Musical Influences Current events/politics, punk rock, Phil Ochs, Dylan, Lennon, Wild Man Fischer, folk, psychedelia, etc.

Artist History Punk band active in Southern California, 1980-1983. Released "Kill the Hostages" on the Putrid label during the Iranian hostage crisis which started during the Carter administration and ended, after 444 days, the day Reagan became president. The 45, b/w "Red Alert," is now a rare collectible. The Traitors then appeared on the pioneering Los Angeles public access music show "New Wave Theater," featuring the late Peter Ivers, and played "Red Alert." A six song ep entitled "No More Heroes or Gods" was released on the Veracious Records label in 1982. "I Hate Sports" featured Don Preston, one of Zappa's Mothers of Invention, on piano, and Sam "Sluggo" Phipps, of Oingo Boingo, on sax solo. The band also played out as the Antinomians and then mutated into The Hundredth Monkey after the release of the "No More Heroes..." ep. The Hundredth Monkey released a 45 (produced by Geza X) and LP (both vinyl) on Veracious Records

Group Members Stephen Stink: Main songwriter, lead vocals / Bad Brad: Guitars and Farfisa on "Hollywood" / J.D. Joel: Guitars / Cash Cobra: Bass, bg vocals, recording co-producer / Tim "Konspiracy" Kummerow: Drums, percussion, recording co-producer / Heavy Metal Mike: Guitars on "I Hate Sports" and "Damaged" / Dino Reed: Saxophone solo on "White Boy Singing Ska," sax on "I Hate Sports" / Brad Frost: Guitars, vocals on "Stairway to Nowhere" / Jim and Rone: Guitars on "White Boy Singing Ska" / Special guest performances by Don Preston (piano) and Sam "Sluggo" Phipps (sax solo) on "I Hate Sports" / "Kill the Hostages" & "Red Alert" produced by Tommy Stark

Instruments Guitars, bass, drums, keyboards, vocals, sound effects, etc.

Press Reviews GRAB A CHEESEBURGER AND READ THESE REVIEWS, FROM "THEN" AND "NOW": (1) "Benedict Arnold and the Traitors new single 'Kill the Hostages' is one of the few independent U.S. releases that makes a total break with American Cheezeburgerpunk, registering a million on the unpatriotic shock scale...This record has got to be the 'RocknRoll High School' of the real world...(a) new classic" -- from Graphic Equalizer, as published in Overthrow, Volume III No. 1 (1980). (2) "AWESOME 'CHEESEBURGER PUNK' in the same wonderful vein as Vom. These guys were around in Southern California in the early-80s, doing a good job of pissing off people with anthems like, 'Kill the Hostages' (in reaction to the Iranian hostage crisis), 'White Boy Singing Ska,' and 'I Hate Sports.' If you listen to the lyrics, these guys are actually much smarter than they come off in their crashing, bashing two minutes songs. Benedict Arnold and the Traitors were just one of the many great Punk bands exploding with anger and energy in the early-80s. Sadly overlooked, terribly underrated. Granted, they're not the best Punk band in the world and are far from the best musicians, but that's exactly what makes them so great. Their passion alone carries them well past many of the big Punk bands of then and now." -- Mark Murrmann writing for Listen.com, May, 2000. (3) "WITH A BAND HISTORY READING LIKE THE BIBLE OF PUNK ROCK, Benedict Arnold and the Traitors is simply the latest incarnation of a group of musicians whose roots go back to the early 80's and the days when New Wave and Punk were still relatively new. Great jamming music with infectious grooves, these pioneers of modern Punk still got it!" -- Jade's Jam (stations.mp3s.com/stations/171/jades_jam.htm. (4) "CREATIVE, TALENTED AND ENTERTAINING left wing political punk. This band uses a variety of styles and sound effects to push their message. Whether you subscribe to their philosophies or not, this is a great CD! Highly reccomended!" -- Neil Smith, 100 PUNKS zine (www.100punks.com). (5)"NOT EVERYONE JUMPED ON THE AYATOLLA-BASHING BANDWAGON in late 1980. Indeed, Benedict Arnold & the Traitors (daringly-named!) positively gloated over America's corporate humiliation at the hands of the mullahs and university students of Tehran. "Kill the Hostages" (rhyming with "make them into sausages") is from their very scarce first. "Damaged" comes from their somewhat more common second, which is punkier and not quite as in-your-face: there's a repackage of all this and more early material available through MP3.com and the Benedict Arnold website." -- Liner notes, Hyped To Death #42: Punk 45s from the West and South: A & B (www.hyped2death.com).

Additional Info Recording Engineers on "No More Heroes or Gods" Henry Blau, Mark Avnet, Tchad Blake, Phil Celia, Andy Neie

Location Monrovia, CA - USA

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