Pushin’ Too Hard: The Seeds’ Wild Ride from LA Garages to a Montreal Mafia Showdown
The Seeds emerged as a cornerstone of 1960s Los Angeles garage rock, delivering raw, fuzz-driven protopunk that captured youthful rebellion against polished pop with their self-titled 1966 debut and follow-ups like A Web of Sound and Future. Their innovative no-bass lineup influenced punk pioneers like The Stooges and The Ramones, as well as later indie acts. Today we dig into the story of The Seeds, including a touring adventure at a legendary chaotic Montreal gig where an equipment truck breakdown led to mafia threats, other bands on the bill fleeing, and The Seeds improvising an all-night set alone. This is one wild episode…
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âď¸ Read the transcript & hear the music on the Poetic Wax Substack: https://poeticwax.substack.com
WATCH NEXT:
â The Sonics and the Story of BOOM: https://youtu.be/puXwEotvkDM
â Why David Bowie Still Matters: https://youtu.be/RaHTvrjeIjU
â GETTING KILLED: The Meteoric Rise of Geese https://youtu.be/98d1_YM9uL8
đĽ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLylroYWVYWWXL84MH1T4Qr0wrRzjwlGMR
Poetic Wax is hosted by Andy Fenstermaker.
CHAPTERS:
0:00 The Story of The Seeds
2:27 From Scattered Beginnings to Sonic Unity
8:12 Capturing Garage Rockâs Fury in 1966
12:55 Riding High During The Summer of Love
15.48 Hitting the Road
18:00 The Montreal Mafia Mishap
20:24 What Came Next
CLIPS & REFERENCES:
Interview with Daryl Hooper (Justin Jackley for Psychedelic Baby Magazine): https://www.psychedelicbabymag.com/2020/08/daryl-hooper-of-the-seeds-interview.html
The Seeds: Pushinâ Too Hard (Documentary Trailer) cr Green Neon Planet via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQfUUNDspIk
Richie March: Trouble With My Baby (cr thecountofbasie on YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6g800Y1KDg
The Seeds âCanât Seem to Make You Mineâ Live in Color (cr Colour Hits via YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EnjB99B04k
The Seeds on KBLA Los Angeles (cr Joseph Lewis on YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmZIZhJ9WGU
Smashing Pumpkins âSuperchristâ (Official Music Video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U08DD_VgIk
Sky Saxon in London Documentary with Sterling Roswell (cr Jungle Records) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mylmobI0GVM
SKY SUNLIGHT SAXON of The Seeds interview for Fuzzfest in Portland, OR https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vWsk2XF9_g
The Seeds âMr Farmerâ 2026 (cr Chattered with Rik Collins via YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmhjD_irEI0
Interview with Daryl Hooper of the legendary band The Seeds on Pete Markowicz’s Suburban Rebels (cr Suburban Rebels) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h-KbypO9Zs
#theseeds #skysaxon #pushintoohard #60sgaragerock #garagerock #60smusic #vinylcommunity #vinylrecords #vinylcollection #andyfenstermaker #fensepost #vinylchannel #poeticwax #musicessay #musicstory #albumstory #musichistory #albumhistory #musicdocumentary
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@indiesindie1984
June 5, 2026 at 8:19 pm
I love that Fuzz! đ¸
@youkinder1837
June 5, 2026 at 8:19 pm
I don't like the Seeds. They are okay, they have their own style. That's okay. But they scream too much. Who else than Iggy would like to have Sex next to a Screaming and Stomping Cockadoodle? đ
@inafloorsafe
June 5, 2026 at 8:19 pm
At the 6:48, 11:57 & 21:43 mark, that's me on the drums. If you look really hard, you may find a bootleg CD of our Melodyland show. Carl Belknap (Seeds drummer summer '68)
@brian-pu3yy
June 5, 2026 at 8:19 pm
Big fan of the seeds
..I met sky in sf in mid 90s, he signed my dad's old seeds lps. RiP sky saxon.
@allanvorda4455
June 5, 2026 at 8:19 pm
I interviewed Sky that appeared in my book titled Psychedelic Psounds. Sky suggested that I set up a concert for the Seeds in the Astrodome which he told me would sell out 50,000 tickets.Bizarre request.This was 1990. Sky was fairly lucid where he made sense most of the time. I love the Seeds and Daryl Hooper's organ.
@Caligari...
June 5, 2026 at 8:19 pm
Link Wray was the first to use Distortion through amp .
@justinjackley
June 5, 2026 at 8:19 pm
Cool video! I interviewed Daryl Hooper in 2020 which is quoted in the mafia section! Very nice guy and the last living Seed.
@robertfuller2196
June 5, 2026 at 8:19 pm
20 minutes of talking head video – no Bueno. Less narrator, more subject.
@TheTimeLordM
June 5, 2026 at 8:19 pm
Cool, but a lot of Sky's late works are missing… Especially, "Psychedelic Testament" and "A Poetry Of Love"!!!
@bobgracia3318
June 5, 2026 at 8:19 pm
Excellent content my friend
@GregoryHawkins-d2p
June 5, 2026 at 8:19 pm
Stop calling people by their last names. Call them by their first names.
@VibravoidOfficial
June 5, 2026 at 8:19 pm
no mention of "A Poetry Of Love" or "Psychedelic Testament" (which collect Sky´s last and best solo recordings)?
@kevinszprygada7390
June 5, 2026 at 8:19 pm
Same notes over and over in every "song." Give me the Chocolate Watchband anyday.
@louislepage5111
June 5, 2026 at 8:19 pm
Were did the New Barbarians come from ? Or was it just the Barbarians ? Please don't criticize me , I'm a little bit rusty on my Garage Bands .đ
@Claytone-Records
June 5, 2026 at 8:19 pm
Plookinâ too hard, plookinâ too hard, youâre plookinâ too hard on meee! Zappa – Joeâs Garage
@TRASHBOUTIQUE-ow8gw
June 5, 2026 at 8:19 pm
Great Video.. I Met Sky when they played the UK Brighton in the early 2000s He was a lovely guy and it was one of the best Gigs I've Experienced 'Great sound totally trippy and hypnotic; That Farfisa and fuzz echoing around the rafters …Totally Far out! at one point the audience invaded the stage and it turned into Sky Saxon love fest 'like some scene from Oliver Stones Doors movie or Psychout Amazing! I think Sky was a little overwhelmed by the affection for him in the room that night.. Great show! Great Band.
@jeffxpmdisc
June 5, 2026 at 8:19 pm
Mr. Farmer, let me harvest your crops…
@lamper2
June 5, 2026 at 8:19 pm
Is this guy Conan's son?
@chuckdee66
June 5, 2026 at 8:19 pm
That was real good! You really worked hard!
@AXEHAMMER53
June 5, 2026 at 8:19 pm
When pushing to hard came out on the Radio here in LA the Seeds played out front of the Record Castle Record Store in Granada Hills CA on the bed of a simi truck trailer in the parking lot as a stage sky was playing Bass Guitar then for me it was like seeing the Beatles I was just a little kid they were Great !
@torpedoz7768
June 5, 2026 at 8:19 pm
Sick to see video essays on the seeds! Its cool to see and hear more about them
@Iimmydog
June 5, 2026 at 8:19 pm
Any tube amp on 10 makes distortion. Keep your razor in your shoe.
@lablaine1981
June 5, 2026 at 8:19 pm
Blues Magoos,shadows of night,seeds,Love,1965
@russelltuckett5254
June 5, 2026 at 8:19 pm
If they were guys that I never even heard them.And I had a band back then.I never even heard these guys.I heard a strokes.I heard of the The dad kennedy's I haven't heard of russell in the molesters , but I never heard these guysđđ
@davybones7111
June 5, 2026 at 8:19 pm
I love the seeds found them in the 90s I had to reissue but years later add a flea market I found all originals of all the albums except for seedy blues.
@redwatch.
June 5, 2026 at 8:19 pm
Nice doc. Does anyone remember their appearance on The Mothers-in-law TV show?
@Thefabsench
June 5, 2026 at 8:19 pm
I remember watching psych out 1968 and thereâs this one part the seeds just show up and sing two finger pointing on you, honestly such a vibe and the movie is for sure a trip.
Love the video!!! Great work âď¸đ
@johnmitchelljr
June 5, 2026 at 8:19 pm
Thank you, well done. Great photos. Now how do I see Pushinâ Too Hard?
Comments are closed.