HEALERS is a post-punk band based in Oakland California. The band began in Olympia Washington in 2012 as the basement recording project of illustrator Neko Wortham. Using a modified thrift store organ, a guitar and a simple drum machine Wortham formed the project as a means to tour alone in order to escape the winter in Olympia. A little over a month after starting Healers Wortham toured with all his belonging to Austin, Texas to wait out the winter. After a short stint in Austin he grew disillusioned with it’s high rents and low wages and returned home to the bay area.
The project quickly grew into a full band and is now comprised of organist, singer & guitarist Neko Wortham, bassist and singer Gloria Iness, and drummer Mikey Medows. Healers have shared the stage with east bay punk legends Blatz, toured parts of Mexico with Oakland’s own Ötzi. They have often been compared to the early work of new wave trail blazers New Order and 70s synth punks Screamers while managing to bring a familiar yet unique approach to the post-punk tradition.
Reviews:
"Wrapped up in black artwork of flowers and a snake, distorted synth à la The Screamers with mismatched vocal harmonies, simple disco beats, and floor tom-heavy drums make it sound familiar in a decade-spanning kind of way, but still distinctly of the current punk scene. Songs are short and smart. No surprise this band started in Olympia and moved to Oakland; the sound is totally reflective of that gritty-yet-poetic feel both cities have come to be associated with. Highly recommend."
–Candace Hansen, Razorcake
"Healers have been charming the SF Bay Area since 2012. It doesn't fit into any particular box. The sound blends fuzzed-out trebly synth, rumbly bass melodies, and heavy but precise post-punk beats. Every time, the songs crack open my goddamn heart with just the right combinations of punk grit, melody, dancey momentum, and vulnerability. I wouldn't complain if they just kept doing the same thing forever. This band pierces the hard shell of self-consciousnesses off all the secretly-squishy punks who look like they know how to look, and know how to sound like they are holding it all together. HEALERS remind us that it's OK to be in pain. This new set of six songs takes the same sound to a slightly more complex place without disturbing the balance of toughness and emotion. The band's bassist, Milla, sings more on this recording than previous releases which is exciting and adds a lot to the mix. Can't recommend this enough."
-Heather Blotto, Maximum Rock n' Roll Magazine
