This band breaks the time barrier. They’re so hot they’ll make an android hard. And their music is definitely extragalactic.

Mark S. Allen of Premiere Radio Networks said of Warp 11 “not since KISS has a band had this level of shtick, and an amazing sound backing it up”. He was right.

In 1996 Karl Miller was working for a small video company, editing together promotional footage. Hoping to find just the right music for a little slice of footage he was assembling, he started looking for Star Trek-themed bands. Finding none of any quality, he decided this was a travesty of epic proportions. He pulled up his boots, tore off his uniform’s sleeves, and began writing original punk songs on his bass guitar all about Star Trek.

Warp 11

Soon Miller began styling himself “Captain” and looking around for a crew. He found it in guitarist and Chief Engineer Brian Moore whose fusion of AC/DC-like hooks and old school punk chord crunching fit right in with Miller’s throbbing bass lines. Chief Medical Officer Jeff Hewitt, a long time friend and collaborator of Miller’s, joined up when it was discovered that, in addition to Vulcan physiology, he was an expert at smacking sticks on drums. With the band’s sound filled out, there was only one thing left to do: refine the image.

Chief Science Officer Kiki Stockhammer doesn’t offer the band a tremendous level of musical skill – that’s well taken care of by the other members. Instead she brings to the table a high level of energy, a seductive and raunchy sex appeal, and edgy feminine vocals to counterpoint Miller glam-rock wail and Moore’s more gruff masculine voice.

Warp 11 found immediate acceptance in Sacramento (their home town) on the science fiction convention circuit, as well as in traditional rock venues. Their first album, “Suck My Spock”, was released in a limited pressing and rave reviews. As the name suggests, the album was chock-full of rough sexual metaphors and lewd double-entendres. The raw rock and roll at first shocked traditional Star Trek fans, as they were unused to hearing Kirk and Spock’s names surrounded by words like “cock” and “fuck” and “shit”.

Through tireless work the band made a name for themselves in the Sacramento scene and have been playing shows almost non-stop. A local Sacramento evening magazine show, hosted by Discovery Channel pseudo-celebrity Mike Rowe, did a feature on Warp 11 after the release of their second album, “Red Alert”. That, combined with the college radio success of their first single off the album “Everything I Do I Do With William Shatner”, launched the band to a new high in their careers. In 2006, ten years after Miller first got the idea to make a Star Trek punk band, “Everything I Do I Do With William Shatner” was played in front of the man himself as part of the opening montage of the Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner.

After hooking up with Reboot Music, a small but devoted Sacramento record label, the band was able to release two more albums – “Boldly Go Down On Me” and “It’s Dead Jim” – and re-release their previous albums. They also went back into the studio to re-record the first record as a new release called “Suck My Spock Some More”. Now the old recordings are no longer available on CD, making physical versions of “Suck My Spock” perhaps the only punk collectible that is also a Star Trek collectible.

In 2007 Jeff Hewitt either suffered one injury or multiple injuries (there is no official statement on the matter, only an aside made by Miller at a September 2007 show) that made him no longer able to perform with Warp 11. Initially drummer John “Number One” Merlino was only a temporary replacement, but after it was clear Jeff Hewitt was not returning Merlino became a permanent member.

Now the band is promoting their new album, “I Don’t Want To Go To Heaven As Long As They Have Vulcans In Hell”, (which TruePunk reviewed here) and their new sound, with drummer Merlino, is much more mature than their previous releases. Combining influences as diverse as Metallica, the Pogues, and the Ramones, they have developed a sound all their own that is instantly identifiable.

Already the band has lasted over a decade, and they show no signs of slowing down. They’ve reached radio waves across the country, and downloads of their songs are tracked to nations around the world. With Star Trek now introduced to a whole new generation via J.J. Abram’s revitalization, Warp 11 doesn’t appear to be going anywhere soon.