The Crooked Stuff is a San Francisco Bay Area trio — Tom Gorton (vocals), John Robin Varn (keys/synths), and Nick DeRyss (drums). Born at the intersection of heavy electronics and raw punk energy, their sound has evolved into something harder, darker, and more uncompromising: psychedelic discopunk built from analog grit and digital precision.
Their September 2025 EP Darkphased marks a full sonic shift — synthetic and abrasive, urgently rhythmic, and lyrically unflinching. It landed across 47 stations in 21 markets within weeks of release with no label support: driven entirely by the music, a six-week college radio campaign, and a single boosted IG post that triggered inbound bookings from Chop Suey (Seattle) and a growing list of promoters across the US.
They have shared stages with Tank & the Bangas, Fishbone, Monophonics, Dumpstaphunk, The Nth Power, and Lyrics Born. They played three shows at Sundance Film Festival in January 2026.
"Existential Discopunk for The People… from San Francisco!"
— No One Ever Mag| WPRK | Orlando, FL · 25–47 spins/wk | Heavy |
| KTCU | Dallas–Ft. Worth · Mkt #5 · 4.58M | #21 NACC |
| KTSW | Austin, TX · 20–37 spins/wk | #20 NACC |
| KRSC | Tulsa, OK · NACC NEXT | #16 NACC |
| KRNU | Lincoln, NE | #11 NACC |
| KITS Live 105 | San Francisco · Mkt #4 · 6.01M | Specialty |
| XTRA 91X | San Diego · Mkt #17 · 2.49M | Specialty |
| KEXP | Seattle · DJ Kelly Stoltz | Spun |
| WKDU | Philadelphia · Mkt #6 · 4.29M | Light |
| WRSU / WUSB | New York Metro · Mkt #1 · 15.34M | Added |
| WXAV | Chicago · Mkt #3 · 7.61M | Added |
| Ferndale Radio | Detroit · Mkt #10 · 3.86M | Light |
"Futuristic but not too industrial — squeaky clean beats with grit. Like an untouched Jet Set Radio level. Lost to time but rediscovered."
WPRK Music Director · Orlando, FL · Heavy Rotation"Found my new favorite band."
@happylazerfriends · Instagram comment