Although proficiency at your instrument was frowned upon by many punk rockers since the genre's initial surge in the late '70s, several artists were exceptions to the rule -- especially Dead Kennedys guitarist East Bay Ray (real name: Ray Peperrell). In addition to penning some of the most recognizable and instantly memorable guitar riffs to emerge from the initial West Coast punk movement, Ray incorporated other styles into his playing, until he had hatched a truly original guitar style. Whereas most punk guitarists of the time were one-dimensional, Ray effortlessly rolled off surf rock riffs and other styles (including '60s spy movies and Ennio Morricone-esque spaghetti Western scores), in addition to creating spacey sounds courtesy of an Echoplex effects box. During 1978, Ray placed an ad in a San Francisco music paper looking for other musicians, which eventually led to the formation of the Dead Kennedys. With singer Jello Biafra, bassist Klaus Flouride, second guitarist 6025, and drummer Ted on board, the group specialized in scalding-yet-witty political/social commentary, as evidenced by such early classics as "Kill the Poor," "Let's Lynch the Landlord," "California Uber Alles," "Holiday in Cambodia," and "Too Drunk to Fuck." After the release of the group's 1980 full-length debut, Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, 6025 left the group, leaving more room for East Bay Ray to experiment with his playing (drummer Ted was replaced by D.H. Peligro around the same time, as well).