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Only active for a mere two years, Florida’s garage-punk four-piece, the Evil were a psych band with an edge. Looking for a title that tied in with their love for all things dark and scary, the band named themselves after the Willie Dixon track Evil – but the group had also toyed with the idea of Edgar Allan Poe and Raven as possible titles!
Known for their hard-driving, sometimes thrashing 60’s punk fusions, their music combined elements of blues, rockabilly and UK psych influences. Artists such as The Yardbirds, The Who, The Pretty Things and The Small Faces played a major role in shaping their shadowy sound and in 1967 they were signed to Capitol Records. Whatcha Gonna Do? was to be the band’s only single and reached number eighty on Billboard. but shortly after this the band broke up after three of the four members received draft notices and so ended their all-too brief stint as recording artists.
In the last decade the band has become particularly noted for several previously unreleased songs recorded in 1966, which have since been unearthed and released on various independent labels from acetates that had gone missing! Tracks such as From a Curbstone, Short Life and I’m Movin’ On are now regarded as a garage classics!! One of my favourites is today’s fierce little beast with its contrasting soft vocals and howling guitar…..I love psych when its raw and dark!! Short Life is superb for all those reasons! Check it out above.
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