Ray Daytona & Googoobombos "a wild shot of..." 2000

The band is born in June, 1997, when four lads from Siena province in Tuscany decide to join in to play instrumental garage and surf tunes, revisited with an aggressive and modern attitude…...They take inspiration from Link Wray, The Sonics, The Cramps and those obscure garage bands from anthologies such as Back from the Grave, Nuggets and Pebbles; their aesthetic and cultural imaginary, fed by 50s and 60s B-Movies, brings them to choose nicknames: Ray Daytona on guitar, Madison Wheeler on drums and vocals, Doctor D on rhythm guitar and vocals, Red Razor on bass. Go-go dancers and the “space” sound of the Theremin often accompany their first gigs. In less than one year, thanks to an intense live activity and to four singles published in vinyl by Italian and European labels, the band bursts into the underground musical scene and is recognized by the media. In 1999 they play for the first time at the Festival Beat and soon after they sign for Mad Driver Records from Torino to record their first album.
Published in January 2000, A Wild Shot of… with its title pays homage to Henry Mancini and his soundtracks, while musically is a compendium of the music of the Sixties, from surf to garage punk, and is dedicated to the memory of Screaming Lord Sutch, met by Ray Daytona and Googoobombos a few months before he died. During the recordings Rosie replaces Red Razor on bass guitar.
After a year of gigs around Italy the bands records Space Age Traffic Jam, a new garage-punk release, with a more direct sound, made more solid also by the sound engineer in studio, David Lenci. The cover is an artwork by the American artist Winston Smith, known for his works with Dead Kennedys, Green Day, No Means No and others, with whom the band starts a long cooperation and friendship. Meanwhile the band keeps on playing live, opening for such band as Radio Birdman and Nashville Pussy.trax:

01 Speed Limit 65 02 Gran Prix 03 It's Too Late 04 Jamie Lee 05 Rail-Vette 06 Real Black King 07 Here Come the Cops 08 Motodrome 09 Surf Party 10 Coyote 11 Smell of Zambra 12 Tellin' Lies 13 X-Mas Eve 14 Uncle Creepy Takes a Trip