Evil (band)

{{Short description|American garage rock band}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Evil

| image = Evil (band).jpg

| origin = Miami, Florida, United States

| genre = Garage rock, rock and roll, proto-punk

| years_active = {{start date|1965}}-{{end date|1967}}

| label = Capitol, Living Legend, Norton, Corduroy, Florida Archive Recordings

| associated_acts = The Montells

| past_members = {{Plainlist |

• John Doyle
• Stan Kinchen
• Doug Romanella
• Jeff Allen
• Larry O'Connell
• Al Banyai
• Mike Hughes
• John Dalton}}

}}

Evil was a garage rock band from Miami, Florida, active between late 1965 and early 1967.{{cite book|last1=Markesich|first1=Mike|title=Teen Beat Mayhem|date=2012|publisher=Priceless Info Press|location=Branford, Connecticut|isbn=978-0-9856482-5-1|pages=104, 385|edition=First}} - Pg. 104 mentions information about their place of origin and details of their discography. In the section listing the top 1000 garage rock songs (voted on by a panel of garage rock writers and experts) "I'm Movin' On" is ranked in the top twenty five garage rock songs of all time—at #23 (pg. 385), and achieves the highest position of any previously unissued garage acetate. At the time of the publication of this book, the unissued acetate of "From a Cubstone" had not yet been released, but other sources, as well as comments from band members regard "From a Curbstone" also as one of their finest achievements.{{cite book|last1=Lemlich|first1=Jeffrey M.|title=Savage Lost: Florida Garage Bands of the 60s and Beyond|date=1992|publisher=Distinctive Publishing Corporation|location=Plantation, FL|isbn=0-942963-12-1|page=49|edition=First}}{{cite web|title=EVIL - From A Curbstone / Short Life (Florida Archive Recordings)|url=http://garagepunkinc.blogspot.com/2012/04/evil-from-curbstone-short-life-florida.html|work=Down the Line|accessdate=6 January 2013|date=4 April 2012}} They were known for a hard–driving, sometimes, thrashing 60s punk sound that combined elements of blues, rockabilly, and British invasion influences (particularly the tougher sounding London-based outfits of the time, such as The Yardbirds, The Who, The Pretty Things, and The Small Faces). They recorded several songs, amongst which “Always Runnin' Around” and “Whatcha Gonna Do” were released as a single on Living Legend Records in 1966.{{cite web|title=In Dan's Garage...#25|url=http://theegarage.blogspot.com/2010/03/in-dans-garage25.html|work=Dan's Garage|date=14 March 2010 |accessdate=6 January 2013}}{{cite web|title=EVIL - Whatcha Gonna Do About It|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2k9zryGpTGA|work=YouTube|accessdate=6 January 2013}}{{cite book|last1=Lemlich|first1=Jeffrey M.|title=Savage Lost: Florida Garage Bands of the 60s and Beyond|date=1992|publisher=Distinctive Publishing Corporation|location=Plantation, FL|isbn=0-942963-12-1|page=29|edition=First}} The band would eventually be signed to Capitol Records, but broke up shortly thereafter. In more recent years they have become particularly noted for several previously unreleased songs recorded in 1966, which have been released in recent years on various independent labels from acetates, such as "From a Curbstone," "Short Life," and especially "I'm Movin' On," which is now regarded as a garage classic.{{cite web|title=The Montells/ EVIL- Split LP (Corduroy, CORD 027)|url=http://ghostcapital.blogspot.com/2010/11/montells-evil-split-lp-corduroy-cord.html|work=ghost-capital|accessdate=6 January 2013|date=13 November 2010}}{{cite web |last1=Ryan |first1=Matt |title=An Introduction To Florida Garage Rock |url=http://strangecurrenciesmusic.com/an-introduction-to-florida-garage-rock/ |website=Strange Currencies Music |access-date=August 7, 2022 |date=August 3, 2022}}

The band was formed in 1965 by Stan Kinchen, who would play lead guitar on most of their recordings.60s Punk in south Florida: Evil (interview with John Doyle, former lead singer http://60spunk.m78.com/flpunk.htm {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304193714/http://60spunk.m78.com/flpunk.htm |date=2016-03-04 }} one night that year, after dance, Al Banyai, the band's rhythm guitarist asked John Doyle to join as lead singer. Doyle would come up with the name of the band: "We were looking for something dark and scary. We were all into Edgar Allan Poe, almost named the band that, then Raven, then just EVIL! The story is that we named it after the blues tune..." Later in 1965, Larry O' Connell, on bass, and Doug Romanella, on drums, would be added to the lineup. In March 1966, after winning WFUN's annual Dade County Youth Fair Battle Of The Bands, the band were awarded a chance to make several recordings in a one-day marathon session at the Dukoff recording studio in Miami, where they cut several demos and acetates. Amongst the self-penned songs recorded, there were "I'm Movin' On," "From a Curbstone," "Short Life," and Always Runnin' Around.

Later that year Al Banyai, Larry O'Connell, and Doug Romanella departed and were replaced by John Dalton (rhythm guitar), Mike Hughes (bass), and Jeff Allen (drums). Their new drummer, Jeff Allen, joined after the breakup of his former group, another Miami band, The Montells. He would occasionally travel to England, where he was able to go to clubs and witness, firsthand, many of the latest British bands playing live and would then bring his observations back home to share with fellow band members. Near the end of 1966, they would record again in Miami, this time at Criteria Studios, with their version of the Small Faces' "Whacha Gonna Do." “Always Runnin' Around” and “Whatcha Gonna Do” were released as a single on Living Legend Records in late 1966. By the end of the year they signed to Capitol Records, who re-released the same single on their own label, with the band's name mistakenly printed as "The Evil." However, shortly afterward, in 1967, the band broke up.

In 2010, Jeff Allen, second drummer for Evil (and earlier with the Montells) died."Jeff Allen of the Montells & Evil." The Limestone Lounge http://limestonelounge.yuku.com/topic/2585G45 Central http://www.g45central.com/oldforum/viewtopic.php?t=2010&sid=e489e4e9fc09ba49701af5b22470364a On February 14, 2014, former lead singer, John Doyle, passed.Lemlich, Jeff. "JOHN DOYLE of the Miami Band Evil--We'll always Remember You" Savage Lost (website) http://savagelost.com/john-doyle-of-the-miami-band-evil-well-always-remember