One of many early Los Angeles punk-new wave bands who didn't record too much, Twisted Roots' impact was almost exclusively local. Playing their first show at the Whisky a Go Go in August 1981 and breaking up in January 1982 (though keyboardist Paul Roessler tried to keep the group going for a while with other musicians), their output was limited to a three-song 7" and a song on the Posh Boy compilation Rodney on the ROQ, Vol. 2. They've generated some retrospective interest, though, by virtue of including several musicians who were in more famous bands, particularly guitarist Pat Smear (formerly of the Germs, and much later on, in Nirvana and the Foo Fighters), bassist Kira Roessler (later in Black Flag), and Kira's brother Paul (formerly in the Screamers). The band's material was a rather zany, haphazard mix of hardcore punk, moderately catchy new wave-pop, and a snide, satirical sense of humor. All four of the songs they released while they were together, along with eight other tracks not issued at the time, were compiled for the archival album release Twisted Roots. ~ Richie Unterberger