Cletus Romp has been whistling past the graveyard since late '04. Originally, these miscreants played music as an excuse to drink beer during the week and not look like lushes. During one of these binges the decision was made to venture out. Despite over-zealous law enforcement and numerous restraining orders, Cletus can still be found committing their own brand of killbilly rock.
from left to right:
Derek Stinson,
Tim Golliher,
Mike Templeton
Adam Brokamp, Mark Karapondo
more photos can be found on or myspace and fadebook pages.
The Roots Rock outfit sputters and roars like an ancient rope-start chainsaw; no chain guard, spitting oil smoke and gas fumes and flinging out jagged chips as it mows through its cordwood influences. The raw proof is all over Cletus Romp’s debut release, the raucous six-song The Broke Tooth EP, from the Hillbilly Rock stomp of “Goliath’s House” to the menacing Country Blues prowl of “No Angels” to the twang twisted Gospel Punk of the irresistible “Jet Ski With Jesus.” Sounding like a darkly gleeful triangulation of John Doe, Drive-By Truckers and The Georgia Satellites, Cletus Romp is roadhouse hoedown mayhem at its very best. ....
Cletus Romp has had the songs to sucker punch an audience for a couple of years but this new configuration of the band makes their essential and powerful storytelling a visceral force on stage and on record. Derek Stinson writes a narrative in every song as vital and brutal as a kick to the teeth. ....
