Photo via Hozac Records
The Laundry Bats
The Laundry Bats
The birth of the Laundry Bats began down in New Orleans after Abe White began collaborating with the late great, garage punk legend Louis Paul Bankston. But after Bankston, better known as King Louie, passed away in 2022, the Laundry Bats became a reality once White returned home to Memphis and enlisted a couple of Obilivans in the group.
In fact, it was Greg (Obilivan) Cartwright who encouraged White, who has played in bands like the Manatees and True Sons of Thunder, to keep going after hearing White play the songs during an online performance organized by the Memphis-based record label and store Goner Records.
“One day I was sitting around,” White says, “and Greg called me and he was like, ‘Man, I heard ‘Church of Bad’ and other songs you did, and they were great.’ We started kind of talking, and he kind of felt that he wanted to work together on something, and so I was like, yeah, that sounds cool.”
It’s Getting Dark
The Laundry Bats, who make their Milwaukee debut on Sunday night at the Cactus Club, released their first album, Hangin’ on a String on Hozac Records last fall. The relentless nine-song LP boasts a lot of great grimy punk songs, recalling bands like the Angry Samoans and Weirdos, and featuring White’s tough sing-talk delivery. Highlights include the aforementioned “Church of Bad,” “Bizness” (“Your limousine is waiting”) and the raging “Nightmare.” Hangin’ On a String has received strong reviews and has been popular on WMSE locally.
On the album, White and Cartwright were joined by Jack “Oblivian” Yarber on drums (who went by the name “Yardbird” for Hangin’), and Alicija Trout (Lost Sounds, River City Tanlines) and Alex Greene (Reigning Sound, Big Ass Truck) also contributed. They have recorded more material for an upcoming EP on Black & Wyatt and a 7-inch on Slovenly.
White says he and Yarber have been working a lot together on new songs that retain some of the same insane energy as the album, but a couple of them they were recorded in each other’s homes rather than in a studio like Hangin’ on a String, which was done at the famed Easley McCain Recording.
“We’re still working on stuff,” White says, “just trying to put out as much material as possible.”
A Slightly Different Live Lineup
Cartwright, who lives in Asheville, N.C, will not be part of the group when the Laundry Bats come to town. In addition to White, the band will include Yarber on drums and Jeremy Scott on bass. Scott, who played with Cartwright in the Reigning Sound, just visited Milwaukee a few weeks ago at Sabbatic with his band, the Drip Edges.
The Laundry Bats are also performing in Green Bay on Saturday as part of the three-day Green Bay UFO Invasion Fest. Jeff Meier from the Detroit Cobras will be on guitar for the Green Bay show.
“Green Bay is supposed to be a pretty good show,” he says. “The Didjits are playing after us or something like that, and I just want to get back out there bad. I want to get to touring as much as possible, because I really like to tour and play shows and meet cool people.”
This will not be White’s first visit to Milwaukee. He’s played here most recently with Tyler Keith at Circle A and with his bands the Manatees and the Oscars, who were on a bill with the Catholic Boys, White says.
“It was a venue that was kind of like a compound or something weird,” he says. “It was a fun and wild night, but I’ve always liked Milwaukee.”
The Laundry Bats play at 7 p.m. Sunday, July 26 at the Cactus Club, 2496 S Wentworth Ave. Spidora, York Work, and Lavish Waste are also on the bill.
