Issue No. 3

Social Distortion – Telling them…..Social D was/is a way cool band. They had an energy that I never really experienced with any other band….almost Rockish in their approach and yet they were always accepted by the hardcore audiences. I chose this song from the “Hell Comes to Your House “compilation because it was always one of my favorites in their live set. Very unique and distinctive guitar beginning.
Minor Threat - Stand up…..hmmmmmm. These guys are THE reason I embraced this genre of music culture so tightly. Their passion was intoxicating. They backed up their words with action. They controlled record costs by delivering Dischord Records as a viable avenue (Ian and Jeff) to purchase music at a reasonable price. They forced promoters to capitulate with their ideals by refusing to play unless door prices were fair. I was able to see them live three times and they were simply captivating. The best live show I ever attended included Minor Threat on the bill along with Jello Biafra and the Dead Kennedys with Robo from Black Flag playing drums. MDC from Texas also performed as did the Zero Boys from Indianapolis, Indiana. In my eyes Minor Threat were the best of the best in every sense of the word.
Minor Threat - 12XU…..see above.
Black Flag – Revenge…..the evolution of Black Flag was both interesting and painful. When “Jealous Again “came out I was a freshman in high school and it was raw, loud and angry….three perfect ingredients for success. They were a powerful voice in the So.Cal. / L.A. scene because they commanded respect. I was elated when Henry Rollins joined the group because he was the juggernaut of angst that shot them front and center in the movement. The painful remark earlier is in reference to my take on the music they produced at the end of their run……
Wasted Youth – Reagan’s in…..I always viewed these guys with respect because of the Danny’s (the singer) obvious “FU” attitude while performing. He carried himself with a cockiness that bordered on arrogance, but was entertaining to watch unfold. Cool album….great picture on the back of the album by the visual wizard Edward Colver.
Misfits – Mommy, can I go out and kill tonight?.....These guys were serious. Devil locked long hair……thick, black gothic clothes and make up….intensity to the point of obsession. They reminded me of Black Sabbath’s twisted stepsons. It was fun watching them perform. Again, I can’t stress enough the diverseness within the punk scene. The Misfits were authentic…..
Rites of Spring – Theme…..When my Grandmother passed away about 13years ago, I asked my family if I could give the eulogy. We have a very large family and she was beloved by all. I got the go ahead and as I was flying back to Wisconsin I wrote down some things I wanted to touch upon……In the church I began with, “ Drink deep it’s just a taste and it might not come this way again”. These were words from a Rights of Spring song that signified how special she was to us all…..this is how much I respected this band. If I had only five records to choose to listen to forever…their debut e.p. would be on that list.
Germs – Richie Dagger’s Crime…..When Darby Crash came on the movie theatre screen in “ The Decline of Western Civilization” I remember thinking how lucky I was to have a solid home life. The hopelessness he seemed to feel about his future seemed somewhat ironic seeing how much life and energy he poured into his music. On the first day of my freshman high school history class the teacher asked everyone to stand and give their name and or a nickname they would like to be called for the year……when it came to my turn I told everyone my name but said that I would like to be called “ Darby “. Everyone laughed but the teacher seeing that I was dead serious called me Darby for the next 4 years! He was a cool guy…..and knew very well that I was simply fucking around.
Bad Religion – We’re only gonna die…..much like Social D. these guys have maintained their intensity throughout the years and been successful in capturing a larger, more diverse fan base. The Bad Religion of 1981 was raw, dynamic and politically aware. There’s nothing more eye catching than walking into your third period religion class with a sticker of a cross on your folder with a bright red slash through it.
Fear – I love livin in the city…..Fear had the ability to whip a crowd into a frenzy like no band I ever witnessed. Lee Ving had so much spit on his face from the audience’s launchings that he literally could not see to begin a song…..and let me tell you he never even made a faint attempt to wipe it off. I was fortunate to once see them with Flea from the Red Hot Chile Peppers on bass guitar at Devonshire Downs and damn were they phenomenal….simply captivating.
Adolescents – Amoeba…..I used to stay up and listen to Rodney Bingenheimer “ Rodney on the Roq” on Sunday evenings when I was a kid. He always played the coolest bands and featured the latest vinyl efforts by all sorts of alternative acts. When he came out with a compilation album of his favorite bands, the Adolescents “Amoeba” was one of the songs. I immediately loved it for the catchy chorus and interestingly unique lyrical topic……an amoeba with a conscience crawling through a phone to get you. Casey the drummer was/is a very cool character that among other things went on to form D.I……another cool band.
Circle Jerks – Question Authority…..Another powerhouse in the Los Angeles/Orange County scene throughout the 1980’s. Keith was a whirlwind on stage and enjoyed messing with the audience. The guitarist Greg Hetson, who later joined Bad Religion, was an avid hockey fan so it was cool to see him at the old Forum in L.A. watching the Kings games. B.G. (before Gretzky) you could get a ticket for $5.00 with a student I.D……yeah, five bucks….now parking is $15.00.
Dead Kennedys – We’ve got a bigger problem now…..wow what could I possibly say about this band that would still be understated…..Jello Biafra was one of a kind. They didn’t break the mold with him….they fucking burned it. Fantastic musicianship. Rock solid but insanely bizarre stage presence. Thought provoking, professionally layered song writing. Man, let me tell you they were fun to watch. Between songs at a show that I attended he was rambling on about President Ronald Reagan and Jerry Brown and Alexander Haig….to a vast sea of young, punk kids…..and just before they began the next song he grabbed a tin can, crunched it up and threw it into the audience and said something like...“ hand grenades like they threw at the Viet Cong. “ The line wasn’t particularly hilarious but HOW he threw the can made me almost piss my pants with laughter…..he threw it like a fucking girl! The visual was something I’ll never forget. Long, serious political rant to a bunch of snot nosed kids….and then cap it off with a predictably, yet flamboyantly feminine toss was priceless. Also, the best band name ever in my humble opinion
FU's – Daisy Chain…..Another fantastic, powerful Boston area band. I was never fortunate enough to see them live, but I liked their songs on the “This is Boston, not L.A. “compilation and bought the “Kill for Christ “album. Pushead’s cover art was always a bonus.
State of Alert (S.O.A) – Stepping Stone Party…..A song off of the “Flex Your Head” compilation from a band that I thought sounded straight forward and hard. Turned out that the lead singer Henry went on the move to Los Angeles to join Black Flag. Their single’s cover had the band shot of them performing….the cool thing was that on the second pressing someone drew the Black Flag bars on Henry’s bicep. I never knew if it was out of fun or spite.
Toxic Reasons – Riot Squad…..Their e.p. “Independence” was a pleasure to listen to and learn from when I was a young kid. Their meaningful lyrics and piston-like music was/is inspiring. On the back cover of this album is a great statement that reads…..” People always try to label this music by calling it “punk’ or “new music”. I prefer to think of it as “do it yourself’ music. The groups often sleep on the floors of friends and fans. They play clubs for shit wages. They realize that the only difference between them and their fans is that they got up on stage. They have an important message to deliver, “take responsibility for yourself”……very cool.