Chic Beats
Death Valley Girls
Laura Kelsey, Bonnie Boomgarden
TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY DARIAN ZAHEDI
It’s easy to mistake Death Valley Girls for a biker gang. First of
all, the members of this snarling garage rock quartet look like
they jumped out from the pages of Karlheinz Weinberger’s Rebel
Youth, a book that documents ‘50s and ‘60s juvenile gangs. At
any one of their shows, a row of ratty, raked out choppers can be
seen lined up in classic motorcycle club formation.
Even their names are reminiscent of vintage biker B-movies.
Bonnie Bloomgarden is the leader of the pack. Peering out from
a straight line of jet-black bangs is a bass player who just goes by
“Rocky”. Laura Kelsey (formerly of The Flytraps, a surf/garage
girl band) plays Mo Tucker meets Nick Knox-style drums and
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Larry Schemel, who played in the last incarnation of legendary
L.A. punk pagans The Flesh Eaters, plays fuzz-heavy guitar and
sounds like he could be the bastard son of Davie Allan.
Speaking of the guitar, you’d be hard-pressed to find a
meaner opening riff for “No Reason”, the most menacing song
from Street Venom, DVG’s debut album. It sounds like Larry
plugged his guitar straight into a hornet hive and then kicked it.
When the rhythm section joins in it gives the song a sinister kind
of rumble that would make Link Wray proud. Bloomgarden’s
snotty, bratty vocal sneer cements their sound with old-school
girl gang attitude.