The Crooked Stuff is a San Francisco Bay Area trio making music at the intersection of post-punk urgency, industrial electronics, and synthesizer-driven groove. Vocalist Tom Gorton, synths/keys architect John Varn, and drummer Nick DeRyss have built a sound that's been cross-pollinated from polar-opposite musical worlds and pushed somewhere genuinely new: synthetic and abrasive, urgently rhythmic, and lyrically unflinching.

Gorton's roots trace to the Washington D.C. hardcore punk and new wave scene that was intertwined with the district's heavy go-go and soul sounds. Varn grew up in the Bay Area music scene, surrounded by and mentored by its legendary psychedelic rock and funk players. The collision of those two worlds, with DeRyss anchoring the rhythm, is at the core of The Crooked Stuff's contorted and creative drive.

Over the past year, The Crooked Stuff released their Darkphased EP and Synthetic Signals album (July 31st). Both releases gained national radio traction across 50+ stations with chart runs on both NACC and SubModern. With the expanded map, the band has been venturing beyond the Bay Area, including shows at the Sundance Film Festival, Portland and Seattle. Fall 2026 into 2027 has a lot in store!

Arise. Release. Be Free.