Los Straitjackets

Los Straitjackets
Los Straitjackets performing in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2005.
Background information
Also known as	The Straitjackets
Origin	Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Genres	Instrumental rock, surf rock, garage rock, rock and roll
Years active	1988, 1994–present
Labels	Upstart, Spinout, Cavalcade, Yep Roc, LoveCat, Rounder
Associated acts	Raybeats, Planet Rockers, Martian Denny Orchestra, The Halibuts, The Hi-Risers
Website	www.straitjackets.com
Members	Danny Amis Eddie Angel Pete Curry Chris Sprague Greg Townson
Past members	Jimmy Lester Scott Esbeck Jason "Teen Beat" Smay

Los Straitjackets is an American instrumental rock band that formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 1988. Originally comprising guitarists Danny Amis (formerly of the Raybeats), Eddie Angel and drummer L. J. "Jimmy" Lester under the name The Straitjackets, the band split up soon after forming, but reunited as Los Straitjackets in 1994 with the addition of bassist E. Scott Esbeck. Esbeck left the band in 1998 and was replaced by Pete Curry. The current lineup also features Greg Townson on guitar and Chris Sprague on drums.

The band has released thirteen studio albums, four collaboration albums and three live albums.

Eddie Angel was a noted rockabilly guitarist, who moved to Nashville in the early 1980s to record and perform with the Planet Rockers. Danny Amis recorded and performed with the Raybeats, then worked as a sound engineer in Nashville. The two formed The Straitjackets in 1988 with Jimmy Lester, a Nashville session player who had worked and toured with Robert Gordon. They played several gigs during the summer of that year, but soon broke up.

In 1994, they reformed as Los Straitjackets, adding bass player Scott Esbeck. Their first album, The Utterly Fantastic and Totally Unbelievable Sound of Los Straitjackets, was released the following year on Upstart Records. In the post-Pulp Fiction surf revival, the group began attracting a following, though their music is not entirely surf-oriented.

Over the next few years, the band developed a cult following through its tight instrumentation and stage shows. In its live performances, band members dress in identical black suits, gold Aztec medallions, and personalized Mexican wrestling masks. Amis (aka "Daddy-O Grande") is the only member who speaks, introducing songs in fast, heavily accented Spanish.

In 1998, Esbeck left the band during the recording of The Velvet Touch of Los Straitjackets and was replaced by Pete Curry, formerly of the Halibuts, a 1980s surf-revival group. In 2005, Lester left and was replaced by Jason "Teen Beat" Smay. They've become known as frequent collaborators, recording Sing Along With Los Straitjackets with a number of different artists. They were nominated for a Grammy Award for their collaboration with blues singer Eddy Clearwater, Rock 'N' Roll City.