It is “KoolAid Week” here at the offices of gwrex365 because of a Christmas gift I received from daughters Meghan and Courtney while I was recently in Austin.

Perhaps my favourite all-time band name (and one of my fave bands) is THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE 🇺🇸 🇩🇪.

Their name is a “portmanteau.” That is, it combines two words or phrases into a single word or phrase.

Here, the band name merges the name of an original ROLLING STONE member, BRIAN JONES into the poison KoolAid suicide massacre in Guyana 🇬🇾 at the hands of Jim Jones – the JONESTOWN MASSACRE.

BRIAN JOHES, a founding member of the Stones with JAGGER and RICHARDS was pushed out of the band in 1969 and drowned one month later. I won’t recount the details of the Kool Aid story- other than to say that horror is no synonymous with people irrationally following false prophets and beliefs.

Unlike yesterday’s psych poster children, LSD AND THE SEARCH FOR GOD, this outfit, also from San Francisco, fronted forever by ANTON NEWCOMBE, is prolific.

For 30 years and 20 LPs, BJM has set a standard for psychedelic mastery, and career limiting behaviour with record companies and the like.]

[Ed. Note- Check out the documentary “Dig! for proof of that.]

NEWCOMBE has been the only constant member. The start of their timeline gives you a better pic of that instability-

The girls gave me the Reverberation Society (which is based in Austin) reissue of BJM’s second LP, “ Spacegirl And Other Favorites”.

This is an amazing record with an incredible vinyl design.

Here is “Crushed”-

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xYzDYSpuJ3E&list=RDxYzDYSpuJ3E&start_radio=1&pp=ygUfQnJpYW4gam9uZXN0b3cgbWFzYWFjcmUgY3J1c2hlZKAHAQ%3D%3D

SPOTIFY-

https://open.spotify.com/track/4TABgb13TUQrL7FPSwH7bQ?si=CotaHLJxQcG_g8qwSPKRww

(SONG 1504)

Play Loud (with Feedback please) Or Perish

1/19/2026