Asylum Street Spankers was an American acoustic blues and roots rock band from Austin, Texas, United States. The band played cover versions of early jazz and comical, often risqué original songs.

In 2006, the band's satirical antiwar video "Stick Magnetic Ribbons on Your SUV" surpassed 1 million views in two months on YouTube.

Lineup changes, studio albums

With the departure of Guy Forsyth in 1997 the Spankers began playing their own songs, most of them in the roots styles the band was familiar with. By 1999 only Marrs and Wammo remained of the original line-up. Also in 1999, Marrs and Wammo founded Spanks-a-Lot Records to release their music.

In 2006, the satirical antiwar video "Stick Magnetic Ribbons on Your SUV" received 1,054,743 views on YouTube. The video was directed by Morgan Higby Night.

The Spankers have covered songs by Prince, Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, Beastie Boys, The B-52's, Black Flag, Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, Harry Nilsson, The Jazz Butcher, The Violent Femmes, George Jones, Nirvana, Nina Simone, Nine Inch Nails, Oingo Boingo, Otis Redding, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, and Johnny Cash.

  • Asylum Street Spankers collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive
  • The Asylum Street Spankers, Sounding Off – interview at All Things Considered on 31 July 2005 (National Public Radio, audio, 8:40 mins)
  • The Asylum Street Spankers: Going Gospel – interview at studio 4A on 7 February 2010 (Weekend Sessions des National Public Radio, audio, 12:08 mins)