The Sermon

Formed in San Francisco during 2000, the Sermon assembled its roster from seasoned players drawn from multiple garage punk groups. Mike Gabriel, serving as singer and theremin player, had earlier performed with Pittsburgh, PA outfit the Mount McKinleys, while drummer Rob Alper previously appeared alongside the Fells; still more past and present Sermon members also logged time in the Dukes of Hamburg and the Revelers. The group’s high-energy maximum R&B rave-up reached listeners for the first time via the 2004 album Volume, issued on Alternative Tentacles.