The Music of NoCo: the Mad Titans

If there’s one secret about North County that I wish more people knew, it’s that this area is absolutely brimming with artists and musicians. Far from being a “cultural wasteland,” as a city hipster friend once called it, NoCo is actually a goldmine of characters and creative types, most of whom live here because it’s laid back and cheap.

A lot of these folks are lone wolves, just doing their thing in private. But every once in a while, somebody from our little neck of the woods makes a name for themselves. That’s the case with the Mad Titans, an eclectic band from the Ferguson area that has carved out a unique niche in the St. Louis music scene with its heart-pumping, retro-inspired instrumental surf rock.

Tim LaBeaume (left) on bass and Justin Pfeifer on guitar

Of course, surf music may seem like an odd fit for the Midwest. What’s even odder is that the Mad Titans are actually the second instrumental surf band to come out of Ferguson in the past decade.

Band members Tim LaBeaume, Justin Pfeifer and Gregory Taylor, all NoCo natives, spent the late 90s and early 2000s listening to the Honkeys, Ferguson’s original surf rock band headed up by guitar maestro Jeff Thomas. Now living in Chicago and playing in the fabulously raucous “circus punk marching band” Mucca Pazza (returning to St. Louis on May 22!), Thomas inspired many local musicians with his innovative style, but none more so than the fine lads of the Mad Titans.

“When Jeff moved to Chicago, it just seemed reasonable to try and fill his shoes,” Pfeifer, 27, says. “We loved the music, and nobody else was playing it, so we thought what the heck.”

“Actually, we can’t sing and we hate to write lyrics, so instrumental seemed perfect for us,” LaBeaume, 31, adds.

That was in 2005. Since then, the Titans have played at clubs all over town and built a steady following, despite all three members working “real” jobs outside of music. In January, they performed at Harrah’s Voodoo Lounge. On March 25, they played a live show on KDHX. And coming up on April 10, they’re hosting their first official CD release party.

Gregory Taylor on drums

Consisting of 16 original tracks spanning 45 minutes, the CD – Journey to Earth – is a collaborative effort featuring a few songs written by bass player LaBeaume and even more composed by guitarist Pfeifer. “Justin likes to keep his songs secret until he’s done,” teases Taylor, 32, a married father of two who joined the Titans as drummer two years ago. “Usually he finishes and then presents the song to the band, then we sort of make suggestions and work out the kinks and let it flow from there.”

“What’s great is that we have a lot of influences outside of surf music, so it makes our sound pretty versatile,” Pfeifer says. “We all bring a wide range of styles to the table.”

“Really, we like everything from Primus to Calexico,” Taylor adds. Other favorites include the Huntington Cads, Man or Astroman?, Satan’s Pilgrims and Los Straitjackets – a mixed bag of bands that reflect the Titans’ varied musical backgrounds.

Growing up in Florissant, LaBeaume started playing piano in first grade then switched to guitar in high school. Pfeifer, originally hailing from my own neighborhood of Old Ferguson West, was a longtime cellist until he too learned guitar. In his Ferguson basement, where the group practices every Sunday, a vintage organ and a rarely played accordion also share the space with the “regular” instruments, in a room lined with DIY sound-proofing cleverly made from packing materials discarded at Pfeifer’s job. “My attempt at appeasing the neighbors,” he says with a grin.

So the band lives in NoCo, practices in NoCo and first learned to play music here, but do they ever perform locally? Unfortunately, no.

“There are very few venues in North County for original music,” Taylor laments. “Unless you want to do four hours of cover songs, it’s hard to find a place to play.”

“We would love to play around here. We did actually play one show at Just Bill’s in Overland,” LaBeaume says. “But really, there’s just no consistent venue up here that supports original bands.”

As a result, when the Mad Titans hold their CD release party on April 10, performing along with Abstract Artemis, Stellar Remnants and the Alabama surf band Daikaiju, it’ll be at the Way Out Club in South City.  Anybody up for a field trip?

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