Hailing from the same area in Western Massachusetts that birthed genre-defining indie rock groups like Dinosaur Jr. and Sebadoh, The Malarians were an eclectic throwback band that combined punk and garage rock with a heavy oldies influence, resulting in an unpredictable sound that was hard to describe but easy to get into, especially live. Their first album, In the Cool Room, appeared in the late '80s and was followed by the Know EP (recorded by Sean Slade at Boston's Fort Apache) and Finished in This Town, a live effort with a different lineup, recorded in Springfield at a club called The Zone. Influenced by acts like The Mummies, The Kinks, The Cramps, and The Zombies, they also covered songs by obscure acts like Nobody's Children and schmaltz superstar Tom Jones. Frontman Mal Thursday is something of a garage rock historian and recently reissued all of The Malarians' old work on his label Chunk Archives.