Speedbuggy USA

Hailing from Los Angeles, Speedbuggy USA play a raucous mix of cow-punk, swampbilly, and soul. The band emerged at the tail-end of the '90s and hit their stride with releases like 2000's Cowboys & Aliens and 2006's The City That God Forgot. Pulling from a wide array of influences, their distinctive sound falls somewhere between Johnny Thunders and Johnny Cash, and has continued to evolve over subsequent albums like 2015's South of Bakersfield and 2018's Kick Out the Twang. In 2022, a quarter-century into their career, they released the gritty Sonic West LP. Since their formation in the late-'90s, Speedbuggy USA has been led by singer/guitarist Timbo Gruse and lead guitarist Steve Kidwiler. Citing influences like the Clash, Rank and File, X, and Buck Owens, the band made their full-length debut in 1998 with Hardcore Honkey Tonk on the Porterhouse label. Originally called Speedbuggy, they soon added USA to their name to distinguish themselves from a Canadian group using the same moniker. Switching to the Cargo-distributed Headhunter label, the newly renamed Speedbuggy USA released Cowboys & Aliens in 2000 and began to tour Europe. A spate of singles and EPs reflected their newfound overseas audience, and their third studio album, 2006 Valle de la Muerte, came out on European label El Toro Records. An American version of the same album appeared under the title The City That God Forgot with proceeds benefiting victims of Hurricane Katrina. Known for their energetic live shows, Speedbuggy USA also issued a pair of live albums in 2004's rousing Red Eyed and Rowdy and 2009's California Country Revival. Following a six-year gap between releases, the band returned in 2015 with South of Bakersfield, a record that leaned into the West Coast influence of country icon Buck Owens. 2018's Kick Out the Twang continued to explore Speedbuggy USA's country side, albeit with the vigor of punk. Released in 2022, the more atmospheric and visceral Sonic West marked the band's first outing of the next decade.
© Timothy Monger /TiVo