The Night Marchers

The Night Marchers represent a meeting of the minds of some of the more potent figures in West Coast punk. The Night Marchers were founded by guitarist John Reis, aka Speedo, who previously led the bands Rocket from the Crypt, Drive Like Jehu, Pitchfork, the Sultans, and Hot Snakes. By 2007, Reis was without a band and had plenty else to do, dividing his time between running the label Swami Records, building a recording studio, and opening a nightclub in San Diego, CA, called the Pink Elephant. Despite his busy schedule, Reis suddenly found himself overflowing with ideas for songs, and after coming up with 20 new tunes, he decided it was time to put together a new band to play them. For his new project, Reis recruited former Hot Snakes guitarist Gar Wood (nicknamed Dner) and drummer Jason Kourkonis (aka Sinclair), another Hot Snakes alumnus who had also kept time with Bardo Pond, the Delta 72, and Mule. To round out the lineup, they gave the group a dash of international flavor by bringing in Montreal native and CPC G******gs veteran Tommy Kitsos to play bass, and the band was now a quartet. The Night Marchers rolled into the studio in late 2007 and emerged with their debut album, See You in Magic, released collaboratively by Swami and Vagrant Records in April 2008.