominent organ. After several singles and EPs, their recording career took off with Roman Gods in 1982 and Hexbreaker! in 1983, two releases that established The Fleshtones on the international garage rock scene. The lineup evolved but settled around Zaremba, Streng, Bill Milhizer and Ken Fox, and the band toured extensively across the United States and Europe. The 1990s and 2000s saw albums such as Beautiful Light (1993), Do You Swing? (2003) and Beachhead (2005), while The Fleshtones occasionally collaborated with figures like Peter Buck and Lenny Kaye, notably on Brooklyn Sound Solution (2011). Still loyal to a straightforward format combining fast tempos, simple choruses and strong nods to 1960s rock, The Fleshtones went on to release Wheel of Talent (2014), The Band Drinks for Free (2016) and Face of the Screaming Werewolf (2020).