Virgin Radio 95.3 Vancouver

James Burdyshaw (aka Brother James) was already a legend in the Seattle music scene by the time the Sinister Six got underway in 1992. He had been involved with the mid-'80s trio 64 Spiders, the late-'80s rock group Catbutt with members of the U-Men and Girl Trouble, as well as the short-lived, early-'90s garage outfit Yummy. Burdyshaw founded the Sinister Six with vocalist Doug White, bassist Mark Ferkingstad, and drummer Erik Hildahl. Together the new quartet found themselves under the influence of various garage band luminaries -- the most mentionable being the Sonics, who'd preceded the Sinister Six by three decades on the Northwest scene. Drawing their name from Spider-Man comics, the band's first release, the single Go Away/Keep My Cool, appeared in October of 1992 on friend Blake Wright's Empty Records label. The imprint was known for championing Northwest punk rock, and their roster included bands such as Dead Moon and Crackerbash. 1600 copies of the debut were printed up and showcased a hard garage rock style intertwined with a handful of blues elements. Burdyshaw had dealt with Wright on prior occasions when Catbutt and Yummy released 7"s on Empty. The Sinister Six followed the effort with another single, titled Pain in My Head/I Can Only Give You Everything, for the Get Hip label in 1993. The group also visited Seattle's Egg Studios, where they recorded their full-length debut album. Famed underground recording engineer Conrad Uno, known for his work with such acts as Mudhoney and the Posies, was involved with the record along with producer Tom Price, who was the veteran guitar player of the U-Men, Kings of Rock, and the Monkeywrench. The Sinister Six had a long-standing relationship with the two gentlemen, especially with Price, with whom Burdyshaw had worked in Catbutt. Empty released the album titled Outta Sight! on September 14, 1993. Independent label Bag of Hammers released a single from the full-length dubbed Out of My Way/Deloused. The following year, the Sinister Six produced their second full-length record for Empty. The album, titled Nobody Rides for Free, was released in May 1994. The recording -- which included material from the Puget Power IV compilation, as well as the track "Keep My Cool" from the Go Away single -- was pressed in the limited quantity of 500. Nobody Rides for Free was followed by a large-scale European tour that summer in order to promote the album. After a brief hiatus during the mid-'90s, the Sinister Six reconvened with a retuned lineup. White and Burdyshaw were still in the band, however Ferkingstad and Hildahl were not. With the help of new bassist Erick Stockinger and new drummer Erik Peterson, the group recorded their third full-length record. Sinisteria! hit stores in the summer of 1997 and remained true to the original intentions of the band's sound, although half of the group's founding members had departed. The revised lineup cut one more single, Unlucky/Status, for the Get Hip label before splitting up a short time later. ~ Stephen Howell, All Music Guide