The 6 String Samurai and Time Traveling Rockabilly

If Lady Gaga’s style is any indication, weird is in, and the band 6 String Samurai is weird and proud of it.

But no Gaga meat suits here, just a group of time travelers who call Imperial Beach home.

Lead bass guitarist and singer Frank Winsield, goes by the stage name, The Ronin Inventor. In Japanese Ronin is another way of saying wanderer.

“When a samurai did not have an owner he was called ronin,” he said.

He is known to create astounding devises which he uses in the bands’ performances, which include confetti cannons, T-shirt launchers and even a supernatural contraption he calls the “ghost box” out of which he summons a mystical spirit trapped between a veil that separates this world from the next. 

So how did an 18th century samurai make it to the 21st century shores of Imperial Beach? 

Time travel of course.

The entire band was gathered from different distinct points in time. In 2009 they began to make music together under a samurai’s code of honor to have fun and save the world (in that order).

According to Ronin, this is a momentous time in the history of the world due to the looming threat of time altering forces of evil whose ultimate plan is to bring chaos to the world as we know it.  In order to ward off these evil entities the band battles with harmonic melodies and sounds that possess the power to conquer the command of darkness.

To aid Ronin in this quest there are three other members of the band.  There’s Chris London, otherwise known as The Mystic Gentleman. He’s the magician and drummer of the group who studied magic in medieval times. 

As he walks out on-stage, he carries a suitcase that unfolds into an assembled drum set which is just as easily carried off at the end of a show. 

Next is singer and guitarist Erik Leal, also known as The Barbarian Blade Master. From the prehistoric time when dinosaurs roamed the earth, it is speculated that he was the first to create a musical sound by beating two clam shells together in a rhythm. And finally there's singer and guitarist Andy Welsh, also known as Captain Aurturis from the year 3,033 A.D. 

As the only member of the band from the future, he captains a blimp that soars from airborne city to airborne city over a world below now overrun by man-eating zombies. It’s a a dreaded world that will come to be if they fail in their quest to save our time.

The name 6 String Samurai is a symbolism of how a samurai carries his sword over his shoulder and around to his back, the same way a guitarist does with his instrument before he travels.

“The 6 String Samurai are always wandering,” Winsield said.  “The Mystic Gentleman is always doing new spells and I’m always working on new technology and inventions. The forces of evil will never prevail as long as the 6 String Samurai are on their trail. Hey, that rhymes. I’m going to use that in a song.”

Some of their song titles include, “Post-Apocalyptic Princess,” about falling in love with a zombie girl. The song’s chorus is “She only wants me for my brains.” 

Another is titled, “I’ll Miss You When You’re Dead” and is inspired by the dilemma of what do you say when you like a girl but don’t quite love her yet.

“The song is a tongue in cheek look at the awkwardness in relationships,” Winsield said.

The band’s performances can be described as something right out of the mind of H.G. Wells. In giant goggles and Victorian couture, the look of the band on-stage is a cross between steam technology and science fiction; basically the emerging “Steampunk” revolution at its finest. 

Their sound could be equated to the Rockabilly genre of artists like the Stray Cats, Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley. 

They say they actually draw most of their inspiration from the San Diego band The Smart Brothers and their folky Americana sound. So far, they have performed at local venues like the , events and local street fairs. 

Projects in the works include a web-based series inspired by the band. Although they gig at local venues, they also enjoy performing small shows or family events.

“We just love to make people laugh and have a good time,” Winsield said. “Time really does travel, when you’re having fun.”