Psychostick

Although the formation of Psychostick took place as the new millennium dawned, the story of this out of control, satirical and riff heavy metal act began a bit earlier, in the wilds of Odessa, Texas a short time earlier. Psychostick co-founder Joshua "Joshy" Key was originally part of an outfit dubbed Asinine, but that group's existence was cut short by the vocalists' departure from Texas to the drier climes of Arizona. With friend Rob "Rawrb" Kersey in tow, Joshua set about forming a new band, this time featuring the Asinine vocalist on guitars, and pushing Rawrb up into the frontman slot. The group was joined — eventually — by bassist Hunter Alexander and drummer Alex "Shmalex" Preiss, and the quartet recorded their first demo, entitled Don't Bitch, It's Free, in September of 2000. The following year, on Valentine's Day to be exact, Psychostick played their first show, and roughly six months later were releasing their second demo, Die... A Lot! The group ended their busiest year yet on a down note, as they lost the services of bassist Hunter Alexander, who would be replaced by Mike Kocian soon after. A flurry of shows big and small followed, and by 2003, Psychostick was ready to hit the streets with their debut album, that May's We Couldn't Think of A Title. Although momentum was ideally in their favor, the craziness had to take a back seat to more responsible activities, as bassist Mike went off to finish college. The band played the occasional show, and even took on a fifth member (guitarist Vince Johansen), and by 2005, Mike was finished with school, and Psychostick made a triumphant full-time return. A nationwide tour followed in 2006, which was also marked by the departure of guitarist Johansen (he was replaced by Jake "Jake-r-Meister.") Their popularity increased over time, and in 2007, the band released their second album, The Flesh Eating Roller Skate Holliday Joyride, which managed to break the top twenty on Billboard's holiday charts that year. But that year would also prove to be the end of the line for bassist Mike Kocian, who called it a day.