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.

Released in September of 2025, their Darkphased EP has been getting solid spins across 50 radio stations throughout the U.S., including Live 105 (SF), KEXP (Seattle), and 91X (San Diego). 2026 started off with three shows at Sundance Film Festival and a run of dates in Portland and Seattle fueled by their new Sci-Fi Radio single. Next up, another single, Shallow Shores, on June 12 and a full album, Synthetic Signals on July 31st.

Arise. Release. Be Free.