Mind Spiders Are:

Mark Ryan

Mike Throneberry

Stephen Svacina

Gregory Rutherford

Daniel Fried

Mind Spiders-- whose self-titled debut was conceived almost entirely by frontman Mark Ryan during downtime from his gig in the Denton, Tex., outfit Marked Men-- don't present themselves as a particularly careful or calculating act. Playing fast and loose, Mind Spiders exist in a universe where the Flaming Sideburns never crumbled under the weight of garage rock revival excitement, where pulse-quickening legends Jay Reatard and (fellow Dirtnap Records alums) the Exploding Hearts never met their tragic ends. The songs on Mind Spiders are energetic but not in-your-face, fun but not goofy, sharp but not stifled, wild but not boorish. In essence, it's a rock record that pulls no punches, and it's all the more endearing because of it. Mind Spiders define their sound right out of the gate, sporting tightly-wound, zoetropic riffs that sound blasted from sand-filled amps. There's also a touch of B-movie fetishism thrown in-- sci-fi sound effects are not just fillers; they carry melodies, with mummy-movie organs and squiggly ray-gun feedback contributing some Plan 9 camp. Add a little glammy pomp and a healthy amount of the Ramones' bop, and you've got a ripping collection of songs.

They have recently played Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin,  won best punk band at the Dallas Observer Music Awards, and have already been selected as an official showcase band for SXSW 2012.  They have a new record, Meltdown, to be released on February 20th, 2012. 

The Marked Men was formed in Denton, Texas by members of the Reds. Following two releases on Rip Off Records, Reds bassist Chris Pulliam moved to Japan and the remaining members, Jeff Burke, Mark Throneberry and Mike Ryan, formed the Marked Men with bassist Joe Ayoub. The band has since released music through Mortville, Rip Off, Dirtnap and most recently signed with John Reis' label Swami Records.