Underground Filmmakers and Lies members Sadie Shaw and Sarah Reed join forces with drummer Nikki Sloate to crank out some prime garage rock. The Rawness of the Headcoatees and the power of Joan Jett collide, reverb, and pound into your spine until you're making up dance moves like the crippled monkey and the prop plane crank starter. With support coming from Tim Green and John Reis, your know there's nothing watered down or fluffed up about it. The cover of "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" is practically a declaration of war! (Swami) mw

Alternative Press #183.2 October 2003 The Lowdown new artists, new sounds:

Sounds like> House-rockin' swamp boogie that could've come from one of Crypt Records' legendary Back From The Grave Compilations. Claim to fame> The Husbands' members (oops bad word choice) have also rocked us in the Lies, the Vanishing, No Knife and The Subtractions. Kindred spirits> Demolition Doll Rods, the Gories, the Gossip.

ALTERNATIVE PRESS Nov. review/ out now
THE HUSBANDS / Introducing The Sounds Of. (Swami)

WELCOME TO THE GIRLS GARAGE

With America's ears turned to a new frequency via the garage-rock buzz, the time's ripe for a band like The Husbands to wedge themselves into the mainstream. However, the chances of hearing The Husbands on commercial radioare slim and that's probably just fine for those who stumble upon this bassless trio. Introducing finds The Husbands boasting a few respectably interpreted covers, including Bo Diddleys "Cadillac", and Carole King's "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?" among their repertoire of buzzsaw guitars and reverb-drowned vocals. They might have arrived a few decades late to the party, but The Husbands are still welcome.

The San Diego Union-Tribune

Last Word Husbands wed to San Diego roots David L. Coddon July 17, 2003:

Got a half-hour to spare? Thats all the time you'll need to check out the debut album from three San Diego expatriates. Sadie Shaw, Sarah Reed, and Nikki Sloate call themselves The Husbands ("there's no great story" behind the name, Shaw says "At the time we started the band, Sarah and I were both married to people we didn't love, but I think that was just a coincidence.") Their first record, on San Diego-based Swami Records, features 14 tracks but races from beginning to end in a breakneck 24 minutes. Besides eight original songs, "Introducing the Sounds of the Husbands" includes six covers, including electrified but faithful versions of the Shirelles' (and Carole King's) "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" and The Drifters "There Goes My Baby." But while vintage soul and r&b is "embedded in our brains," Shaw says from the band's adopted home base of San Francisco, The Husbands draw from rock, punk, and rockabilly as well. Bottom line, they're devoted garage rockers whose "biggest goal is to be a party band." The party went down a couple of weeks ago at Pokez in the East Village, when The Husbands, all of whom are from San Diego, returned to their hometown. For their first full-length recording (yes 24 minutes constitutes full-length), Shaw was reunited with John Reis (Drive Like Jehu, Rocket From The Crypt, Hot Snakes), her former San Diego roommate and a major musical influence. Reis oversaw the recording of "Introducing." "It means a lot to me that we reconnected," says Shaw. "When he recorded us, it was amazing , because he knew exactly what we were going for. I admire his integrity and his loyalty." Reis also has taught her a few things about showmanship, an aspect of the Husbands' act these three women are still honing as they go. They've dressed all in red on stage; they've worn nighties; they've gone Vampire-goth. They're going on their first full length U.S. tour in September, but don't be surprised if the Husbands pass this way again in 2003. "San Diego," Shaw says, "means a lot to us" David L. Coddon: (619) 293-1348; david.coddon@uniontrb.com

Aquarius Records catalog review:

Finally! The debut album from local garage rock trio The Husbands -- a band that just happens to feature AQ's beloved Sadie Shaw on guitar, maracas and backup vocals. In fact it's all girls on this record, though they've got a boy playing added percussion on stage with 'em now. In addition to Sadie's fabulousness there's the authentic, so-appropriate voice of Sarah Reed -- sexily raspy from whiskey and cigarettes, but she still hits the notes, the girl can sing; and then there's the rhythmic pound of drummer Nikki Sloate. This fierce, all-attitude band is really into rockin', with a deep love for and knowledge of their '60s inspirations / source material. Half the songs are well chosen covers that get the rough 'n raw Husbands treatment -- tunes by Half Pint and the Fifths, The Barbarians, Carole King, even a punk-energized version of Bo Diddley's "Cadillac". Definitely a super-fun live band (go see 'em if you get the chance, which you probably will 'cause they're so hard workin') who've managed to capture their energy and attitude on this lil' round disc. V/A Swami Sound System Volume 1 (Swami) cd 5.98 Rock n' roll! Hot Snakes dude John Reis (also of Rocket From The Crypt n' Drive Like Jehu n' Back Off Cupids) runs the Swami label, and with this budget label sampler he's asking you all to tighten your turbans and rock out with him and some of his favorite bands: Beehive And The Barracudas, The Husbands, Hot Snakes, Loincloth, Rocket From The Crypt, The White Apes, Testors, Dan Sartain, The Sultans, Sonny Vincent, and Mannequin Piss. One track from each, all unreleased 'til now. The highlight for us of course would have to be "Orphan Boy", the cut from from our own Sadie's happenin' sixties influenced garage rock combo The Husbands (debut album out soon on Swami)! Meanwhile, Hot Snakes are awesome as always, Dan Sartain is catchy and quirky, and we were really excited to hear the insane instrumental math-metal of Loincloth, the new band formed by ex-members of Breadwinner and Confessor!! (Which also goes to show that there's more to Swami than garage and punk, though there's plenty o' that here too.) Plus, some historical value is added by the Testors, a '77 NYC punk band getting a Swami reissue -- there's also a new track here from their singer that's maybe better than his band's old stuff. And Mannequin Piss have not just a great band name but kick a lot of ass too, ending this comp with some Black Flag styled combustion.

San Francisco Weekly August 13, 2003:

Risen from the ashes of locals No Knife, the Vanishing, and the Lies, S.F.-based trio the Husbands bash it out in the manner of such simpatico outfits as the Gories, the Mooney Suzuki, and the Gore-Gore Girls. Which means you can count on brief, brash, and basic chunks of rock 'n' roll fury, churned out with a minimum of subtlety (and chords). Other perks to look forward to include a heavy reliance on the time-honored pounding/shuffling Bo Diddley beat (the band covers his autoerotic "Cadillac" here) and raspy, near-hoarse vocals declaiming the joys and frustrations of carnality. The all-female Husbands (two guitars and drums -- no bass) come on like a debauched version of the classic '60s tuff-gals the Shangri-Las. However, this band's been transported from the street corner to the garage and occupies itself by lusting after male companionship and the finer things in life with impatience, swagger, and aggression to spare. The trouble with much of this kind of music is its one-dimensionality: After a while, a barrage of pugnacious bravado, grungy, fuzz-drenched guitars, and stiff drumming gets to be a tad numbing. But the Husbands have the potential to rise above that, as indicated by two choice cover tunes here. Tipping their hat to those other, more passive girl groups, the Husbands redo the Shirelles' AM radio staple "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" in a steely, reserved manner that changes the tone from a plea to a demand, yet still retains the yearning quality of the original. The album concludes with a winsomely haunting, slightly ethereal, truly affecting version of the Drifters' "There Goes My Baby," the vocals of which are possessed by a very real pathos. While their lean, mean punk rock MO carries the rest of the album, the ingenuity exhibited on these tracks proves that the Husbands are no one-trick pony. sfweekly.com | originally published: August 13, 2003

Advanced Alternative Media Sept.03 http://www.aampromo.com/husbands.html

Review: Whether you are male or female, chances are that when you turned 14 or 15, you made friends with a girl in school who was completely exciting in a brand new way. This girl hung out mostly with high school kids, smoked cigarettes and went to shows you weren't allowed to see. For those of you who were living vicariously through TV, think Ray-Anne from My So-Called Life. She lived entirely for the moment, and taught you all that you wanted to know; namely that your parents were wrong about everything. But it is also likely that once you got a little older and sorted things out a little better, this girl suddenly vanished. You were never sure if maybe she had a kid, or had to move to a new town with her mom, or just hit the road on her own. I am here to solve the puzzle for you: She started a band. She always talked about wanting to, remember? Her band is called the Husbands, and they sound exactly like they should - raw, lively rock and roll music. They are totally unselfconscious, really fun, and sassy with police officers. At the forefront are the tough-girl songs you expect out of such a band. Swept Aside and Deep in my Heart are each one part rock song, eleven parts attitude, showing no sign of weakness whatsoever. The Husbands also cover some older rock numbers, showing connections to Bo Diddley and Half Pint and the Fifths. But the real heart of the band lies in the female ballads of yesteryear. Their versions of Will you Still Love me Tomorrow, and There Goes my Baby allow the Husbands to show off their more sensitive side without actually having to write songs they don't feel like writing. Hearing their versions is like going to your new friend's house on a Saturday afternoon and learning that she is more attached to her mom's old record collection than she is to the DIY punk bands from town that she swears by. So if you're like me, you kind of need this record. It will bring you back to that time when you were just getting ready to step out of yourself, and were lucky enough to cross paths with the coolest best friend in the world, even if it didn't last all that long.

San Francisco Bay Guardian: The Litter Box- Power on By John O'Neill 7/2/03 http://www.sfbg.com/37/40/x_litterbox.html

... On the other side of the spectrum but no less spectacular is the Husbands' first release, Introducing the Sounds Of (Swami), an album that's even more amazing if you know how far the band Ð which includes filmmaker extraordinaires Sadie Shaw and Sarah Reed, who've both done time in the fab Lies and Bonnot Gang Ð have come in their year or so together. I recall the Husbands coming out of the gate strong and sucking relatively hard for the first handful of gigs, though I could hear the potential for more; like maybe someday being able to start and stop songs together at the same time. Cut to last week, when a certain arrogant, dismissive "critic" popped his copy of Introducing into the disc player only to have it reach right out of the speaker and slap him in his know-nothing puss. With 14 songs clocking in at a hair over 24 minutes, the Husbands have created a raw, primitive, simplistic, and utterly fantastic album that crunches together Bo Diddley, Pebbles, Volumes I, II, and V, the Ronettes, the Pleasure Seekers, and two-string guitar solos to form a heaping slab of unmitigated rock and roll. Amid all the hoopla about the rediscovery of lo-fi rock and roll done the "old-fashioned way," here's one vote for the Husbands, who have turned out the best (with the possible exception of the latest by the Deadly Snakes) recording so far. Their album is pure, unaffected fun as well as an instant San Francisco classic. Big words for a self-avowed garage homer to spew for sure, but the Husbands have laid out an album that is as first-rate as anything my main men the Mummies or Flakes ever released. I was wrong, they were right. And I remain too cool for school and too dumb for the real world.

All Music Guide Review: MacKenzie Wilson http://www.allmusic.com 8/03

The Husbands share a little love for '60s pop/rock while chalking out a macho rock sound that would make Joan Jett proud on their debut album, Introducing the Sounds Of.... It's safe to say that this first impression is far from pleasant, for Sadie Shaw and Sarah Reed give a little guff with their wild, hungry guitar work. They don't have time nor do they care to be nice. Rock & roll isn't supposed to be particularly kind, and the Husbands are quick on the uptake for this 14-song surf-rock-streaked set. Nikki Sloate is a bruiser on the skins, delivering shrewd two-tone beats on standouts like "Orphan Boy" and "I Got Plans." "Swept Aside" is one of the album's finer swaggering moments; however, what's most impressive about Introducing the Sounds Of... is the lack of pretense. The Husbands are raw rock & roll in the literal sense, and the album survives on that intensity alone. Chicks can cause a little trouble without getting caught, and the Husbands want to make that explicitly clear playfully so. Their rendition of the Barbarians' "Take or Leave It" boasts such confidence. Behind all of that snarl and growl is a soft side, and the ladies' renditions of the Goffin/King classic "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" and Bo Diddley's "Cadillac" are unabashed in having a little fun. They honestly don't need an introduction.

Lollipop Magazine (online) 2/04

The Husbands "Introducing The Sounds Of..." (Swami)

by Craig Regala :

Mix the Cramps "goo goo muck" record with the ’80s indie/garage tradition of a few chords ’n’ a cloud of gal howl and you’ll be a-ok. Fun echoy basics that paint on the same cave wall as their forebearers in Girl Trouble, the early K rec’s aesthetic, and anything Billy Childish was involved with, ever. Meaning: The "punk" has as much pre-’60s black, white, guy, girl schmaltz/soul research as anything the Seeds ever did. Everything’s perfectly placed, sounds great, and if they come here to Columbus, Ahia, I’ll get’m a show with the Patsies. Really, if you have any taste for such things, this is 26 well-spent minutes. Good singer, too. As "retro" as it signifies – well, it’s really not: It’s their choice of tools and recording that keeps it in the garage rather than the studio. Unless your some kinda facist, that’s the right move.

HARP Jan. 2004

THE HUSBANDS

Introducing The Sounds Of

San Diego trio with roots in the Olympia/Kill Rock Stars scene
and produced by Rocket From The Crypt's John Reis, The Husbands
strut and sweat like an estrogen-fueled version of the Yardbirds. From a
brassy, fuzztoned take of Sugar Pie DeSanto's outrageous soul stomper "In The
Basement" and a kind of chipmunks-do- Bow Wow Wow variation upon Bo Diddley's
"Cadillac" to a slew of amped-up raveups guaranteed to make grown men weep
(and wither scathing scorcher "I Got Plans" ain't just good-bad, it's
evil), these gals make 99 percent of today¹s guy-centric rock-is-back combos
seem flaccid by comparison. Take some Runaways-era Joan Jett bluster,
mix in some Gore Gore Girls retro-girlgroup pop Œtude, and puree in a
blender decorated with label-logo stickers from Get Hip, Fall of Rome and In
the Red. Pour over ice shake don¹t stir then guzzle some Husbands. But
pass the keys to a friend, okay? Ain't no staying between the lines
tonight.

ZERO
Jan/Feb 2004

PICK OF THE MONTH

THE HUSBANDS
Introducing The Sounds Of...
Swami

From the endless pool of talent that is associated with Rocket From The Crypt comes this smile inducing, first rate piece of work from San Francisco's The Husbands. Consisting of Sadie Shaw, Sarah Reed and Nikki Sloate (who has since departed the band), They are originally from San Diego, hence the Rocket connection.The Husbands are garage-abilly. All things San Diego come with a slight accent of rockabilly and these three female rockers are no exception; however, just like their hometown friends the Hot Snakes, The Husbands showcase their own exceptional songwriting originality. Not to say there aren't covers -- this album is actually full of them with the standouts being the Shirelles' "Will You Still Love me Tomorrow"
and the Drifters "There Goes My Baby". With the emergence of The Husbands, a "dream tour" consisting of Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes and themselves is now conceivable. The headliner? None other than the masters themselves, Rocket From The
Crypt. The RFTC underground hit factory does it again, chalk up another victory for San Diego.

VILLAGE VOICE
http://www1.villagevoice.com/issues/0350/wood.php
Moon comes up; garage gals turn teenage googoomucks
The Husbands: Introducing the Sounds of the Husbands
Swami
by Mikael Wood

December 10 - 16, 2003

Lots of current neo-garage settles for a trashy intimation of fear: the broken-bottle preening of the Murder City Devils, Jack
White's creepy new mustache, the goddamn Groovie Ghoulies. California's Husbands aren't above this empty kitsch; the cover of their CD features a howling zombie wearing a tuxedo, and last month at the Knitting Factory they stalked the stage in hot-pantsed Elvira gear. (Résumé-wise, the terror tilt computes, since singer-guitarist Sadie Shaw also plays with debauched goths the Vanishing, and she and other singer-guitarist Sarah Reed once made an indie-rock horror film called Charm that didn't star Shannen Doherty.) But the Husbands earn their shtick because they actually sound scary, spiking ur-riffed clang'n'bang with Wicked Witch of the West screech, not to mention prickly one-finger guitar leads you could play if one of your arms was hopped off. Even when they go pretty‹as on a skeletal version of Goffin-King's "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" that challenges the sass of fellow travelers the Gore Gore Girls' "Keep Your Hands Off My Baby"‹they submerge everything in so much Gracey Manor reverb that you're surprised to bump into such a lovely melody. Ambush: That's their thing.

Law Of Inertia (issue 16)
THE HUSBANDS
Introducing The Sounds Of ...(Swami)

The Husbands are a 3-piece doing dirty stripped down, electric blues-informed primal rock. The joke, I suppose, is that The
Husbands are all women. Well, now that that¹s out of the way, this is pretty solid. Covers include a Bo Diddley tack, a Barbarians track, a cover of "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" and a few others. Nice simple stuff, this has less of a surf tone to it than just simple 60s greasy garage vibe. It's just good ole fashioned rock.

The Independent Weekly (Durham, NC)
http://www.indyweek.com/durham/current/bets.html

In foursomes B Y F I N N C O H E N

A four-band bill of garage madness will invade Kings Barcade this week, with The Husbands (pictured right), The Dishes, The Loners and ThePink Slips. The Husbands, three ferocious ladies from San Diego whose new record, Introducing the Husbands (Swami Records), has been a decent favorite on local college stations, make their first trip to the Triangle. Their two snarly guitars and primal drums have garnered comparisons to Detroit garage-punk legends The Gories. Their tourmates from Chicago, The Dishes, have a new record of trashy guitar jams called 3. Raleigh's The Loners are a guitar and drums duo firing off high-octane heartbreak songs; fellow locals The Pink Slips are three more ladies extolling the virtues of three-chord rock songs. 9 p.m. For more info, 831-1005.

Lost At Sea
http://www.lostatsea.net/LAS/

The Husbands
Introducing the Sounds of The Husbands
Swami Records

Slicked back hair, drag races, vanilla malteds and knife fights are the images behind the music of San Francisco’s The Husbands. These three ladies play trashy rock ’n’ roll based on a steady diet of old school rhythm and blues and subterranean Crypt-style garage rock. Sadie Shaw and Sarah Reed (both on guitar and vocals) hail from San Diego originally but moved to the more temperate locales of San Francisco and Olympia, respectively. The two played in a bunch of projects involved with labels like Kill Rock Stars, K and GSL (The Bonnot Gang, On the Take, The Drivers, The Lies and TheVanishing, to name a few). In 2001 they hooked up with Nikki Sloate,formerly of No Knife and The Subtractions, and finally found a permanent drummer to complete this trilogy of rawk goddesses. Their Swami debut goes well with the greaser aesthetic of Mr. John Reis (Rocket From the Crypt, Hot Snakes), who recorded the record. The Husbands cover songs by Bo Diddley ("Cadillac"), Carol King ("Will You Still Love MeTomorrow") and The Barbarians ("Take it or Leave It").
Their guitars are soaked in layers of cheap reverb, not a bass tone to be found, drums pounding away on deadened skins, vocals more often pinched out with a scream than not – The Husbands play their garage rock with real minimalist chic,and are probably not destined to become media darlings as many of their (sort of) fellow musical tastemakers have. "That’s OK because he likes my dirty mouth," grinds out Sarah on "Dirty Mouth." In a minute and a half, The Husbands have said all they
need to say – when they go beyond the two-minute mark, it feels a bit too long. The men that can hang with these women are either puppy dogs or "leaders of the pack" who duly get "ripped to shreds," as evidenced on "We’re the Husbands."They are ut for blood with a couple of guitars and a trap kit, even as they show their 50’s girl group romance on a track like "There goes My Baby." The Husbands aren’t going to lose this game of chicken, so don’t get your shirt caught on the wheel when your fraidy-cat ass jumps out the car.

http://www.tonevendor.com/item/9338
Husbands: Introducing the Husbands LP...(Swami)

THE HUSBANDS' first record is a crude blast of fresh air. This three-piece from San Francisco bases their sound on the DNA of early rock n' roll, R n'B, soul, gospel, and fuses it with a feral contempt for convention. THE HUSBANDS sound might be described as that of a 60's girl, soul group backed by Crime. Violently executed house rockin' punk propelled by
primitive beats and fresh slicing guitar skree. Recorded in San Diego by Swami John Reis of ROCKET FROM THE CRYPT and HOT SNAKES, Introducing The Husbands is simultaneously a good time dance party and a bloody musical
violation. Fans of THE GORIES, WHITE STRIPES, and anyone who cherishes the essential sounds of classic soul delivered at maximum volume and feedback will cherish the music of THE HUSBANDS.

LMNOP review
http://www.babysue.com/LMNOP-Reviews-August-03.html#anchor294078
The Husbands - Introducing the Sounds of The Husbands(CD, Swami, Rock/pop)

If you like bands on the Kill Rock Stars label...there's a good chance you will dig the lo-fi, semi-distorted sound of The Husbands. Sadie Shaw, Sarah Reed, and Nikki Sloate are a trio with attitude. Their rough tunes sound like demonstration tapes for a future album...but the sparse sound is most certainly not a mere coincidence. These girls aren't trying to clean up
their act or make a commercially accessible single. They are playing for that small audience that wants their music raw and
undiluted. The band writes the majority of their own tunes...but they also include covers by BoDiddley and Carole King (?!?). Introducing the Sounds of The Husbands is a strange and sassy little album that showcases three young girls with lots of energy and the skills to transform that energy into some badass underground rock and roll. (Rating: 4+++)

Vice Magazine from 2004
……Sadie and her two bandmates Nikki and Sarah are
about to embark on a full US tour to support their hot
and grimy record Introducing the Sounds of the
Husbands. Do you like the Gories? How about the
Trashwomen? If so, you’ll double-love this record. It
is the soundtrack to the movies John Waters would have
made if he hadn’t veered off into What-the-fuckville
after Serial Mom.

VENUS - Winter 2003

THE HUSBANDS Introducing The Sounds Of... (Swami) Although nearly half of the songs on The Husbands'
debut album are covers, it doesn't take anything away from this raucous and consistent recording. In fact, their own stuff blends so seamlessly with these classics - some obscure and some just, well, classic (Bo Diddley's "Cadillac", Carole King's
"Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow") - that it's difficult to discern what's really theirs.The truth is, however, that it just doesn't matter; you won't care after a couple of listens. Their sound owes a debt to the Back From The Grave compilations, but often does one better than the Cramps and the Blues Explosion (the Husbands also work sans bass), and Thee Headcoatees as well, for sheer pace and hammering pulse. Lead vocalist Sarah Reed first played in the Bonnot Gang and the Lies with guitarist Sadie Shaw. The two San Diegan friends recruited fellow hometowner Nikki Sloate to drum once Shaw finished a stint in the post-goth band the Vanishing, culminating in their current retro-garage union.After the snarling opener "Orphan Boy" (originally by Half Pint and theFifths), they bust inot the break-happy "I Got Plans" while guitars chum deep below the surface. "Deep In My Heart" repeats the great line, "I've got anger deep in my heart, just for you" over a stomping beat.
The cycle certainly races quickly through, with all the songs times between one and two minutes, just right for several imperative play-throughs.

Also see current(2/04) issue of MAGNET magazine for interview www.magnetmagazine.com