Got Cthulhu?

This band does.

Termed a 'Cthulhu-Punk' band they're basically a bunch of dorks who started a band to sing songs about the elder gods and other sanity-warping creations of one H.P. Lovecraft.

Still with me? Then it shouldn't surprise you that they also mix in some Star Wars.

Based out of Vancouver and headed by the one, the only, Toren Atkinson, this band has been releasing albums for over 20 years now - albeit very slowly. My first encounter with them was the CD pictured above while I was living in Sechelt. I proceeded to follow them with a great deal of interest and, once I moved to Vancouver, caught one of their live shows at the Starfish Room downtown. It was epic. I had a blast. My inner nerd had found his kin.

The Thickets consisted, and still consist, of:

• Toren Atkinson - Vocals
• Merrick Atkinson - Guitar
• Warren Banks - Bass
• Jordan Pratt - Drums

Jordan, for the record, isn't a geek and sometimes feels very lonely and alone as he's surrounded by the band and their fans.

The band's albums consist of screaming homages to gods long dead, things better not seen and the occasional tirade about algebra done without the use of Base-10. My personal favourite song of theirs is 'Colour Me Green' with the chorus "Green is the colour of my god!" Their early work smacks of a familial garage, but the production value for their works got much better as they continued and is now, and has been for some years, professional quality. Here are some highlights from their discography:

• The Shadow Out of Tim (CD) (2007)
• Cthulhu Strikes Back Special Edition (CD) (2003)
• Spaceship Zero: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (CD) (2001)
• Great Old Ones (1996)
• Cthulhu Strikes Back (CD) (1996)

Long story short, I ended up making friends with Toren. We co-founded the Vancouver Gaming Guild together, ran conventions and the gaming scene in Vancouver together for several years and collaborated on writing the award-winning Spaceship Zero RPG. I still caught the Thickets in concert every chance I got and picked up any new albums they released - like the Spaceship Zero original motion picture soundtrack.

The Spaceship Zero album and RPG actually kickstarted a fair chunk of interest and success. Toren and crew even managed to film a music video for the song "20 Minutes of Oxygen" with the acclaimed director Mike Jackson. My partner at the time, a seamstress and costumer, helped out by customizing the spacesuit and paraphernelia for Toren's role in the video.

Good grief, do I do anything that isn't dorky? Well, next up is some viking metal so let's find out.

Cheers,
Adrian