debris

Chickasha, Oklahoma, isn’t exactly known as a breeding ground for proto-punk bands. In fact, as far as anyone knows, only one ever emerged from there: Debris’. Formed in 1975 by bassist Chuck Ivey, guitarist Oliver “Rectomo” Powers, and drummer Johnny Gregg, the trio crafted some of the most gloriously unhinged outsider rock this side of MX-80 Sound. When a local studio offered a package deal—ten hours of recording and mixing, plus pressing 1,000 LPs with two-color jackets—Debris’ came in fully prepared, recording all eleven tracks in a single take. In April 1976, the very same month the Ramones released their debut, Debris’ unleashed their one and only album.

The opener, “One Way Spit,” could easily pass for a lost KBD gem, from Chuck’s strange count-in to the band’s gritty, stop-start rhythms and Johnny’s raw, almost deranged vocals. “Tricia,” inspired by the then-current Patty Hearst trial, pairs Oliver’s unsettling groans with the sound of an electric saw for a touch of macabre humor. Fueled by LSD energy, the songs channel Captain Beefheart’s brand of structured chaos and the avant-rock weirdness of mid-’70s Cleveland. Layered with analog synths and strange effects, the record feels like Roxy Music’s Eno era or The Stooges’ Fun House—only buried deep in Oklahoma’s red dirt. While the punk explosion would later bring forth more acts that balanced primal noise with experimentation, Debris’ were already blazing that trail.

Though they were invited to perform at New York’s iconic Max’s Kansas City and CBGB in 1976, Debris’ never made it out of Oklahoma. Their self-titled private-press LP—sometimes called Static Disposal after the label printed on its original cover—has since become a cult collector’s item and even earned a mention on the legendary Nurse With Wound list.

TRACK LISTING

• One Way Spit
• Female Tracks
• Witness
• Tricia
• Boy Friend
• Leisurely Waiting
• New Smooth Lunch
• Manhattan
• Flight Taken
• Tell Me
• Blue Girls