The Lost Souls emerged out of a fertile Long Beach/Orange County music scene in the 1980s, an amalgam of punk, metal, and blues made sophisticated by touches of jazz and art-rock. The origin of the band traces back to the early 80s, where vocalist/part-time drummer/vibes magician Mike Malone and guitarist Scott Atchison met at Saddleback College in Orange County, forming a strong musical relationship. Later, they began performing, in various lineups, as the Lost Souls, and began their stint as a local cult phenomenon. The "Muddy Waters meets Motorhead" description used in an ad or two for the band is apt, describing a band that was at once loud, aggressive, sensitive, and deep. Mike Malone's own description of the band -- "We were always too punk for the metalheads, too metal for the punks and too bluesy for both of 'em" -- puts a finger directly on the pulse of the genius of the band. As simple as those musical building blocks seem, in combination they formed a bold and unique sound. And authentic. All of this glorious sound was produced by a biker band of the first order. No band captures the biker ethos (biker ethos?) better, up to and including Steppenwolf (with whom the Lost Souls once played).

The sum total of the band's even remotely available output is limited to one self-produced and -promoted effort, "Howlin' at the Moon." The classic Lost Souls lineup (Malone, Atchison, guitarist Chris Hardaway, bassist Wade Wilkinson, and drummer Roger Beall) in place, the band's time had come to deliver on their tremendous talent. The album is a ten song collection, running the gamut from frenetic punk-metal ("Ridin' The 3rd Rail") to progressive blues-fusion with a bite ("Deathmask") to traditional blues ("Gone And Away"). Arguably the high-water mark of the punk-metal movement, the album captures the band at its apex, as the band rode a wave that would carry them through a successful Canadian tour and establish them regionally as a significant musical force.

In the great tradition of the Beatles, CSN&Y, and Cream, the Lost Souls were a band formed of and shaped by internal strife. Like the greatest efforts of Yes, Aerosmith, and Weather Report, the friction in the band created a sound that was on edge, with the band members driving each other to excellence. This turmoil proved to be a double-edged sword, causing the breakup of the band at the height of its popularity in 1993, leaving a musical vacuum for fans of the band that has not yet been filled.

The experience of hearing the Souls on CD (or tape, or vinyl) is truly an amazing one. Strangely, the Lost Souls best-known contribution to musical history is that the first Sublime record, 40 Oz. to Freedom, was recorded at Mambo, the recording studio where Howlin' at the Moon was recorded (the "Wade" thanked in the credits of the record is, in fact, Wade Wilkinson). As a result, we're left contemplating a band that released one album on their own label and recorded a handful of other songs that have since made the rounds among the truly devout. That having been said, the experience of hearing the band's recorded efforts pales in comparison to a live show...

Sometimes. The Lost Souls are the closest anyone's come in recent years to the Jeff Beck live performance...the most hot-and-cold performing band to emerge in the 80s. At their best, the band won converts by the dozens, having stolen shows from great bands like Blue Oyster Cult and Agent Orange. At their worst, the band would take you to the edge....and drive right on over.