Photo from The Wirms
‘Wirms 2017: Make America Squirm Again’ released on cassette.

A new band, The Wirms, is a guitar and drums duo whose members have adopted the monikers Skeezer Wirm and Teezer Wirm.

Skeezer plays guitar and does vocals. Teezer plays drums.

Asked why the anonymity, Skeezer replied: “To create a band that doesn’t focus on individuals beyond the band. It makes the band the center of attention.”

“We just released our first album called ‘Wirms 2017: Make America Squirm Again.’ Kerchow Records, which is operated by Siloam Springs native Nick Dollezal in California, put it out.

Hear their music at https:// kerchowrecords.bandcamp.com/album/wirms-2017-make-america-squirm-again.

After enjoying the same on their bandcamp.com page, The Free Weekly caught up to the guys via email and asked them some serious, in-depth questions.

How’d the two of you decide to start the band?

Skeezer: I saw Teezer playing [drums by himself] at Backspace one night. I thought it was great. I didn’t have any friends in Fayetteville at the time who played music so I told him he was good at guitar for a 19-year-old. He told me he was 31. Then I asked him to play drums for me.

Teezer: I thought Skeezer was really weird and kind of creepy. I saw him at the Kum and Go the next day and tried to avoid him, but he asked me to be in his band again anyway. Then late one night we ran into each other at Backspace. Skeezer said he had some beer in his car. I had nothing better to do, so I said OK. We sat in the parking lot and drank PBR while we listened to Eddy Current Suppression Ring and American Death Ray. After that we were fast friends.

The Wirms. That’s unique. Tell us about it.

Skeezer: We wanted to use a bug name like The Beatles. They made lots of money and stadiums full of girls screamed when they played. Actual worms make some girls scream, too, and all they have to do is roll around on the ground. We’re still figuring out how to find a middle ground between playing our instruments and writhing around on whatever surface we find ourselves on.

Teezer: They eat dirt and don’t have any eyes. We have one “i.” It’s in the middle of our name. We googled all the variations of wo/u/y/irms out there and “i” was the only one left. That is also why we eat dirt.

Can you tell us more about Kerchow Records and why you released the album on cassette? And how did you guys decide on recording in Memphis at Rocket Science Audio?

Skeezer: Nick Dolezal is a Siloam Springs ex-pat living in Chino Hills, Calif. He started putting out cassette tapes with his label Kerchow Records around 2011. I’ve been promising to do something with him for the better part of a decade. And I finally done did it. He did the cover art for “Make America Squirm Again” as well as other releases on Kerchow. He is a top-notch illustrator, for sure.

Teezer: Memphis holds a special place in our collective heart. That night in the parking lot, we discovered that we both have special feelies for The Oblivians. Skeezer used to live in Memphis and had heard really good things about our recording engineer, Alyssa Moore. While we were in the studio she asked us what records we really loved the sounds of so she could get an idea of how to mix the album. I said Choke Chains’ new album and Skeezer said Reigning Sound’s “Live at Goner” album. Alyssa laughed and said, “Really? I worked on both of those.”

Skeezer: Nick and Alyssa really knocked it out of the park. We get more compliments about the packing and sound quality than we do the songs themselves.

How long have each of you been playing, and tell us how you both got started.

Skeezer: I tried to buy a CD by the underappreciated Seattle-based hair metal band Flame when I was 11 years old. My uncle said I couldn’t buy crap like that and made me get a Mudhoney’s “Superfuzz Bigmuff ” instead. My mom was gracious enough to pay for guitar lessons when I was in middle school and junior high. My high school band, Dolly, played these weird Christian coffee houses, since they were the only place under-age bands could perform. I moved to Memphis in 2010 and started playing bars with my friends in Faux Killas who are still active down there.

Teezer: I wasted all the college money my grandma gave me on a drum set.

The title “Make America Squirm Again” and the artwork: Sounds like it might be a political statement.

Skeezer: Only in so far as these are squirm worthy times.

Teezer: These are squirmy times.

The track Cold Coffee is 38 seconds long. How much coffee was consumed to produce those 38 seconds, and was it hot coffee or cold coffee?

Skeezer: I can’t drink coffee before I play. It gives me cramps.

Teezer: I think we each had about six beers though.

Where are The Wirms going to be playing where TFW’s loyal readers can hear them?

June 17 at Nomads Music Lounge for Artists in Action, Time TBA

June 19 at Backspace, 9 p.m.

July 1 at Backspace, 9 p.m.