Naked Raygun was a very influential Chicago-based punk band of the 1980s and early 1990s. All incarnations featured Jeff Pezzati on vocals. Members over time include Jim Colao and Eric Spicer on drums, Pierre Kezdy and Camilio Gonzalez on bass, and Santiago Durango. John Haggerty, and Bill Stephans on guitar. Naked Raygun began as a noisy, free-form artist, often trading members with Big Black but later sharpened into a hard pop outfit in a league with the Buzzcocks, Stiff Little Fingers, and The Jam.

The Misfits were known for their sing-along "Whoa-oh-oh" choruses after the 1982 "Walk Among Us" LP -- and although Naked Raygun are often cited as having been influenced by The Misfits in this regard, the reverse is the case.

Haggerty and Kezdy would later join with Larry Damore of the Bhopal Stiffs to form Pegboy. Pezzati fronted The Bomb. A reunion in the late 90s produced the live album Free Shit!.

In 2006 Naked Raygun reunited for Riot Fest, an annual punk rock festival held in Chicago. Following their 2006 reunion, Naked Raygun announced that the band was "back for good." The reunited lineup consists of its "Raygun...Naked Raygun" members: Pezzati, Stephens, Kezdy, and Spicer. In 2009 Naked Raygun returned to the studio for the first time since 1997 for a series of 7-inch singles released on Riot Fest Records and announced plans to record an LP, the first since 1990's Raygun... Naked Raygun.

In 2011, Pete Mittler of The Methadones joined the line-up so that longtime bassist Pierre Kezdy could convalesce from a stroke.

In August 2014, Naked Raygun opened for Bad Religion, The Offspring and Stiff Little Fingers on the last two shows of the Summer Nationals tour at The Rave in Milwaukee and Harrah's Stir Cove in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Naked Raygun (along with Urge Overkill and Cheap Trick) opened for the Foo Fighters at Wrigley Field, Chicago, on August 29, 2015.

Although the band announced plans to release a new album in 2016, no recordings were released until 2021's Over The Overlords.

Pierre Kezdy died of cancer on October 9, 2020.

Official Site: http://www.nakedraygun.org
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