Artist description "Basically punk music saved my ass," Shirley admits. "It gave me an alternative identity to the tortured and unacceptable one I'd sewn raggedly together." Shirley's lyrics often tell dark stories and when you read his stories and books, you hear music: organic, balls-out rock, threads of exotic otherworldy sounds, and desperate urban electric blues. As William Gibson wrote, "Sometimes reading Shirley, I can hear the guitars, like there's some monstrous subliminal wall-o'-sound chewing at the edges of the text." Shirley often employs music metaphorically in his writing, as well, and occasionally it's integral to it as in Eclipse-- where the memorable character Rickenharp embodies the spirit of a rock -- or as in his short story, "Flaming Telepaths," that reveals that the Devil hates rock'n' roll and that God loves it.

Music Style Unique, post-punk, neopsychedelic, semi-industrial, definitely listenable music with words veering into prose and the poetic.

Musical Influences Iggy Pop, The Tubes, David Byrne, Devo, Ministry, Mink DeVille and Frank Zappa

Artist History Music is as much a part of John Shirley's creative compulsion as his prose.He fronted punk bands like SadoNation and Obsession, still performs and records whenever possible, and writes lyrics for for Blue Öyster Cult, D. C. Moon and Red Giant, other bands, as well as for himself.

Group Members John records songs, stories, and rants with John Karr (who did the music) on guitar and keyboards, Mike Derry playing bass and complaining a lot, various people and some machines handling the percussion.

Press Reviews ON RED STAR: Buck Dharma, Blue Öyster Cult: John Shirley's knuckleball vocal delivery and images of hip, horror and humor work hand in fist with John Karr's compelling guitar-meets-techno sonic stew to create grooves that you catch like a cold. These tunes grow on you like fingernails. They're relentless, and they scratch that itch! Note4Note Magazine: John Shirley is clearly inspired by Iggy, but a lot of good rock artists have been. The Moderns don't play -- they brood. That is, this isn't good time music, but brooding, unsettling, thought-provoking, punk-derived rock 'n' roll. Not that Red Star suffers from a lack of humor -- the album is, after all, "dedicated to the memory of FZ," and if that isn't Frank Zappa then I'm not short of cash. But tracks like "200,000 Homeless Children," "Hope There's a Hell" and "Mountain of Skullz" go for the dark side. "See You in Black," which has been performed by Blue Öyster Cult...is another good song. The Panther Moderns, in mood, style and content, seem much more in synch with the tenor of the times in which we live than a good 95 per cent of the bands out there. Red Star is a work that deserves to be heard. Black Sheets Magazine: Red Star works influences from classic bands like The Stooges and MC5 together with a tech-heavy, industrial sound. The guitar work by John Karr reminds me of Voidoids-era Robert Quine, but Karr has his own unique edge. Red Star mixes heavy thythms and restless melodic exoprimentation, blending it all together into an acerbic cocktail of noise. (RECOMMENDED) Paul Di Filippo, Asimov's: John Shirley's latest album with The Panther Moderns, Red Star, gallops with arsenical brio through vast landscapes of sound like a posse consisting of The Tubes and David Byrne, Devo and Ministry, Mink DeVille and Frank Zappa. Saddle up now!

Location Pinole, California - USA

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