What We Know

The band

Very little is known about the band at this time. Witness accounts say the band consists of between 1 and 13 people of European, Asian, and/or Arabic descent. They are said to possess an arsenal of instruments ranging from electric guitars to an old kitchen sink. Their impromptu performances range from 30 seconds to 13 hours and are performed with various disguises and under alternate band names. These shows are rarely announced, often in remote areas, and occasionally even without an audience. No one knows why.

The Music

Their music itself has been described as "every imaginable musical genre shoved into a blender and served to you by a deranged clown." Frantic spazzcore slips into ambient flamenco guitar which explodes into hardcore blastbeat, only to devolve into random explosive noise. And this is just the first few bars. Beginning in 2017, a series of videos began to emerge featuring original Shamalamamonkey music synced to obscure silent films. Access to these videos had been restricted pending an investigation, but are now available here in instrumental form. After a series of mishaps, neglect, and sabotage, the master tapes were thought to be lost for several years until Curiously Strange Records announced that it would be releasing the entire finished album with vocals December 2022. "Schizophonic Symphony: Anti-scores For the Films of Reggie Gussle" is now available on CD and MP3 and streaming.

The Themes

Although the band reportedly presents a jovial attitude on stage, their lyrics reveal a darker side including disillusionment, depression, anti-patriotism, oppression, societal depravity, anti-religion, desperation, and mental instability. These themes are interwoven in symbolism and playfulness. And, for some reason, they are synchronized to the movements of forgotten silent film stars.

The Investigation

On May 11, 2016 at approximately 1:10AM, Shamalamamonkey [redacted]...