Biography
Through countless recordings (vinyl, CD and mostly very limited street tapes) and even an occasional live show, Michael Psycho (born Michael Warren, November 9, 1962, in Melrose, Massachusetts) has been a steady though relatively obscure presence in the American music underground for the past three decades or so. His precise record of music releases and concert performances is unclear and disputed by underground music experts as well as his scattered but loyal cult following of fans. By his own estimate, Michael Psycho has written (or co-written) and recorded close to 1000 songs with various projects and released or co-released close to three dozen collections of music on which he was a performer.
Though primarily known for a very primitive Outsider style of punk, Michael Psycho has also written and recorded original songs which reflect his interest in many genres, including folk, blues, and 60's psychedelic music. Growing up in the Boston area as a youngster, Psycho became bored at an early age with commercial radio and discovered the college and community radio sounds of the time. Additionally, he had an older brother who introduced him to artists such as the Velvet Underground, and this had an indelible effect on his musical output overall.
The earliest known release by Michael Psycho was a cassette only collection titled Sacrilege Biology(1983)while Psycho was living in the Boston, MA USA area (where he was born and raised), although it has been said that recordings from early projects PROTOFILE and THE THUGS are frequently circulated through tape trading circles. There is also a review in a 1984 issue of legendary punk zine Maximumrockandroll of a cassette release by a band Psycho sang for in Boston at the time called WEDDINGS DONE CHEAP.
After relocating to Sacramento, CA USA in 1984 he placed ads in local record and music stores which resulted in the forming of the band INDUSTRIAL HATE. They had a short but controversial and now-fabled run in the local punk scene; in the years 1986 and 1987 Psycho played what could be best described as a hybrid of punk and skiffle in the duo INDUCORE and in 1988 to 1989 sang in the DEAD SAM CLUB with some of Industrial Hate's former members. In the meantime Psycho also released solo home recordings such as the cassette release Tales Of A Sex Slave(1987.)
In 1990 Michael Psycho released Think, a very limited- run 12" EP. In 2000 he released his full length CD, Never. A CD titled Stoned Crow Picnic was released through his CafePress online store briefly in 2006.
In 2003 and 2004, Michael Psycho played a limited number of opening sets in various venues through Northern California, using a variety of assumed band names, among them being The Skeetshooters as well as M13 (owing to the thirteen letters in his name). These were the first known sets of his solo work with a full backing rhythm section, as Psycho had performed his songs for many years with a drummer but without a bass player. Previously, Michael Psycho has performed live at events as varied as nightclub shows, standard DIY punk shows, art galleries, and, in the 1980s, even protest demonstrations at the California State Capitol building in Sacramento.
In 2014, Sacramento label SS Records, in cooperation with Black Hole Media Co., reissued Think on a limited and remastered run of 12" vinyl.
In late 2016, Michael Psycho released Think 2.0, a digital-only release on Bandcamp. It is a remake of the original tracks from Think with three additional songs which were considered but not included with the release of Think.
Michael Psycho's official website:
http://michaelpsycho.com
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