Music had its share of rebels and rockin' rumblers in the mid-sixties, but none broke down the bars and stampeded through the urban jungle, instilling fear in the weak and exhilaration in the strong quite like Los Saicos, the short-lived, highly influential garage band from Lima, Peru, who played from 1964-1966. Los Saicos knocked down those walls with the primal urge to play unbridled rock n roll with attitude and vigor. Their music attacked like a feral rabid dog - everyone in Lima was infected. Whereas most Peruvian bands were playing covers of American/English rock n roll groups, Los Saicos stood out from their peers, writing and performing originals no one had ever heard before. In fact, they had very little to no knowledge of the Nuggets-type garage bands performing in the US and UK. In 1965, they scored their first major hit, "Demolició which swept across the country and across South America. The band, comprised of Erwin Flores (lead vocals, guitar), Cér "Papi" Castrillóvocals, bass guitar), Rolando Carpio (lead guitar), and Pancho Guevara (vocals, drums), released a total of six singles before calling it quits a year later. Though Los Saicos remained relatively obscure for the rest of the 20th century, the influential torch they lit forty-five years ago still shines brightly on modern garage-punk bands, and shows no signs of burning out anytime soon. Our friends at Munster recently released a beautiful 6x7" boa set of all the Los Saicos singles (also available on CD), and they gave me the opportunity to interview Los Saicos leader Erwin Flores, who has been living in Washington D.C. since 1971.

When you are a record store in close proximity to the finest Ivy League colleges money can buy, you can't help but pick up a little bit of that nerdy, scholarly vibe. Cambridge, Massachusetts own Weirdo Records is the Ivy League record store for the most adventurous listeners in the region (and beyond), and we're happy to make them this week's Record Store of the Week. We picked the brain of head Weirdo Angela Sawyer, and came out feeling a little bit smarter.