Archive for Jesus Lizard

Meet Stunt Drummer, Jesus Lizard Superfans Who Are Bringing the Noise-Rock in Portland

Posted in Interviews, Videos with tags , on 07/28/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Portland, Oregon’s Stunt Drummer didn’t have one for the longest time – an inside joke that the band eventually decided should be its moniker. They eventually found one to play on their 2023 self-titled debut – only for the band to swap drummers again for their recently released second album, Warm Up, Tiger.

Join The Bad Penny as we talk with guitarist/vocalist Marty Buckenmeyer and bassist Ethan Schee about the challenges of getting a band off the ground, our mutual love for the Jesus Lizard and why Stunt Drummer decided to record live in a small room with minimal overdubs.

Continue reading

On Tyranny: Remembering Frank Kozik, Album Art Illustrator and Antagonist of Authoritarianism

Posted in Features, In Memorium, On Tyranny, On Tyranny with tags , , , , , , , , , , on 07/25/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

A little over three years ago, unparalleled album art illustrator Frank Kozik – best known for being embraced by the stoner-rock community – or, as The New York Times gently worded it, “graphic artist best known for his posters for alternative rock bands.” While The Bad Penny was not in a position at the time to celebrate his and grieve his passing, now feels as good time as any to do so.

To be clear, Kozik’s widow, Sharon Kozik, is in control of his social media accounts. While she hasn’t posted copiously, she did publish the following in January:

“Frank would often tell me stories about what it was like growing up in Spain under Franco’s fascist dictatorship. He moved to America when he was 15 to escape it. Much of his artwork deals with the themes of rebelling against fascism, mocking it. He fully embraced our right of freedom of expression and open political discourse. Regardless of your political beliefs we must keep America free from government tyranny and police snatching people off the street, from their homes, schools.”

Continue reading

Exclusive: Duane Denison Partners in His New Band D2 Archipelago Says LP, More Gigs Likely

Posted in Exclusives, Interviews with tags , , , , , , , , on 07/24/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

After The Bad Penny loyal unexpectedly made our recent piece, “Jesus Lizard Guitarist Duane Denison Ignites ‘Challenging’ New Jazz Trio With Ex-Silver Jews, Lambchop Members,” the most popular post on the site this month, we decided to roll up our sleeves, start scratching our head even though it serves absolutely no purpose, dig deeper into the trio. And the truth. Because we roll that way sometimes.

And wouldntyknowit, we found out some more info on the recently birthed project that is D2 Archipelago, by touching base with drummer Brian Kotzur, formerly of Silver Jews. We chatted him up about everything under the sun, really.

Continue reading

Jesus Lizard Screamer David Yow’s Acting Demo Reel Is Pure Gold

Posted in Favorite Films, Features, Videos with tags , , , , , , on 05/03/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

David Yow’s penchant for physical prowess is not only evident in his four decades as noise-rock’s ultimate madman; the Jesus Lizard frontman also taps into his mesmerizing contortions and transformations as an actor. Fans of Yow and his bands – which have also included Scratch Acid, Qui and Flipper – may be aware of his various forays in film, but only a select few have seen this wacky demo reel he used to clinch acting roles.

A short list of movies on Yow’s resumé include 2017’s I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore with Elijah Wood; 2023’s The Toxic Avenger with Peter Dinklage; 2018’s Under the Silver Lake with Andrew Garfield; and the 2015 cult-favorite horror anthology Southbound.

Continue reading

Bad Penny Bests: Top 10 Best (And Worst) Clubs

Posted in Comedy, Lists with tags , , , , , , , , , on 07/05/2025 by Kurt Orzeck
Deaf Club

You people can’t seem to read a full article these days unless it’s a Top 10 list. So The Bad Penny is going to jump on the bandwagon from time to time and see if ours are as riveting as “Top 10 Substitutes for Mayonnaise,” “Top 10 Best Bob Seger Songs,” “Top 10 Ways to Sneeze Politely in Public,” etc.

Here’s our inaugural one. We think. We’re too lazy busy to comb through our labyrinthian archives to see if we’ve posted an edition during the sordid history of this website.

Continue reading

Jesus Lizard Interview and Exclusive News: The Naked Truth, Pt. 1

Posted in Interviews with tags , on 05/17/2024 by Kurt Orzeck

What’s up next for the gang of not-quite-yet-geriatrics? In addition to one-off festival appearances, are David Yow and company creating their special brew of music: classic-rock, spray-painted with a punk-rock sensibility? Our probe begins with this article originally published via New Noise.