Tijuana Bibles

Deriving their moniker from explicit comics that originally surfaced in the 1930s, the Tijuana Bibles came together in Toronto in 1997 to supply the soundtrack for local Super-8 filmmaker Stacey Case’s project, Arriba! The Parkdale Wrestler. By 1999 the group had moved into live venues, inventing stage personas behind Mexican wrestling masks to protect their real identities. The masked lineup featured the Crippler on vocals and guitar, Blue Demon on bass and vocals, la Felina Negra on saxophone, Sonny-Boy Liston on guitar, and Buddy Lee Roth on drums and vocals. Their sound blended garage rock, punk, and surf into a wild, frequently humorous style. After twelve months of nonstop self-promotion and a string of club dates that included shared bills with the Sadies, Deadbolt, and El Vez, the Tijuana Bibles issued their first independent CD, Apartment Wrestling, in 2000.