Biography
The Fezmen are a garage punk, surf, exotica band from Melbourne , Australia.
The Fezmen were a rockabilly band that was formed in October, 1977 in New York City, USA.
After changing their name to The Zantees (named after an episode of the science fiction television show The Outer Limits) they drew on the raw rock ‘n’ roll styles of the 50s, particularly rockabilly music, emphasizing its primitive qualities rather than trying to update the sound. The original quartet comprised Billy Miller (vocals), Billy Statile (guitar), Paul Statile (guitar) and Jimmy Devito (drums). Devito was replaced after only one performance by Miriam Linna, ex-Cramps drummer, who remained throughout the band’s history. Although they originally had no bass player, four musicians eventually occupied that position: Chuck Forssi (whose brother Ken had been in the 60s band Love), Rob Norris (the last bass player of the Velvet Underground and later a founder member of the Bongos), James Stephanik and Mike Lewis (formerly of DMZ and the Lyres). The Zantees’ first record was ‘Francene’, a flexi-disc single released in conjunction with the US record collector magazine Goldmine, in 1979. Other singles followed, as did Out For Kicks, on the Bomp Records label in 1980, and Rhythm Bound, released on the US Midnight label in 1983. They also released a self-titled EP on Midnight in 1983. The Zantees toured the USA, as well as Scandinavian countries in the early 80s, and disbanded in December 1983. Miller, Linna and Lewis subsequently started the A-Bones, a band of similar qualities, in 1984. Miller and Linna also launched the popular independent record label Norton Records, and published their own fanzine, Kicks.
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