BEWARE
THE DANGERS OF A GHOST SCORPION
BEACH BOYS
OR MEN IN BLACK?
What do you get when you marry your parents’/grandparents’ Beach Boys, punk rock, blues and a bit of Coney Island grit? Aliens land, the ghoulish boardwalk is assimilated and entranced earthlings of all cultures and ages gyrate and groove. On a beach blanketed with people seeking reprieve on a blistering summer day in July, we happened upon a Scorpion on the sand. As is a scorpion's trick, these surf rockers reflected back much of the environment.
Coney Island after all is a place that for all its international renown and history is a destination of which you don’t know what to make. Is it a beach, an amusement park, a venue for outdoor concerts, a fast food strip or a fishing site? It is all. In New York, no other beach draws equal excitement and interest in its water, boardwalk and other amusement activities as much as Coney Island does.
Beware the Dangers of A Ghost Scorpion resonates in the same way. Its brilliance lies in its ability to blend cross-generational and cross-genre sound in a way that doesn’t betray the essence of each. The result is a phenomenon that’s cross-relational, which is evidenced by the very diverse crowd that gathered to see their performance and enjoy their music.
The multicultural audience was swaying, shimmying, tapping feet and bobbing heads. Catching and holding attention in a boardwalk abuzz with activity isn’t easy to begin with. And music, as in any discipline, tends to cater to specific groups also. So to haul a catch (or prey, as they may wish to refer to them) like this band did is remarkable indeed.
The music is not like classic single flavor soft, creamy ice cream that everyone just happens to love. What it offers is a multilayered flavorful experience that enables listeners to focus on the genre of music they like. So a punk rocker or a classic surf rock enthusiast may listen to the same music and enjoy it, but with very different experiences. Regardless, the result is a smorgasbord of happy victims.
But who are these men-in-black donning masks who disarm people’s defenses with their music? Unfortunately, the band’s genesis and members’ identities remain a mystery. When asked about the band’s origin, we are simply referred to the accompanying side story. In fact, most of our inquiries have gone fairly nowhere as their answers were rather cryptic. Is this foolish gimmick, brilliant ruse or reality? You decide.
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1. What is the idea behind the name “Beware the Dangers of the Ghost Scorpion?” What does it mean?
The name Beware The Dangers Of A Ghost Scorpion! is meant to have the effect of letting the living know that there is an entity known as the Ghost Scorpion that should be considered dangerous. There is little more we can say at this point in time, as the Ghost Scorpion has instructed us only to warn people of its dangers.
2. How do you come up with your music?
We have secured a lair in Somerville, MA where we keep 5 caskets filled with Texas dirt. We sleep each day in these, and as we do, we have terrifying nightmares and visions. Upon waking, we transcribe these visions into the language of howling guitars and savage drums known as Surf Rock.
3. What should the audience learn from your shows?
They should learn that it’s fun as hell to watch a bunch of crazy weirdos in strange costumes play twist music and floor shakers. We want people to simply dig what's going on around them and dance 'til they drop without necessarily having to understand why we do the things we do. Once they've seen us, the only thing left for them to do is BEWARE THE DANGERS OF A GHOST SCORPION!
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