The Sun City Girls were a United States experimental rock band formed in Phoenix, Arizona in 1982. The members were Alan Bishop (bass guitar, vocals), his brother Richard Bishop (guitar, piano), and the late Charles Gocher (drums). Their name was inspired by Sun City, Arizona, an Arizona retirement community. They found little mainstream success, but they continue to inspire a devoted cult following and have recorded numerous critically acclaimed albums, released in small editions by labels like Placebo, Majora, Eclipse Records, Amarillo Records, and their own Abduction imprint. Critic Steve Leggett writes, «Throughout its history SCG has remained a challenging, unpredictable, and eclectic musical unit, operating outside the commercially driven aspirations of the mainstream recording industry, and the group has become somewhat of a beacon to independent musicians and artists everywhere.»[1] Writing in the Village Voice, Ted Hendrickson argues, «They’ve never made any sense, conventionally speaking, and that’s what makes them fun.»[2] Originating from the Arizona punk rock scene which included Meat Puppets, JFA and the The Feederz, Sun City Girls quickly began to incorporate lengthy improvisations, beat poetry, surf music, jazz, tape music, and elements of South Asian, South American, Middle Eastern and African musics. SCG performances were often wildly unpredictable, sometimes verging on performance art, with elaborate costumes, kabuki-inspired makeup, and the creation of a festive, ritualistic atmospshere with audience participation. The group’s interest in mysticism, paranormal topics (especially UFOs), religious cults and other esoterica is often manifested in their song titles, lyrics and album art.
