Old Time Hardcore X Straight Edge

Scream was a hardcore punk rock band from Washington, D.C. active from 1981 to 1990.

Biography

Scream was formed in Northern Virginia in 1981 by singer Peter Stahl, his brother Franz Stahl on guitar, bassist Skeeter Thompson and drummer Kent Stax. They are considered one of the benchmark bands in the history of the Washington, D.C. hardcore music movement. Along with bands such as Minor Threat and Government Issue, Scream ultimately merged the attributes of the movement, which were blinding speed, heavy political and social connotations in the lyrics, unpretentiousness of attitude, and shunning of commercialism. Their music is faithful to the roots of rock, but spun itself into other genres by employing sounds that predate the raunchiness of grunge, while saluting reggae and speed metal. Scream hated the classification of bands into certain types and considered what they played as simply 'music.' Recording their music in the basement of the now legendary Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, VA, Scream became the first band on the Dischord label to release a whole album, Still Screaming, as opposed to singles or 12 inch EPs. Like the world-renowned hardcore band Bad Brains, they could play clearly at breakneck speed, but also played mid-tempo songs like "American Justice" and "Hygiene," which were metal-tinged reggae.

For their second album, Scream added a second guitarist to their line-up, Robert Lee "Harley" Davidson (a veteran of the local heavy metal band Tyrant), to thicken the overtracks and dubs from Franz in their live performances. In turn this led to more complex guitar tracking, a more powerful live sound, and a crunchier recording sound for their third album. For a few compilation efforts and some live shows they added a keyboard player, the local keyboard wizard Bobby Madden, who for years was a colleague of Davidson's from the same metal scene.

After the 3rd album Banging the Drum, Kent Stax left the band for personal reasons and he was replaced by local drummer Dave Grohl, who then played on Scream's 4th album No More Censorship. Scream recorded their 5th and final studio album Fumble (which was released a few years later on Dischord Records) and then called it quits in late 1990. Pete and Franz gave rock a major-label shot with the band Wool, while Grohl joined Nirvana and helped make catchy punk the sound of the '90s. In 1997, Franz Stahl briefly joined Dave Grohl's post-Nirvana group, the commercially successful Foo Fighters. Thompson continued working in bands, as did Stax with such skinhead-tinged bands the Suspects, United 121, and the Spitfires United. Stax also committed himself to a family life. Davidson continued in other bands such as Angelstorm (in Huntsville Alabama) from 1993-1995 and creating new bands, including Orangahead, Festival of Fools with Madden in 1998 and two different versions of God Is Dead (1 in D.C. and 1 in Huntsville Al) from 2002 - 2005. Read More..

Uniform Choice is an Orange County, California hardcore punk band fronted by Pat Dubar. Screaming For Change is their most acclaimed album. They also recorded another less well received LP called Staring Into The Sun and their demo has been bootlegged several times. Pat Dubar was a graduate of Pepperdine University and created the label Wishingwell Records, which released albums by Uniform Choice, Blast!, and Youth of Today, among others. Uniform Choice is historically among the first five Straight Edge Hardcore bands to emerge from Southern California.

Members

• David Mello
• Pat Dubar
• Victor Maynez
• Pat Dyson
• Patrick Longrie

Discography

• Uniform Choice demo (1984)
  • reissued in 1990
• Screaming For Change (Wishingwell Records, 1986)
• Region of Ice (1988)
• Staring Into The Sun (1988)

The Cro-Mags were a hardcore band from New York City. The band, which had a strong cult following, released many records, their first two considered the most influential. They were among the first bands to fuse hardcore punk with thrash metal and were associated with the birth of a tougher attitude within the hardcore scene in the late 1980s. They were also one of the first hardcore punk bands associated with the Hare Krishna movement.

They first released a demo with songs that would eventually find themselves on their debut album The Age Of Quarrel (1986). The bass player Harley Flanagan and singer John Joseph were not the best of friends and eventually Joseph would part ways with the band leaving Harley to sing on the following Cro-Mags release. After The Age of Quarrel, the band released the record Best Wishes (1989). The record had a more heavy metal-influenced sound which alienated many of their fans. The band released another record Alpha Omega (1992), that saw the return of Joseph, and the departure of guitarist and songwriter Parris Mitchell Mayhew, a record that was only embraced by the most devoted of their fanbase, and followed by Near Death Experience (1993). After suffering from many lineup changes and frequent breakups, the group finally disbanded, seemingly for the last time, after this record. However, in 2000 they released a record that would almost make up for their past two releases. With Revenge the Cro-Mags came back to their early hardcore roots with songs that were comparable to their first release plus some songs with a more melodic/punk rock feel. After the release of Revenge the band broke up once again, and the internal hostility amongst band members (mainly between Mayhew and Flanagan) has never been resolved.

Discography

[edit] Videography

Videoclips

• We Gotta Know (1986) from The Age Of Quarrel
• The Paths of Perfection (1992) from Alpha Omega
• The Beat (1988) (film appearance as "Iron Skulls", shot in 1986)

1. http://rapidshare.com/files/33873255/Cro-Mags_-_Hard_Times_In_An_Age_Of_Quarrel__Live__Disc_1__1994_.rar
2. http://rapidshare.com/files/33912711/Cro-Mags_-_Hard_Times_In_An_Age_Of_Quarrel__Live__Disc_2__1994_.rar

1. http://rapidshare.com/files/83126172/2006-_Twenty_Years_of_Quarrel_and_Greatest_Hits_--PARTE_1.rar
2. http://rapidshare.com/files/83281738/2006-_Twenty_Years_of_Quarrel_and_Greatest_Hits_--PARTE_2.rar

Warzone was a hardcore punk American Skinhead band from New York City.

Skinhead frontman, Raymond "Raybeez" Barbieri, was the group's only consistent member between its formation on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in 1982 until Barbieri's untimely death due to pneumonia on September 11, 1997. A U.S. Navy veteran, he was receiving treatment that many fans and friends have claimed was shamefully inadequate in a Veterans Health Administration facility when the illness damaged his liver and took his life at the age of 35.

Raybeez's small but loyal following accompanied the former Agnostic Front drummer from the nascent days before the "Youth Crew" era in hardcore punk, on and off of three record labels, before finally turning out en masse for two sold-out benefit shows following his passing.

He is often cited as one of the seminal influences in the genre, as well as one of its first major losses. Unlike the larger body of punk music, the highly youth-oriented hardcore music had previously felt very few such outpourings of grief. In the days after his passing, a sign hung from the awning in front of CBGBs that simply said "R.I.P. Ray." For more than a year following his death, every release on the Victory Records label was dedicated to his memory, as well as two independent compilations. Like the benefit shows following his death, these albums raised funds for several not-for-profit groups Ray had worked for which helped at-risk youth.

During the band's fifteen years and countless line-up changes, their primarily hardcore sound was flavored by influences ranging from oi! (they toured several times with The Business and played a cover of The Real Enemy), to traditional punk rock, and even an ill-received heavy metal phase (on their self-titled LP, Warzone). Their fan base, though, was equally diverse. Warzone shows were usually populated by skinheads (both racist and anti-racist), straight edge teens, metalheads and punks of all ages. It was a rare, and sometimes volatile, combination.

Though the band featured several members of non-caucasian backgrounds through its history, and Raybeez sang lyrics urging racial unity and spoke out strongly against anything that divided the youth of America against itself, their shows were often marred by violence. For this reason, Raybeez rarely performed from the stage. He sang out in the crowd. Often huddling with a multitude to shout the lyrics, he used it as an opportunity to stop fights before security could respond. This tactic often cooled tempers more quickly than stopping the show might have and prevented fans from being escorted out of the show. His position in the crowds rather than elevated on a stage also endeared him to fans in a way few other performers in the genre have ever achieved.

Warzone fans were not simply encouraged to sing along. They often dictated the band's entire set list and even decided how long the group would play, with some sets lasting until Raybeez could barely speak.

Few of the band's critics were able to claim they were anything but inclusionary with songs like "Under 18," which decried the age-based discriminatory practices at many venues that demanded IDs for entry, "War Between Races," which demanded an end to racial violence and prejudice within the scene, and "Brother and Sisterhood," which encouraged young women and girls to become active in traditionally male-dominated hardcore punk. However, reviews still frequently maligned them simply as "a skinhead band," implying they were racist (they were not racist) or violent.

Discography

• Lower East Side Crew (1987) - EP
• Don't Forget The Struggle, Don't Forget The Streets (1988) - LP
• Open Your Eyes (1989) - LP
• Warzone (1990) - LP
• Live at CBGBs (1993) - live EP
• Old School to New School (1994) - LP
• Split with Cause for Alarm (1995) - split 10" EP
• Lower East Side (1996) - EP
• The Sound of Revolution (1996) - LP
• Fight For Justice (1997) - LP
• The Victory Years (1998) - partial discography LP

Bold is a late 80's youth crew hardcore punk band from upstate New York, which along with bands like Youth Of Today and Side By Side were a part of the Youth Crew, and a major influence in the late 80's straight edge hardcore scene.

History

Originally called Crippled Youth, the band was formed in Katonah, New York by Matt Warnke (vocals), Tim Brooks (bass) and Drew Thomas (drums). After a couple of shows with Matt singing and playing guitar, they recruited John 'Zulu' Zuluaga on guitar, and Matt switched to just singing. They released a 7" EP entitled 'Join The Fight' on the California label New Beginning in 1986 before switching to the name Bold. It was under this name that they recorded the 11-song LP Speak Out. The record was supposed to be released on California's WishingWell Records, but was eventually released in 1988 on Revelation.

The band later recruited Tom Capone (Beyond/Shelter/Quicksand/etc.) on second guitar, and recorded a self-titled 5-song 7" in 1989, also on Revelation. The 7" is by many considered their best material, adding more melody to their straightforward hardcore sound. The 7" EP was re-issued on a 12" entitled 'Looking Back' in 1993, with 2 bonus tracks.

Bold reunited in 2005 with Warnke on vocals, Capone on guitar, Brooks on bass and Vinny Panza on drums. John Porcelly, who periodically played with the band in the 1980s, later joined on second guitar. They are currently playing shows and working on new material. To conincide with the reunion, Revelation released the retrospective CD The Search: 1985-1989, which contains the band's entire recorded output.

Band-member notes

• Matt Warnke sang for a band called One-Sided War in the late 90's, before forming Running Like Thieves (named after a Bold-song) with John Biviano and Andy Guida of Supertouch, which put out two EPs on New Jersey's LiveWire Records. He has since quit the band. He is currently fronting the reunited Bold.

• Drew Thomas formed Into Another with ex-Underdog singer Richie Birkenhead in 1990. They put out several records throughout the 90's, but have now broken up. Thomas also played drums for The New Rising Sons (fronted by ex-Texas Is The Reason member Garret Klahn). They released two EPs on the Grape OS label before signing to Virgin records, but broke up before an album could be completed.

• Tom Capone played in several bands throughout the 1990s, such as Quicksand, Handsome and Instruction. He is currently playing for the reunited Bold.

• John "Zulu" Zuluaga is currently playing his SG in the band The Hoof .

Discography

• Speak Out LP (Revelation Records 1988)
• S/T 7" (Revelation Records 1989)
• Looking Back (Revelation Records 1989)
• The Search: 1985-1989 (Complete Discography) (Revelation Records 2005)

Project X was a short-lived late 1980s NYC straight edge hardcore band, featuring John Porcelly (Youth Of Today, Judge), Walter Schreifels (Gorilla Biscuits, Youth Of Today), Alex Brown (Side By Side, Gorilla Biscuits) and Sammy Siegler (Side By Side, Youth Of Today, Judge). The band started when Porcelly and Brown were releasing the seventh issue of their fanzine Schism, which was the second issue under that name, and wanted to include a 7" of rare unreleased early 1980s hardcore. However, they couldn't get the rights to release it, and since no NYC bands had any unreleased material, they decided instead to form a project band, record a 7" and include that with the fanzine. The band was fittingly named Project X.

After a couple of rehearsals, the band entered Don Fury's legendary Lower East Side studio and recorded their 5-song self-titled 7" EP. The songs were all short, fast bursts of hardcore energy. "Cross Me," the shortest, is only 8 seconds long. The lyrics were, as the name and the cover photo of a hand having an "X" written on it with a marker (a straight edge symbol) would suggest, rather militantly straight edge, but also about lost friendship ("Where It Ends") and being banned from clubs. "Shutdown" was written about a specific October 18, 1987 CBGB show featuring Youth Of Today, Gorilla Biscuits, Side By Side and Pagan Babies. At the show, Youth Of Today were banned for encouraging stage diving, which was against the club policy. The back cover of the Project X EP features the band standing in front of CBGB, appearing to have been shut out. The opening track, "Straight Edge Revenge," which was actually an old Youth Of Today song that Ray Cappo refused to perform due to its militant lyrics, became an instant straight edge classic and is often covered by bands across the world. The song "Cross Me", with its short and to-the-point lyrics, was written as a rebuttal against statements made by the California hardcore band Half Off and their singer Billy Rubin. According to an interview with Porcelly in the Seattle-based fanzine Open Your Eyes, the song was written in a matter of seconds.

The EP was fairly low-budget, with a black and white xeroxed cover and no print on the record's label (instead the band either applied a 'Project X' stamp or wrote funny quotes on the labels). The band also appeared under pseudonyms on the record. Porcelly became Slam, Brown was Kid Hard, Siegler was appropriately nicknamed The Youth (due to his age; he was still in his teens) and Schreifels was dubbed N.D. (which stood for 'No Drugs', although the band would joke in interviews that it actually stood for "Not Dedicated," as Schriefels didn't always show up to rehearsals).

The record quickly sold out, most of the pressing of 500 were sold at one Bold show at the infamous Anthrax club in Connecticut. The band regained a cult status within the hardcore scene, and the record became highly sought-after by record collectors. Despite the high demand, the record was never re-pressed, but several bootleg versions throughout the years have ensured that hardcore fans unable to track down an original have still gotten to hear the record. An official re-pressing of the record, formally titled Straight Edge Revenge, and appending two live tracks from one of the band's rare live performances, was finally released by Bridge 9 Records in August 2005.

Project X only played a handful of shows on the east coast, and also a few during Youth Of Today's European tour in 1989. In total, some estimate the band played less than 5 shows.

The 7" remained Project X's only recorded output (they were, after all, just a project, and the members were busy with their other bands), but when Porcelly as a joke put Project X - The Edge Of Quarrel LP on his Maximum RocknRoll playlist during a San Francisco visit, he got record collectors searching high and low for this fabled record. But alas, it never existed. The band did however write one song that was only performed live, "Can't Keep Me Down." Later the lyrics were changed, and it became the Youth Of Today song "Live Free" on their We're Not In This Alone album.

Download :

1987 Project X 7''EP
http://www.mediafire.com/?ovmro1exgyc

1989 Project X Live Set
http://www.mediafire.com/?klm9zmxcnit

The Necros were an early hardcore punk band from Maumee, Ohio that was formed in 1979 by then-teenagers Barry Henssler (vocals), Andy Wendler (guitar), and Todd Swalla (drums). After going though a handful of bassists (including Jeff Allsop, David Cooke, Brian Hyland, Jeff Lake, and Brian Pollack), Corey Rusk joined the band. In 1981, the band's first record, a self-titled 4-song 7" EP (recorded prior to Rusk's entry into the band) most commonly known as "Sex Drive", was released. The first record ever released on Touch And Go Records, it was limited to only 100 copies. Andy Wendler also stopped performing with the band in 1981 (although he continued to write for them) and was replaced by Brian Pollack on guitar. Later that year, the band recorded and released another self-titled 7" EP, this one a 9-song record most commonly known as "IQ32", which was produced by Ian MacKaye and was a joint release between Touch and Go (which Rusk now had a hand in running) and Dischord Records. Andy Wendler reclaimed his spot on guitar in late 1982 and in 1983 the band recorded and released two more records, a 7" and LP both titled Conquest For Death. Following the release of the LP, Corey Rusk quit the group to concentrate on Touch and Go, since, by that time, he'd assumed full control of the label. Although the decision to leave the group was Rusk's, Touch and Go has never reissued the Necros records they put out.

The Necros famously played with the Misfits in their first incarnation, and were commonly seen opening for the horror punk band. They even played the Misfits' last show in which Todd Swalla eventually stepped in to play drums when Brian Damage became too drunk to perform.

Bassist Ron Sawkowski replaced Corey Rusk in 1983, but the group would not release another record for two years. In an interview with a zine called "One Solution", Henssler blamed the delay between releases, at least in part, on Rusk's refusal to give the band a definite answer as to whether or not they were still on Touch and Go.

A new Necros release finally came to fruition in 1985 when they appeared on a split release with White Flag, entitled Jail Jello, on Gasatanka Records. Now featuring a more distinctly hard rock sound, the band followed up the split with the Tangled Up LP on Restless Records in 1986 along with a sigle of the same name on Gasatanka. Following a 1987 tour with Megadeth, the group called it quits. A live album, Live or Else, appeared posthumously in 1989.

Following the break up, Barry Henssler formed Big Chief, who would record for the Sub Pop label. Ron Sakowski and Todd Swalla would reunite in the mid '90's as part of the final line up of Touch And Go artists Laughing Hyenas.

In 2002, a limited (only 450 copies pressed) split 10" with Authority Abuse surfaced on Wise Hoodlum Records. The Necros material consisted of live recordings from 1981 through 1983.

Tangled Up and Live or Else were released together on CD by Rykodisc in 2005 and is currently the only Necros material available on CD.

Discography

• Sex Drive EP (Touch and Go) 1981
• IQ32 EP(Dischord/Touch and Go) 1981
• Conquest for Death single (Touch and Go) 1983
• Conquest for Death LP (Touch and Go) 1983
• Jail Jello split 12" w/ White Flag (Gasatanka) 1985
• Tangled Up single (Gasatanka) 1986
• Tangled Up LP (Restless) 1986
• Live or Else tape (Medusa/Enigma) 1990
• Split 10" w/ AUTHORITY ABUSE (Wise Hoodlum)2002
• Tangled Up/Live or Else CD (Rykodisc) 2005

Given the long running nature of the band, many participants in the DC hardcore scene had gone through G.I.'s membership. Government Issue featured Brian Baker of Minor Threat, as well as Mike Fellows of Rites of Spring and many others.

The G.I.s became one of the longest-running bands in the DC hardcore scene. After numerous line-up changes, the band broke up in 1989. Vocalist John Stabb was the only member to stay the whole time. He later went on to form Betty Blue in the mid 90's. Guitarist Tom Lyle formed an experimental outfit called Glee Club which released two albums. Lyle also recorded two hard rock solo records in 1990 and 1992 respectively.

Tom Lyle, as well as bassist J. Robbins and drummer Peter Moffett, regrouped to record 2 unrecorded GI songs. This was released as the Rollkicker Laydown EP.

Bassist Jay Robbins went on to form Jawbox. Robbins later formed Burning Airlines with GI drummer Peter Moffett.

Stabb formed the DC quintet The Factory Incident in 2000.

Stabb has remarked that "...there is much to be said about watching g.i. when you're not barely legal."

On July 17, 2007 John Stabb was attacked a block from his home, by a group of five teenagers; he was beaten so badly that he will be having surgery. There was a benefit concert for Stabb August 10, 2007 at the Velvet Lounge to help his family deal with the medical bills.

John Stabb Benefit Show #2

Atlanta, GA

Sept. 1, 2007 @ Lenny's Bar 486 Decatur Street Dynamic Properties Atlanta, GA 30312 404-577-7721

Line-up: + The Accidents (Ex-Neon Christ & Moto-Litas) + Reverend God And The Jesus Squad + Exploder + Courtesy Murder + Last Hope Down + C.O.S. (Convix of Society) + The Unacceptables + Trash + Frantic + Beat Beat Beat +

On September 23, 2007, "Government Re-Issue" took the stage again with Stabb at the fore, Tom Lyle on Guitar, Brian Baker on bass, and William Knapp on drums at the Rock n' Roll Hotel in Washington, DC. According to John Stabb, the band practiced together for the first time during the sound check on the afternoon of September 23, and managed to re-learn about fifteen songs.

Early years

Nathan Strejcek (ex-Teen Idles) and Danny Ingram formed Youth Brigade. After playing with a couple different bassists and guitarists, they settled on Bert Quieros (Untouchables, Double O) and Tom Clinton on guitar.

Breakup

Even though Youth Brigade were only around for less than a year, they are still considered an important part of the DC hardcore punk scene, influencing countless other bands as well as members (mainly Bert Queiroz) forming other bands such as Double-O and and the highly influential post-hardcore band, Rain.

Discography

Studio Albums

Possible E.P. (Dischord Records, 1981)

Compilations

Flex Your Head (Dischord Records, 1982)

Misc/Info

The title of their only release, the Possible E.P., came from Ian MacKaye stating that "there might be a possible EP by Youth Brigade release" on his Dischord Records.

Marginal Man was one of the first of the DC hardcore bands to feature two guitars and was first introduced to the DC crowds at the "555" concert at the 9:30 club on Jan. 2, 1983. The show was billed as "555" because not only was Marginal Man a five-piece, but both Minor Threat and Faith had recently added second guitars to their line-ups, and this was a coming out party of sorts for all three. There was a massive turn-out and tickets sold out almost immediately, so a second show was added to accommodate the crowds. This surprised almost everyone and made it clear for the first time that local bands were beginning to draw a lot more attention than many touring acts coming to Washington. Other than Minor Threat, Government Issue, and Scream, Marginal Man was one of the few early DC punk bands to get out and tour the country. They released their first LP, "Identity" on Dischord in March 1984 and later released albums on Enigma and Giant Records before breaking up in 1988.

Marginal Man was a punk band that emerged in the Washington, D.C. hardcore scene in 1983. Some members of Marginal Man played earlier in Artificial Peace, a band which appears on Dischord Records' important Flex Your Head compilation, an essential document of the 1980's D.C. punk scene. They played for five years before a final performance at the 9:30 Club in 1988. Members of the band included

1. Steve Polcari - Vocals
2. Pete Murray - Guitar, Vocals
3. Kenny Inouye - Guitar
4. Andre Lee - Bass
5. Mike Manos - Drums

They released on EP, Identity (Dischord 13), an LP, Double Image (Gasatanka/Enigma) and appeared on the compilations, State of the Union and 20 Years of Dischord (Dischord 125).

Although Marginal Man and many other bands of this era were neither as long-lived nor as memorable as such bands as Minor Threat, such lesser-known bands are considered by some to be more representative of the energy, spontaneity, and communal feeling of the time.

Biography

The band formed in 1979 with manic lead singer John Weiffenbach, guitarist Bubba Dupree, bassist Chris Stover, and drummer Sean Finnegan. Many keys to their cult following included Bubba Dupree's Greg Ginn-like guitar style and wild performances, and John Weiffenbach's frenzied behavior. In November of 1980 they cut a demo tape at Inner Ear Studios produced by Alec MacKaye , and were picked up by Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson's label Dischord Records. In February of 1982 they made their vinyl debut on Dischord with three songs on the Flex Your Head compilation. That spring they went into the studio to cut twelve songs that were released in September of 1982 as half of the Faith/Void split album released by Dischord Records.

By 1983, Void were incorporating more metal influences into their sound, drawing a crowd that became increasingly violent and their shows became even more chaotic. In the summer of 1983 they recorded an as yet unreleased album for (then) Detroit based Touch and Go Records. According to Touch and Go, they still periodically attempt to get permission to release the album, but to this day that permission is denied by Dupree. Void disbanded in the fall of 1983, with violence at their shows being a factor in the breakup. In 1992, Eye 95 Records released their November 1981 Inner Ear demo tape as the Condensed Flesh EP.

83? no.. void played what seemed like every DC show during 1984; possibly into 1985. saw them with JFA near Catholic University, at the Chesapeake Ramp (Baltimore), and at Wilson Center with GI

Discography

Albums and EPs

• Void/Faith split LP/CD (Dischord, 1982)
• Potion For Bad Dreams LP (recorded 1983; unreleased)
• Condensed Flesh 7" EP (Eye 95, 1992)

Compilations

• "Dehumanized", "Authority" and "My Rules" on Flex Your Head LP/CD (Dischord, 1982)
• "Get Out Of My Way" on Bouncing Babies LP (Fountain of Youth, 1984)
• "Get Out Of My Way" on Lost & Found 7" (Lost & Found, 1990)
• "Who Are You" on Punk Anderson's Favourites bootleg 2xCD (Starving Missile, 1994)
• "Dehumanized", "Black, Jewish and Poor" and "Authority (take 1 and 2)" on 20 Years of Dischord 3xCD (Dischord, 2002)

The Faith was an early American hardcore punk band, from Washington DC, with strong connections to the scene centered around the Dischord label. Despite of their short lifespan, and limited Discography, they were extremely influential on Emocore.

The band formed as a four piece in the Summer of 1981 and featured Alec MacKaye on vocals, who had formerly sang for the Untouchables as well as Michael Hampton of State Of Alert on guitar. After recording a demo, the band released a split LP with fellow D.C. hardcore band, Void. It was put out on Dischord Records, which was founded by Mackaye's older brother and Minor Threat vocalist, Ian MacKaye. It featured the song, "You're X'd" which addressed the straight edge philosophy popularized by Minor Threat and S.O.A.

In 1983 The Faith released an eight song twelve inch EP called "Subject to Change." It was produced by Ian MacKaye and showed the band progressing into more melodic territory with the addition of a second guitarist. Within a few months of recording the record the Faith broke up and three out of five members went on to join Embrace with Ian MacKaye on vocals. Guitarist Eddie Janney joined Rites of Spring and later was reunited with Michael Hampton for One Last Wish. Alec MacKaye would go on to sing for Ignition and then later the Warmers.

Band members

• Alec MacKaye - vocals
• Eddie Janney - guitar
• Michael Hampton - guitar
• Chris Bald - bass
• Ivor Hanson - drums

Discography

• Void/Faith split LP/CD (Dischord, 1982)
• Subject to Change E.P.
• Combined C.D. (compiling Subject to Change and the Faith/Void split)
• 20 Years Of Dischord compilation (featuring the song, "Subject to Change")

History

Late 1970s: Formation of the band

The Dead Kennedys formed in June 1978, after guitarist East Bay Ray (Raymond Pepperell) advertised for bandmates after seeing a punk show at the Mabuhay Gardens. The original DK lineup consisted of Jello Biafra (Eric Reed Boucher) on vocals, East Bay Ray (Raymond Pepperell) on guitar, Klaus Flouride (Geoffrey Lyall) on bass, and 6025 (Carlos Cadona) on drums. This lineup recorded their first demos. In early July, the band wanted a more experienced drummer, so they recruited Ted (Bruce Slesinger). Drummer 6025 left the band, but he was invited back as second guitarist. Their first show was on July 19, 1978, at the Mabuhay Gardens in San Francisco, California.

Dead Kennedys played numerous shows at local venues afterwards. Due to the band's provocative name, they sometimes played under pseudonyms, including "The Sharks", "The Creamsicles",and "The Pink Twinkies". The name, despite popular belief, was not meant to insult the assassinated Kennedy brothers, but to quote Biafra, "to bring attention to the end of the American Dream". 6025 left the band in March of 1979. In June of 1979, the band released their first single, "California Über Alles", on the Alternative Tentacles label. They followed with a well received East Coast tour.

1980s

Disruption of music awards show

For more details on this topic, see Pull My Strings

Dead Kennedys at the Bay Area Music Awards

On March 25, 1980, the DKs were invited to perform at the Bay Area Music Awards in front of music industry bigwigs to give the event some "New Wave credibility", in the words of the organizers. The day of the show was spent practicing the song they were asked to play, the underground hit, "California Über Alles." In typically subversive, perverse style, the band became the talking point of the ceremony when after about 15 seconds into the song, Biafra said, "Hold it! We've gotta prove that we're adults now. We're not a punk rock band, we're a new wave band."

The band, who all wore white shirts with a big, black S painted on the front, pulled black ties from around the backs of their necks to form a dollar sign, then started playing a new song "Pull My Strings", a barbed, satirical attack on the ethics of the mainstream music industry. which contained the lyrics, "Is my cock big enough, is my brain small enough, for you to make me a star?". The song also referenced The Knack's biggest New Wave hit, "My Sharona". The song was never recorded in the studio but this performance, the first and only time the song was ever performed, was released on the posthumous compilation album Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death.

Release of Holiday in Cambodia and Fresh Fruit

Holiday In Cambodia Single

Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables

During the spring of 1980, they recorded and released "Holiday in Cambodia". In the fall, the band released their debut album, Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables. It reached #33 in the UK Albums Chart. In January of 1981, Ted announced that he wanted to leave to pursue a career in architecture and would help look for a replacement. He played his last concert in February. His replacement was D.H. Peligro (Darren Henley).

Around the same time, East Bay Ray had tried to pressure the rest of the band to sign a major label deal with Polydor Records; Biafra claims he was prepared to quit the group if the rest of the band wanted to sign the deal, though Ray asserts that he recommended against signing with Polydor. Polydor balked after they learned that the Kennedys were planning their next single to be "Too Drunk to Fuck".

In May, the band released the single "Too Drunk to Fuck". The song caused much controversy in the UK as BBC feared the single would reach the Top 30; this would require a mention of the song on Top of the Pops. However, this never came to be as the single peaked at #31. It is also likely that had "Too Drunk to Fuck" hit the top 30, it would have been banned from playing, in the fashion of The Exploited.

(According to BBC sources today the song actually reached number one but was deliberately kept out of the final published chart.)

In God We Trust, Inc., Plastic Surgery Disasters and Alternative Tentacles Records

In God We Trust, Inc. EP

With Peligro's propulsive drums behind the band, 1981's In God We Trust, Inc. EP saw them moving toward full on hardcore/thrash. In addition to the EP's controversial artwork depicting a gold Christ figure on a cross of dollar bills, the lyrics contained Biafra's most biting social and political commentary yet, and songs such as Moral Majority, Nazi Punks Fuck Off and We've Got A Bigger Problem Now put the DKs on the map as the leaders of a social movement (which would not see fruition until "alternative" music gained mainstream acceptance a decade later with grunge), while Dog Bite, a cover version of Rawhide and various joke introductions showed a much more whimsical side. The following year (1982) they released a full album, Plastic Surgery Disasters (the album's cover features a whithered starving African child's hand being held and dwarfed by a white man's hand).

Plastic Surgery Disasters

The band's music had evolved much in a short time, moving away from hardcore formulas toward a more innovative jazz-informed style, featuring musicianship and dynamics far beyond other bands in the genre. By now the group had become a de-facto political force, pitting itself against rising elements of American social and political life such as the religious right, Ronald Reagan and the idle rich. The band continued touring all over the United States, as well as Europe and Australia, and gained a large underground following. While they continued to play live shows during 1983 and '84, they took a break from releasing new records to concentrate on the Alternative Tentacles record label, which would become synonymous with DIY alternative culture, independent from and in contrast to the commercialized sterile cultural landscape the world had become since the "cultural revolution" of the '60s faded into the yuppie '80s. The band continued to write and perform new material during this time, which would appear on their next album (some of these early performances can be seen in the Live on Broadway video, originally released by Dirk Dirksen and later reissued on Rhino).

1985-1986: Frankenchrist and criminal obscenity prosecution

Frankenchrist

The release of the album Frankenchrist in 1985 showed the band had grown light years beyond their hardcore roots in terms of musical proficiency and lyrical maturity. While there were still a number of loud/fast songs, much of the music was more "'60s" than "punk" (promo posters advertised the album as "putting the pain back in psychedelic music"), featuring an eclectic mix of instruments including trumpets and synthesizers. (Around this time Klaus Flouride released the similarly experimental solo EP Cha Cha Cha With Mr. Flouride.) Lyrically, the band continued their trademark social commentary, with songs such as MTV Get Off The Air and Jock-o-rama poking fun at mainstream America. But while in some ways an artistic peak, the album would be the beginning of prolonged legal trouble for the band, when its artwork caused a furor with the newly formed Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC). In December 1985 a teenage girl purchased the album at the Wherehouse Records store in Los Angeles County. The girl's mother wrote letters of complaint to the Attorney General for the State of California and to Los Angeles prosecutors.

Poster included with Frankenchrist

In 1986 members of the band Dead Kennedys, along with other parties involved in the distribution of Frankenchrist, were charged criminally with distribution of harmful matter to minors. The store where the girl actually purchased the album was never named in the lawsuit. The criminal charges focused on an illustration by H.R. Giger, titled "Work 219: Landscape XX" (also known as Penis Landscape). Included as a poster with the album, Penis Landscape depicts nine copulating penises.

Members of the band and others were each charged with violating the California Penal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of up to a year in county jail and a base fine of up to $2,000. Biafra says that during this time government agents invaded and searched his home. The prosecution tried to present the poster to the jury in isolation for consideration as obscene material, but Judge Susan Isacoff ruled that the poster must be considered along with the music and lyrics. The charges against three of the original defendants, Ruth Schwartz (owner of Mordam Records), Steve Boudreau (a distributor involved in supplying Frankenchrist to the Los Angeles Wherehouse store), and Salvatore Alberti (owner of the factory where the record was pressed), were dismissed for lack of evidence.

In August of 1987 the criminal trial was submitted to the jury with the two remaining defendants: Jello Biafra and Michael Bonanno (former Alternative Tentacles label manager). In August of 1987, the criminal trial ended with a hung jury. The split on the jury was 7 to 5 in favor of acquittal for all of the defendants. District Attorneys Michael Guarino and Ira Riener made a motion for a retrial which was denied by Judge Isacoff, Superior Court Judge for the County of Los Angeles. The album, however, was banned from many record stores nationwide.

The court case would later be brought up again after the breakup of the band, when Jello Biafra met with Tipper Gore on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

1986: Break up of band, Bedtime for Democracy

Bedtime For Democracy

In addition to the obscenity lawsuit and being ignored by the mainstream media (MTV and most radio stations gave such groups scant notice, not to mention airplay), the band became increasingly disillusioned with the "underground" as well. The hardcore scene, which had been a haven for free-thinking intellectuals and downtrodden nonconformists, was increasingly attracting thuglike cretins who came to punk concerts only looking to slam dance and fight to violent music. In earlier years the band had criticized neo-Nazi skinheads for trying to ruin the punk scene, but just as big a problem was the increasing popularity of thrash metal and stereotypical macho "post 1982 hardcore" which brought the group (and their genre) an audience that had little to do with the ideas/ideals they stood for. So in January of 1986, frustrated and alienated from their own scene, the DKs decided to break up to pursue other interests and played their last concert on February 21. The band continued to work on songs, with Biafra penning songs such as Chickenshit Conformist and Anarchy For Sale, which articulated their feelings about the "dumbing down" of punk rock.

During the summer they recorded these songs for their final album, Bedtime for Democracy, which was released in November. The artwork, depicting a defaced Statue of Liberty overrun with Nazis, media, opportunists, Klan members, corrupt government officials, and religious zombies, echoed the idea that the punk scene was no longer a safe haven for "your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free". The album, a double LP, contains a number of fast/short songs interspersed with jazz (DMSO), spoken word (A Commercial) and psychedelia (Cesspools of Eden). The lyrical focus is more introspective and earnest (Where Do Ya Draw The Line?), with an anti-war, anti-violence (Rambozo The Clown) bent, moving away from the violent imagery of their early records, while remaining as subversive as ever (I Spy, DMSO). In December, the band announced their split. Biafra went on to speak about his political beliefs on numerous television shows and he released a number of spoken-word albums. Ray, Fluoride, and Peligro also went on to solo careers.

1990s: Legal conflicts

Lawsuits over royalty payments

In the late 1990s, former band members discovered problems with the amount of payments which each band member had received from their record label Alternative Tentacles. Former band members claimed that Jello Biafra had conspired to pay less royalty rates to the band members. Although both sides agreed that the failure to pay these royalties was an accounting mistake, they were upset that Biafra failed to inform the band of the mistake after he and his co-workers discovered it.

Biafra claims that their lawyers had told him only to correspond through lawyers and not directly with the band, as the conflict over payment had apparently arisen before the accounting mistake was discovered. Both sides claim they attempted to resolve the matter without legal action, but the ultimately complicated legal dispute (involving royalties, publishing rights, and a number of other issues) soon led to the courts, where Biafra was found liable for the royalties and guilty of fraud and malice, and was ordered to pay damages of nearly $200,000, including $20,000 in punitive damages, to the band members.

Malice was defined for the jury as "conduct which is intended to cause injury or despicable conduct which is carried with a willful and conscious disregard for the rights of others.". Biafra's appeal was denied; he had to pay the outstanding royalties and punitive damages, and was forced to hand over the rights to the majority of Dead Kennedys' back catalogue to the Decay Music partnership.

The jury and judges also noted, in their words, that Biafra “lacked credibility” on the songwriting issue and found from evidence presented by both sides that the songwriting credits were due to the entire band, using a clause in the band's written partnership giving a small share of every Dead Kennedys song royalty directly to the band partnership.

Biafra had received sole songwriting credit for most Dead Kennedys songs on all released albums for the last 20 years or so without complaints from the band, though a minority of songs had given credit to certain group members or the entire band as a whole, indicating a system designed to reflect the primary composers rather than a regimented system like the Jagger/Richards partnership; today, most Kennedys reissues list the songwriters as "Biafra, Dead Kennedys," indicating Biafra's lyrical contributions -- which the band doesn't dispute, or else simply as "Dead Kennedys"). Ray, Fluoride and Peligro found new distribution through another label, Manifesto Records.

This dispute was hotly contested by all concerned who felt passionately for their cause, and the case caused minor waves within punk circles. Biafra claims that guitarist East Bay Ray had long expressed displeasure with Alternative Tentacles and with the amount of money he received from them, thus the original incentive for the discovery of the back payments. It was found out that Alternative Tentacles was paying Dead Kennedys less per CD than all the other bands, including Biafra himself, and not informing his other bandmates, which was the fraud. Biafra accused the band of wanting to license the famous Dead Kennedys song "Holiday in Cambodia" for use in a Levi's jeans commercial, which the band denied.

Biafra apparently pushed this issue in court, although there was no hard evidence and the jurors were apparently unconcerned with corporate use of independently produced political music. Biafra would later complain that the jury was not sympathetic toward underground music and punk culture. The song never appeared in a Levi's commercial, although in interviews Biafra described the situation surrounding the commercial in detail and was able to give specifics about the advertisement, including the name of the advertising agency that had created the commercial's script.

Biafra's former bandmates maintain that they sued because of Jello Biafra's deliberate withholding of money, though when pressed they have acknowledged that the payment was an accounting mistake, but insist that Biafra was wrong in failing to inform the band directly. Details about this issue remain scarce. The band also maintains that the Levi's story was completely fictitious and invented by Biafra to discredit them. Ultimately, these issues have led to a souring of relationships with the erstwhile bandmates, who still have not resolved their personal differences as of 2007.

Disputes over new commercial activities

The Early Years Live DVD

Matters were stirred up even further when the three bandmates invited Jello Biafra to "bury the hatchet" in the form of a band reunion. Jello Biafra felt it was unprofessional because no one contacted him directly. In addition, Biafra was disdainful of the reunion, and having long expressed his disdain for nostalgia and rock reunion/oldies tours in particular, argued that the whole affair was motivated by greed.

Several DVDs, re-issues, and live albums have been released since the departure of Biafra. According to Biafra, the live albums are "cash-ins" on the Dead Kennedys' name and his music. Biafra also accused the releases of the new live material of having poor sound quality and claims not to be receiving royalties from their sale or the sale of any Manifesto Records releases. The other band members deny Biafra's accusations, and have defended the mixes of the material as an effort of hard work. Biafra dismissed the new group as "the world's greediest karaoke band." Nevertheless, in 2003, Klaus Flouride, bassist for the band, had this to say of performances without the band's former frontman: "There hasn't been a show yet that people didn't really like."

Biafra further criticized them for advertising shows using his own image taken from the original '80s incarnation of the band, which he labeled as false advertising. He recently attacked the reformed Dead Kennedys in a song called "Those Dumb Punk Kids (Will Buy Anything)", which appears on his second collaboration with experimental metal band The Melvins, Sieg Howdy!.

Biafra told an audience at a speaking gig in Trenton, New Jersey, that the remaining Dead Kennedys have licensed their single "Too Drunk to Fuck" to be used in a rape scene in a Robert Rodriguez movie. The reference is to a lounge cover of the song, recorded by the band Nouvelle Vague, played during a scene in the Planet Terror segment of Grindhouse, although no rape takes place, and in fact the would-be rapist is killed by the would-be victim. The scene in "Planet Terror" has would be rapist, "Rapist #1" (Quentin Tarantino) order one-legged stripper "Cherry Darlin" (Rose McGowan) to get up off the floor and dance. At this point Tarantino hits play on a cassette recorder and Nouvelle Vague's cover of "Too Drunk To Fuck" plays.

Reforming of new band line-up

The reformed Dead Kennedys followed their court victory by announcing a number of tour dates, releasing reissues of all Dead Kennedys albums (except Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, to which they did not have the rights until 2005), releasing several new archival concert DVDs, and licensing several songs to The Manchurian Candidate remake and the Tony Hawk Pro Skater video game. East Bay Ray received a fax from Alternative Tentacles purporting Biafra approved the licensing for the game, which Biafra denies happening.

Mutiny on the Bay

The band claims on their website that they still pay close attention to an anti-corporate ideology, despite performing on September 5, 2003 at a festival in Turkey that was sponsored by Coca-Cola, noting that they have since pulled out of a show in Los Angeles when they found that it was being sponsored by Coors. However, Biafra claims the above mentioned licensing deals prove otherwise. Some have found difficulty reconciling this claim when Biafra also licensed to major corporations, approving with the other band members use of Dead Kennedys’ songs in major studio film releases such as Neighbors, Freddy Got Fingered, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

Live At The Deaf Club

In 2001, Ray, Peligro, and Fluoride chose former child star Brandon Cruz to replace Biafra's role as vocalist. The band played under name "DK Kennedys" for a few concerts, but have since gone back to "Dead Kennedys" permanently. They have played across the continental United States, Europe, Asia, South America, and Russia. Brandon Cruz left the band in May of 2003 and was replaced by Jeff Penalty. The band has released two live albums of archival performances on Manifesto Records: Mutiny on the Bay, an edited-together compilation of various live performances of varying quality from the San Francisco area, and Live at the Deaf Club, a recording of a 1979 performance at the Deaf Club in San Francisco which was greeted with more enthusiasm.

On October 9th, 2007, a best-of album entitled Milking the Sacred Cow was released. It includes two previously unreleased live versions of "Soup Is Good Food" and "Jock-O-Rama", originally found on Frankenchrist.

"DK" logo

"DK" logo

The original logo was created by Winston Smith, who would later contribute artwork for the covers of In God We Trust, Inc., Plastic Surgery Disasters, Frankenchrist, Bedtime for Democracy, and Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death. He also created the back cover of the Kill the Poor single and the Alternative Tentacles logo. When asked about the "DK" logo in an interview, Jello Biafra explained, "...I wanted to make sure it was something simple and easy to spray-paint so people would graffiti it all over the place, and then I showed it to Winston Smith. He played around with it, came back with a bunch of designs, that had the circle and slightly 3-D looking letters and he had ones with different patterns behind it. I liked the one with bricks, but ultimately I thought simple red behind it was the boldest and the best."

Lyrical stance

The Dead Kennedys are noted for the acerbity of their lyrics, which generally express a staunchly left-wing view of contemporary America. Unlike other leftist punk bands who use more direct sloganeering, the Kennedys' lyrics are often satirical and sarcastic, all the while retaining the deliberately shocking lyrics of punk. "Holiday in Cambodia" is a multi-layered satire targeting both the liberal elite and Cambodia's then-current Khmer Rouge regime (who, together with the US government who at the time of recording, were tacitly supporting Pol Pot in his war against Vietnam). Songs such as "Kill the Poor", "California Über Alles" and "Police Truck" actually take the lyrical viewpoint of the band's hated right-wing (and liberal elitist) targets.

Jello Biafra continues to be a noted critic of the American political establishment, embarking on lecture tours both before and after his time with the band.