The Streetwalkin' Cheetahs

Taking their moniker from the Iggy & the Stooges classic "Search and Destroy," the Streetwalkin' Cheetahs fuse vintage hard rock with old-school punk in a high-volume assault marked by relentless swagger. The Los Angeles outfit came together in 1995 and was spotted by garage-rock authority Greg Shaw, who put out their first EP, Heart Full of Napalm, the following year on Alive Records. The group soon shared bills with heroes such as Deniz Tek of Radio Birdman, Wayne Kramer from the MC5, Jimmy Zero of the Dead Boys, Sylvain Sylvain from the New York Dolls, and Cherie Currie of the Runaways. After the 2006 live album Resurrection, the band dissolved, only to reactivate in 2014 and deliver the studio set One More Drink in 2021, followed by an expanded version on Rum Bar Records two years later.

The original 2006 lineup—Frank Meyer handling vocals and guitar, Art Jackson on guitar, Dino Everett on bass, and Mike Knutson on drums—built a reputation on the L.A. club scene with loud, energetic performances rooted in proto-punk acts like the Stooges, the MC5, and the New York Dolls. Shaw, founder of the Bomp! fanzine and its affiliated labels, signed them to Alive and oversaw their recording debut with the seven-track Heart Full of Napalm, whose title also nodded to "Search and Destroy." That EP contained a cover of the MC5's "Rocket Reducer No. 62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa)" featuring guest guitar from Wayne Kramer. Their first full-length, Overdrive, appeared in 1997, the same year they issued a single of Radio Birdman songs "Do the Pop" and "More Fun" that included Deniz Tek on guitar. In 1998 they collaborated with Cherie Currie on a version of the Runaways' "Cherry Bomb," backed by two live Cheetahs tracks, and closed out the year with a holiday split single alongside the Bell Rays that featured both the original "I Wanna Die for Xmas" and a cover of Fear's "F*** Xmas."

A November 1998 KXLU-FM broadcast was released by Triple X Records in 1999 as Live on KXLU, with early pressings adding a bonus EP containing two Wayne Kramer-produced cuts and one track with Angelo Moore of Fishbone on saxophone. That same year the band joined the Bell Rays again for the split Punk, Rock & Soul. Regular touring ensued, including support slots for Queens of the Stone Age, the Reverend Horton Heat, Turbonegro, and the White Stripes. The 2001 studio album Waiting for the Death of My Generation introduced new rhythm-section members Jeff Watson on bass and Mike Sessa on drums. Additional road work paired them with the New Bomb Turks, the Supersuckers, D.O.A., and Fear, while Triple X and Munster issued the rarities collection Guitars, Guns & Gold later that year. Greetings from Gainesville, another studio effort featuring Johnny Ramirez on bass and Eric Herrmann on drums, surfaced in 2003; Alive also put out Maximum Overdrive, an expanded reissue of Overdrive with extra tracks. The 2004 compilation The Red Tape Diaries gathered material from splits and out-of-print anthologies. A post-hiatus tour yielded the 2006 live album Resurrection before the group entered another extended break.

The Streetwalkin' Cheetahs resumed activity in 2014 with a lineup of Frank Meyer, Dino Everett, Mike Sessa, Bruce Duff on guitar, and Geoff Yeaton on saxophone, marking the return with the single "Fuck the Future … I Want Now!" b/w "Escape from New York City." After steady live appearances, they issued the studio album One More Drink in 2021, which included contributions from Rikk Agnew of the Adolescents and Paul Roessler of the Screamers. Rum Bar Records released a 2023 alternate edition with new artwork and three bonus tracks, while All the Covers (And More) arrived the same year as a two-disc set containing 38 reinterpretations of other artists' songs.