Band with a plan: The Creepy Crawlers play first Dayton show

The Creepy Crawlers celebrate the release of a new live DVD with a performance at Cosmic Joe’s Atomic Lounge in Dayton on Friday. This bill with DOS, Bat Thorn, Nervous Aggression and Trash Knight is the first Gem City show for the horror punk band, which formed in Dayton in late 2022.

“We’ve yet to play a hometown show,” said Rev. Chad Wells. “We played our first show at a rental hall in Troy and since then, we’ve done a few things in Cincy. We’re ready to play one at home, downtown. We’ve purposely avoided the beaten path and though we love all the classic Dayton venues, we don’t want to present what we’re doing in those places where we’ve played so many times in the past. I’d like to blaze some new trails.”

The Creepy Crawlers are led by Wells (vocals, guitar), formerly of punk outfit the Jackalopes and more recently psychedelic rockers Cricketbows. The band features daughter P.J. Wells (bass) alongside Gory Cory (guitar), Danny Grim (drums) and longtime Cricketbows member Scarika Watson (co-lead vocals).

The group released the seven-song EP, “Live In Hell,” in March via HorrorShock Records. The material was recorded during a December 2023 appearance on “The Super Satan Show,” an interview and performance program in Cincinnati hosted by a devil puppet.

“It’s really awesome to get to release this live set on CD and download,” P.J. Wells said. “It was a fun show to perform on and the sound was so great that we had to share it.” The collection features four songs from the Creepy Crawlers’ 2023 debut EP, “Attack!,” and two from the 2023 EP, “Full Moon Rituals.” Another cut, “Destroyer 666,” is an old Jackalopes song written by Wells more than 20 years ago. Together the seven unrelenting songs add up to a potent brew showcasing the group’s high energy live show.

Watch the music video for “Crawl” by the Creepy Crawlers:

youtube.com/watch?v=caZeMXjeU30

The DVD, available from HorrorShock Records on Friday, captures the band’s March 23 performance opening for Electric Frankenstein at HorrorHound Weekend in Sharonville.

“HorrorHound is probably the biggest or second biggest horror movie convention,” Watson said. “We went from barely ever playing live to playing in front of 1,000 people at HorrorHound, and there were celebrities in attendance. Lars Frederiksen from Rancid was there and liked us so much he shared all our CDs on his Instagram with the caption ‘Great Band Alert!!!’

“This is no magical accident,” Watson said. “We’ve been working our butts off with a very specific plan to get where we’re going and it’s all coming together.”

Contact this contributing writer at 937-287-6139 or donthrasher100@gmail.com.

How to go

Who: The Creepy Crawlers with DOS, Bat Thorn, Nervous Aggression and Trash Knight

Where: Cosmic Joe’s Atomic Lounge, 121 N. Ludlow St., Dayton

When: 8 p.m. Friday

Cost: $10 at the door

More info: 937-949-7139

Artist info: thecreepycrawlers.bandcamp.com

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About the Author

Don Thrasher

Don Thrasher, a native of Gadsden, Alabama, has been a weekly contributor for the Dayton Daily News since 2003. He covers national and international music, performance and art. Don is a versatile writer, who has interviewed ballet dancers, professional athletes, authors, comedians, filmmakers, rodeo clowns and other disparate figures.