One of the most powerful bands to emerge from the cinders of punk... one of the most powerful bands ever. Greg Ginn, a madman and a thorough disciple of the guitar, brought this band into being in 1977 in the depths of L.A. outside of the reaches of the excesses of the '70s. He'd had enough of the "California" sound of the Eagles, the over-production of Steely Dan and ELO. It was time to create a new sound. Fueled by the simplicity and immediacy of the Ramones first album, he pulled together a small group of people who could barely play their instruments and began a pattern of musical deconstruction that exploded on a brand new scene that was just beginning to form. Controversy and opposition were the bedfellows of the band from the beginning: the law were not welcoming the emergence of the punk scene on the west coast. The fact that Black Flag survived those first four years was amazing in its own right. Singers kept quitting, occasionally during shows. But the band persevered, even acting in an instrumental capacity in between singers. It became common during these periods for people to jump on stage and act as the stand-in vocalist for the band. Dez Cadena, 1980-1983 The band finally settled into a stable unit with Ginn on guitar, Chuck Dukowski on bass, Robo on drums, and Dez Cadena as the permanent vocalist. It was with this line-up that Black Flag first ventured out on its first US tours. By December of 1980, the band was making its way across the USA for the first time. They played their first dates in New York City and Washington D.C. In the audience at each show were D.C. youths Ian MacKaye and Henry Garfield. They spoke to the band and ended up hanging out with them. Flag came east again during the summer of 1981. It was at a show in New York City that Henry ended up getting on stage and singing with the band for one song. Unbeknownst to Henry, Dez had been wanting to give up the mic to move over to rhythm guitar. Jumping on stage to sing left an impression on the band, so they ended up calling Henry back to NYC from D.C. and asked him to 'jam' with the band. After taking the train ride up and practicing with the band for a few hours, the others talked it over and decided that Henry would be the new vocalist. He quit his job, sublet his apartment, sold nearly everything he owned, and joined the band on tour several days later. This line up only lasted until their tour of England in late 1981, but long enough to record the first album, Damaged. Ian and Henry, 1982 Interview during the Damaged sessions, 1981 Dukowski, Rollins, Cadena, Ginn It was after their tour of the UK that they lost long time drummer Robo. Bill Stevenson of the Descendents filled in for a show or two, but a succession of replacement drummers (including future Danzig drummer Chuck Biscuits) came before he took over as the full time drummer. Flag were kept from releasing a sophomore album due to legal difficulties with the label that were originally scheduled to release Damaged. SST had taken it upon themselves to release the album themselves once MCA (in charge of distributing the Unicorn label) deemed it "An Anti-Parent Record" and unsuitable for corporate release. By doing so themselves, however, they violated a contract and wound up with thousands in legal bills andinjunctions against them for the next two years. Despite this, they released a compilation of formerly unreleased takes without the Black Flag name and ended up in more legal troubles... it was determined to still be Black Flag. More bills. Rollins in action Dukowski, Rollins, Ginn, Chuck Biscuits, Cadena Fall, 1982 By the time My War was released in 1983, Stevenson was in, but Dukowski had left the group. Ginn performed bass duties himself for the recording of the album under the name Dale Nixon. Kira Roessler was brought in by the end of the year as the new bass player.1984 began an incredibly intense period of activity for the band. They released two albums that year, the split Family Man (half early Rollins spoken word, half Flag instrumentals), and the aggressive Slip It In. They toured insanely, going to great lengths to tour as many places in as little time as possible. Intensive tours into the depths of Europe and throughout the United States ensued. They even went to the length of playing three shows in three states in the space of 24 hours... lengths bands today will usually not go to. 1985 was even more active. Three album releases, including Loose Nut and In My Head interrupted by the instrumental Process of Weeding Out. Soon after, Stevenson and then Kira left the band. Kira, 1985 Rollins, 1985 Anthony Martinez and C'el were taken on as the new drummer and bass player respectively and another shakedown of the United States was undertaken. Also on the bill were groups Painted Willie and the Ginn led instrumental trio Gone (including future Rollins Band rhythm section Simeon Cain and Andrew Weiss.) The three legs of the tour were probably the most ambitious touring of their career. It would also be their last. In mid-1986, Ginn called the members of the band and told them he was quitting Black Flag. So ended the near ten year career of one of the most dynamic bands to come out of punk. Ginn concentrated on running SST Records. A year later, the Rollins Band had already begun touring.

Disconnected (DC),originally from Bandung Indonesia,somewhere in south-east Asia, came into existence in 1998. The original members Arie (voc/guitar), Yudha (Bass) and Decil (Drums) followed their dreams to become rock stars and began playing at their local junior high school. That dream eventually led to the formation of "DISCONNECTED" or just "DC" for short. The name was actually taken from the title of a song by an american punk band, Face to Face. There was no special reason for taking this name. It just sounded good. Like their music.In the beginning DC played covers from some of their favourite bands including, Gigantor, Kill Rays, Face to Face and Blink 182. It took the addition of two more members PJ (guitar/voc) and Dea (Synth), in 2000, before they began to experiment and write their own music. This experimentation led to their combining punk with elements of electronic and trance music to create their own unique style. With their own music in hand they began playing a wider range of venues and released their first album "Inside Out." They also had a number of singles featured on compilations released by a local, independent record company. In 2003 continued to produce they're own music and rogressively develop new material. They keep on pushing on and keep rocking every stage that they play.We're back on may 2006 with Stay low and keep those feet moving.EP released by Heaven Records.And Discopukhead had been released in April 2007.

It was all started in 1998. Our strongest line up are: Al Kautsar (vocal), Aska Pratama (guitar/vocal), Bisma Aria Nugraha (bass), Rizky Fadli (guitar), Khrisna a.k.a Ozom (Drums). First was our all time favorites; the 80s new wave acts; The Cure, Alphaville, OMD, Nena, Culture Club, Cyndi Lauper, Duran-Duran, The Police, Joy Division etc. Second were what in our CD player recently; Pulley, Lagwagon, Weezer, Pearl Jam, NOFX, Pennywise, Reggie & The Full Effects, etc. We have 8 compilations and 2 full albums, now were preparing for our 3rd album. Our first album Soundtrack For Your Life was putting out by Off The Records (an independent label from our hometownBandung) which has been sold more than 20.000 copies, and our 2nd album (Ras Bebas) now in major debut with Sony/BMG Indonesia and recently it was sold about 45.000 copies.

Weve been on skatepark tour all year with VOLCOM Indonesia, and play high school/college shows as many as possible. Weve also opened Skin Of Tears show (punk rock from Germany). Anyhow, we are sponsored by the greatest skate/surf companies ever, Volcom and Electric.

Actually it was like laying a big bet for playing punk rock music here and try to make a living out of it. Playing in a punk rock band or being a part of the (so-called) cutting edge is a super hard job. We have to try super hard to convince corporate people who have the money that we can add values to their business. Somehow, in the early days, the kids still feel strange to what we play. But we believe that we can pass this test and have a big smile in the end. Finally, after constant powering up grassroots activities, local TV, MTV Indonesia and radio are starting to recognize us and airplay our things. Thanks for the early believers.

Anyhow big promoters with big capitals finally tried to call off big rock shows, so many great bands had been rocking here (Indonesia) : Metallica, Green Day, Himsa, Sonic Youth, Beastie Boys, Sepultura, Foo Fighters, Ingrowing, Napalm Death, The (International) Noise Conspiracy, etc. Kids are starting to dig it and so our things can get more and more attention. Somehow, we dont care to what people going to say about us, even in the hard days. We just play to what we love and what we believe. It has been 8 years now, and we have never regret for our starting the band.

First thing first; we always write songs that come from our heart and try our best to describe us (as a band) in our original way. And we think its important to keep it simple so that more and more people can understand on what we stand for. We always try to consistently humble to all people: fans, corporate people, and media people. We always let them know that are trying to we speak their language and treat them as good as we want them to treat us. We need people to know that we always play music with honest and we dont do the regular rock star fuck you attitude (coz we have our own fuck you attitude way). We have fuck yous in a safe mode, just to let people know that we believe in our things.

Our recent goal was big, hairy and scary; we want to change the face of music industry in our country. Were trying to write down the path for newer bands that they can reach their dreams if they work for it. Its like providing an intellectual property so that new young creative bands with hard work attitude wont reinventing the wheel. We would like to see more kids start to wear band tshirt, start to skate and believe on their passion to live their own things. Its important to see kids which getting into more creative hype and do their best for their life and gives something back to their community. Thats what great American bands do for a living, and it inspires us so much.

Judging from their name, Suicidal Tendencies were never afraid of a little controversy. Formed in Venice, CA, during the early '80s, the group's leader from the beginning was outspoken vocalist Mike Muir. The outfit specialized in vicious hardcore early on -- building a huge following among skateboarders, lending a major hand in the creation of skatepunk -- before turning their focus eventually to thrash metal. Early on, the group (whose original lineup included Muir, guitarist Grant Estes, bassist Louiche Mayorga, and drummer Amery Smith) found it increasingly difficult to book shows, due to rumors of its members' affiliation with local gangs and consistent violence at their performances. The underground buzz regarding Suicidal Tendencies grew too loud for labels to ignore though, as the quartet signed on with the indie label Frontier; issuing Muir and company's classic self-titled debut in 1983. The album quickly became the best-selling hardcore album up to that point; its best-known track, "Institutionalized," was one of the first hardcore punk videos to receive substantial airplay on MTV, and was eventually used in the Emilio Estevez cult classic movie Repo Man, as well as in an episode for the hit TV show Miami Vice (for which the group made a cameo appearance).

Suicidal Tendencies proved influential for future speed/thrash metal bands, but despite its early success, the quartet's reputation preceded them, as no other record label was willing to take them on (in addition, Los Angeles banned the group from playing around this time, lasting until the early '90s). Not much was heard from the group for several years afterward (leading many to believe that Suicidal had broken up), but Muir and company eventually found a home with Caroline Records. By this time, half of the original lineup had left; Muir and Mayorga were the only holdovers, while guitarist Rocky George and drummer R.J. Herrera rounded out the group. 1987 saw the release of Suicidal's sophomore release, Join the Army, which spawned another popular skatepunk anthem, "Possessed to Skate," as more and more metal heads began to be spotted in Suicidal's audience. Soon after, Suicidal was finally offered a major-label contract (with Epic), as another lineup change occurred: Mayorga exited the band, while newcomer Bob Heathcote took his spot; and a second guitarist, Mike Clark, was added as well. This Suicidal lineup's first album together, 1988's How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can't Even Smile Today, showed that their transformation from hardcore to heavy metal was now complete, as did a compilation of two earlier EPs, 1989's Controlled by Hatred/Feel Like Shit...Dj Vu.

Suicidal's first release of the new decade, 1990's Lights, Camera, Revolution, was another success; its video for the explosive "You Can't Bring Me Down" received repeated airings on MTV's Headbanger's Ball program, while the album (in addition to the Controlled by Hatred comp) would be certified gold in the U.S. a few years later. The release also signaled the arrival of new bassist Robert Trujillo, whose penchant for funk added a new element to the group's sound. The group tried to broaden their audience even further by opening a string of arena shows for prog-metallists Queensrche during the summer of 1991. Their next release, 1992's The Art of Rebellion, proved to be one of Suicidal's most musically experimental albums of their career. Muir and Trujillo also teamed up around this time for a funk metal side project, Infectious Grooves (including several other participants, such as Jane's Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins) and issued a debut release, The Plague That Makes Your Booty Move. Upset that the group's classic debut had been out of print for several years by this point, Muir decided to re-record the entire record with Suicidal's '90s lineup under the title of Still Cyco After All These Years.

But after one more release, 1994's Suicidal for Life, Suicidal Tendencies decided to hang it up. A pair of compilations were issued in 1997: a best-of set, Prime Cuts, plus Friends & Family. Muir and Trujillo continued to issue further Infectious Grooves releases (Sarsippius' Ark and Groove Family Cyco), in addition to Muir pursuing a solo career under the alias of Cyco Miko (Lost My Brain Once Again) and Trujillo touring and recording as part of Ozzy Osbourne's solo band (appearing on Osbourne's 2001 release, Down to Earth). Muir formed a new version of Suicidal Tendencies in the late '90s (with Clark being the only other familiar face), resulting in such further studio releases as 1999's Freedumb and 2000's Free Your Soul and Save My Mind. Muir and Trujillo joined forces once more for a fourth Infectious Grooves studio release in 2000, Mas Borracho; while another Cyco Miko release surfaced, Schizophrenic Born Again Problem Child, along with a follow-up up to their earlier compilation, Friends & Family, Vol. 2. Now the band will be back with their new album soon......

LIFE OF AGONY, a name not easily forgotten. There was always something unique and interesting about this band that has kept fans enthralled for over a decade. Whether it was the intensity of their live performances or the haunting melodies & lyrical content, this group radiated a passion and emotion that struck a chord in the hearts of misunderstood youth all over the world. Perhaps, it was the underlying message of strength, hidden within the group's tales of despair that made such an impact on people. For most listeners, understanding that the songs came from a genuine place, based on actual experiences made the message really hit home, that they were not alone.

New York's crossover legends LIFE OF AGONY spawned in the summer of 1989, tearing through the underground scene with an undeterred aggression, obtaining a loyal and devoted cult audience in the process. The outfit caught Roadrunner Record's eye and the band quickly signed to the independent label. The band recruited longtime friend and producer Josh Silver (of the platinum-selling goth/metal act Type O Negative) to guide them, creating the now classic, debut album, 1993's "River Runs Red." The band toured relentlessly for years building a die-hard fanbase. With each following record, 1995's "Ugly" and 1997's "Soul Searching Sun" the group seemed to morph and evolve, using different approaches and textures while never losing sight of the distinct elements that made them who they were. LOA toured with the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Korn, Limp Bizkit, System of a Down and Incubus with great success in support of their 3 studio efforts.

The LOA band members had been good friends since early childhood, and remained as closely knit as a family. Like all families do, they shared internal problems and conflicts from time to time. Unfortunately, the group ended up imploding over a series of decisions involving member changes, personal issues and differences in musical direction. Original drummer Sal Abruscato exited in 1995 and lead vocalist Keith Caputo left the group in 1997. Remaining members, guitarist Joey Z and bassist Alan Robert, struggled to rekindle the fire that once drove the group by collaborating with new players, but finally decided to call it quits in 1999.

For just two nights, January 3rd and 4th of 2003, the magic happened again. LOA announced a one-time only reunion show, with all four original members together again on stage for the first time since 1995. After the first date sold out in under 20 minutes, a second show was announced to ensure that more fans would get a chance to witness the historic occasion. Ask bassist Alan Robert his thoughts on the reunion and he will tell you, "After all we've been through together, it's apparent that we have a rare and special chemistry that cannot be duplicated." Guitarist Joey Z states, "We always did what we did because we are fans of the music first." LIFE OF AGONY was a cornerstone of the New York heavy music scene, respected by peers and fans alike. The group cites collective influences as diverse as Radiohead, Metallica, Pink Floyd, and Black Sabbath. While you can hear those various influences in LIFE OF AGONY, you can hear touches of LOA in some of today's more popular bands.

January 3rd & 4th 2003, not only marked a turning point for this influential band, but their reunion shows have opened the door to a whole new chapter in the LOA saga. LIFE OF AGONY, who have long been considered, as gone but not forgotten, are back as a force to be reckoned with. The future of the group looks bright, as the band members are very excited to be playing and writing together again. The problems that the band experienced which lead to their demise seem to be rectified. LOA have been toured throughout 2003-4 in support of their SPV Records double-live album/DVD release "River Runs Again: Live 2003," and hit the studio to record their full-length studio album, Broken Valley at the end of 2004.

The latest LIFE OF AGONY album was released through Epic Records on June 14th 2005. The record features tracks such as "Love To Let You Down", "The Day He Died" and Wicked Ways, commemorating their triumphant return.

To learn more or to donate, visit www.myspace.com/builtonrespect or www.BuiltOnRespect.com. New York had the Ramones. Los Angeles has PENNYWISE, the most significant hardcore band to emerge from SoCal punk’s second wave. As it celebrates it 20th anniversary, the Hermosa Beach band is doing things its own way, taking on a brave new world by linking up with MySpace Records and offering its latest album, REASON TO BELIEVE free to fans for two weeks. Starting on March 25, P-Dub fans can grab a high-quality download of the Cameron Webb-produced, 14-track album, arguably the band’s fiercest record in a decade. Not surprising from a band that has always forged its own destiny, it’s an Internet first--marking the first time a U.S. record label has provided an artist with the opportunity to offer a new album free of charge and the first time MySpace has offered a full album download with a worldwide push.

PENNYWISE formed in 1988, when punk couldn’t be less popular and hair bands were a sign o’ the times. Its four members quickly developed a style entirely their own--a tsunami of California hardcore, melodic surf punk and optimistic anthems that went against the seek-and-destroy ethos of its era. PENNYWISE garnered a nationwide following through constant touring--they’ve done the Vans Warped Tour so many times they’ve got permanent road rash--as well as numerous snowboard, skate and surf videos. After nine albums, PENNYWISE is best-known for its pounding rant “Fuck Authority,” searing soul-searcher “Alien,” and their ode to brotherhood, “Bro Hymn,” an autobiographical song that pays tribute to its founding bass player, Jason Thirsk, who committed suicide in 1996. Currently, the new single “The Western World” is the most requested song on KROQ 106.7, L.A.’s No. 1 modern rock station and already in heavy rotation.

Despite the early loss of Thirsk, the union of vocalist JIM LINDBERG, guitarist FLETCHER DRAGGE and drummer BYRON McMACKIN, high school friends from Hermosa, ran too deep to quit while they were ahead and they signed on bassist RANDY BRADBURY and continued putting out albums that went straight for the American jugular--politically-charged, culturally relevant, unflinchingly honest and consummately independent.

Among the band’s studio albums are its eponymous Epitaph debut (1991) and 1993’s Unknown Road, which revealed the full potency of what they had to offer. Before recording its third album in early 1995, PENNYWISE was hit up by the majors. It was, after all, hot on the heels of the “year punk broke,” but the band stayed true to its roots and remained on SoCal’s independent Epitaph Records. The resulting album, About Time, remains till this day one of the greatest punk records of all time. By 1996, when PENNYWISE was recording its fourth album, Thirsk took time off to deal with alcohol addiction but tragically, he never came back. He died July 29, 1996, eight years after the band’s inception. The albums that followed--Full Circle (1997), Straight Ahead (1999), Land of the Free (2001), From the Ashes 2003 and The Fuse (2005)--revealed a band that just got harder and more political over time, as the world of music got softer and less interested.

With REASON TO BELIEVE, hardcore fans and newcomers alike will see first hand that punk bands may come and go, but Pennywise is forever.

Gorilla Biscuits was a New York straight edge hardcore punk band on Revelation Records. Gorilla Biscuits all started out when Arthur met Civ because they were both living in New York and going to the same high school. They were both into hardcore from hearing Agnostic Front. They got into it and started going to shows at CBGB's on the weekends. This was where they met people like Ray Cappo and Porcell.

Walter wanted to start a band and asked Civ to sing. Civ had no interest in singing and always had to face the floor or wall while doing it. The guys from Token Entry hooked them up with a show and needed to know the name of the band. The drug of choice in their neighborhood were these big ludes which people called "gorilla biscuits" because they were so huge, mainly meaning "ape shit". They were just going to call themselves that until they changed it, but it pretty much stuck.

The start was kind of rough. They made crappy demo tapes which included the song "Slut", on it. They were cheap tapes bought at a dollar store which had no cases, so they just cut and pasted some stuff onto a piece of paper and copied them. The first shirts were blue with a gorilla riding a skateboard. they were done using a black magic marker and a ink blotter. At the first Gorilla Biscuits show Civ wore camo pants and a green hooded sweatshirt.

Later, Jordan Cooper, the front man of Revelation Records, who then lived in CT, put out a Gorilla Biscuits 7" which later became a hardcore hit along with other hardcore classics. The almighty G.B. then toured the States and Europe twice. The first time they went to Europe they were getting spit on and stuff thrown at them. By the second time they went there a straight-edge scene had started and it was better. On their final U.S. tour, Start Today, had just hit stores two days before. It was great for the band. Sadly enough, they played their last show later that year in Buffalo, New York. Now pretty much all the members are in CIV. Civ now owns a tattoo studio in New York City and is also the singer for CIV. Walter went on to form Quicksand and after that helped produce CIV's first album, Quicksand has recently gotten back together. Arthur went to CIV also.

Guitarist Walter Schreifels' later musical endeavors include Quicksand, Rival Schools, and Walking Concert. Civ became the singer for eponymic hardcore punk group CIV and is currently the owner of a Long Island tattoo studio called Lotus Tattoo.

The band played a reunion show on August 14, 2005 at CBGB in New York, New York as a benefit to save CBGB from financial problems.

In 2006, it was reported on Punknews.org that the band had plans to reissue their seminal recording, 'Start Today The album was originally released in 1989 and will be remastered and feature in depth liner notes written by Walter Schreifels, it will also feature a DVD of the CBGB's reunion show from August of 2005.

Also set for 2006 is a month-long reunion tour which will feature an exclusive 7-inch only available on tour stops.

Authority Zero originated in the sunny streets of Mesa, AZ in the the summer of 1994. Originally made up of Jason DeVore (vocals), Bill Marcks (guitar/vocals), Jeremy Wood (bass/vocals), and Jim Wilcox (drums), the four comprised the exotic punk sound that became Authority Zero. Initially starting off as a five-piece with rhythm guitarist Jerry Douglas, they soon became a four piece after Douglas moved on in 1999 to pursue service in the Air Force, though remained an integral part of the Authority Zero family. Over the course of the '90s, the band eagerly pushed its sound, playing countless house parties, colleges, and club shows in and around Arizona. Their live show and energy on stage quickly drew comparisons to that of Rage Against the Machine, and the local independent record store Zia Records caught on. In 2001, Zia issued Authority Zero's debut, self-titled EP " Patches In Time ". College radio, as well as main local Indie station The Edge 106.3 immediately jumped on the band, as the heavy drive of "One More Minute" and "Sky's the Limit" became moderate hits played in heavy rotation. That same year, Authority Zero scaled back on the riveting metal-like sound for structured hard rock that accented the band's multi-cultural backgrounds and diverse musical tastes. Atlantic's label sibling Lava signed Authority Zero within months of the Authority Zero EP becoming Zia's best-selling release. The band's full-length debut, A Passage in Time , appeared in fall 2002, containing nods to influences like Bad Religion , Dick Dale , Manu Chao , and Sublime . Tours with Guttermouth and H2O followed, spending time on the Warped Tour as well, and as the word-of-mouth buzz continued to spread, the band found itself having to play local shows under various alias in order to stay close to their hometown scene. Writing their next album in the span of a month, the band returned in 2004 with the culturally diverse and Latin-flavored , produced by Ryan Greene ( Lagwagon , Strung Out ). Subsequent touring and their deal with Lava done, the live acoustic Rhythm and Booze appeared in June 2006 on Suburban Noize. Authority Zero returned in late January 2007 with the faster skatepunk sounds of , again with production by Greene during which time Wood exited and the band. The group carried on with a temporary replacement before bringing in old friend from the Arizona music scene Dean Farmer who became the permanent bassist to date. In late fall of 2008, original guitarist William Marcks also decided it was time for him to retire due to the lack of time and ability to focus on family as well as to further his education. It was then that Authority Zero brought in another old time friend and fellow local AZ musician Zach Vogel on lead guitar. Through ups and downs, trial and error, and above all the desire to succeed and play to their dedicated friends and fans throughout the world, Authority Zero has overcome and pressed on with a vengance. With the power house four piece re-established, and having just having returned from a west coast tour with So-Cal punk legends Pennywise, they are gearing up to hit the road once again for the Jagermeifter tour featuring Pennywise and Island Reggae Rock outfit Pepper this Spring of 09'. More determined than ever, Authority Zero is back in the studio hammering away on their fifth full length album which is set for release in the fall of 09'. Authority Zero having been through hell and high water, is in full force and ready to take on the world.

Dog Eat Dog made its big breakthrough in 1994 with the hit single No Fronts and the album All Boro Kings. The story behind Dog Eat Dog started a little earlier though...

Dog Eat Dog has actually been around since 1990, when Dave Neabore and Sean Kilkenny decided to form a band of their own after previously playing in another band called Mucky Pup. A short while later Dave and Sean were accompanied by John Connor who was to act as the voice of the band and Dan Nastasi, who would play the second guitar. Besides these four guys, Dog Eat Dog went through a whole list of drummers, before finally being joined by Brandon Finley, who remains the drummer of the band today.

In 1993, after signing with Roadrunner Records, Dog Eat Dog released their first EP called Warrant. The EP was, as a joke, named after the band Warrant, who had just released an album called Dog Eat Dog. The release of the Warrant EP made it possible for the band to tour the Eastcoast of the US and their first overseas tour, supporting the Bad Brains in the U.K. and 7 Seconds & Big Drill Car in Europe.

Things really started rolling with the release of the All Boro Kings album in 1994. After the release of this successful album, which eventually sold more than 500,000 copies, Dog Eat Dog went for a second European tour supporting Biohazard together with Downset. Besides the hit single No Fronts the album featured classic Dog Eat Dog songs, such as Who's the King?, Pull My Finger and If These Are The Good Times. The album and hit single, produced by the late Jam Master Jay, resulted in Dog Eat Dog winning an MTV Europe video music award in 1995 for breakthrough artist, beating Alanis Morisette, Portishead and Weezer in the process.

In between touring just about the whole world, Dog Eat Dog went back into the studio in 1996 to record their second full length album. Play Games as it was named, saw them working together with such esteemed artists as The RZA from The Wutang Clan and Ronnie James Dio from Black Sabbath. The new album contained famous tracks like Rocky, Isms and Step Right In. With the release of Play Games, Dog Eat Dog went on doing what they do best: touring and playing live shows! During this very successful time, they found themselves playing with bands such as Rage Against The Machine, No Doubt, Sepultura, as well as HUGE acts like Ozzy, KISS, and Metallica.

In 1999, after three years of touring, Dog Eat Dog went back into the recording studio to make their third album Amped. The album contained the hit single Expect The Unexpected as well as other popular songs, such as Get Up and Whateverman. This third album saw the band trying out new music styles, including reggae and funk mixed with hip hop and punk. A short while after the release of the first single, Dog Eat Dog split with their record label, Roadrunner Records, having been disappointed by their support of the band and the new album.

Never a band that gives up, Dog Eat Dog continued doing what they do best, playing live. From 1999 until 2004, Dog Eat Dog toured through Europe and Asia, with several tours each year. So far the band has played in 38 countries and counting! In 2006, the band released their fourth album. The new CD, titled "Walk With Me", is out now on Wanted Records. Dog Eat Dog are playing the new songs, such as M.I.L.F., ESB, Walk With Me and Undivided along with all their classic hits at European festivals and club dates this Spring / Summer 2008. Dog Eat Dog is back, so Expect the Unexpected!

The Soulfly tribe is once again on the warpath.

Soulfly's sixth offering for Roadrunner Records, Conquer, may very well be the musical equivalent of the movie Braveheart. The songs – much like the warriors in the film - channel raw, unbridled rage through a cacophony of thrash guitars, infectious grooves, tribal polyrhythms and Max Cavalera’s unmistakable, thunderous roar. On this record, Soulfly unleash a metallic mayhem unlike anything they’ve done previously. Conquer shifts from unrelenting, precise speed metal to slow, brooding doom. Marc Rizzo’s lead guitar rips with the precision of a smart bomb, while Bobby Burns grinds out volatile, chest-caving bass lines. Drummer Joe Nunez crushes behind the kit, forging a rhythmic background for all-out sonic war. Once again, it’s the legendary Max Cavalera who stands at the eye of the storm, uniting the musical tribe and acting as its unofficial leader. His voice and guitar command the tribe into battle with each line and riff. Grab your war paint and prepare for the onslaught.

Since their Gold-certified, self-titled debut in 1997, Soulfly have remained one of metal’s most consistently brutal outfits. From the moment Max Cavalera left Sepultura to form Soulfly, he’s remained prolific. Four critically acclaimed albums and numerous world tours followed Soulfly’s now-classic debut. In 2007, Max once again partnered with his brother Iggor in Cavalera Conspiracy, releasing Inflikted in 2008 while Soulfly wrote and recorded Conquer. Produced by Max and mixed by Andy Sneap (Machine Head, Arch Enemy), Conquer spans a violent spectrum. Max comments, “After Cavalera Conspiracy, I wanted to write a stronger, uncompromised statement with Soulfly. What I [did] on this album is what I was aiming for. This is the Soulfly album that I’ve been trying to make for a long time.” That’s evident from the calculated rage and bludgeoning grooves that define songs like “Enemy Ghost” and “Rough.” With Conquer, Soulfly take no prisoners. Max explains, “It’s definitely Soulfly’s most battle-ready record by far. The vibe reminds me of movies like Gladiator and 300. It comes from a completely different place.” The assault kicks off from the first note of “Blood Fire War Hate”, and it doesn’t stop until the end of closing instrumental, “Soulfly VI”, which is a time-honored tradition the marks the close of each Soulfly album. Starting with “Blood Fire War Hate”, Max made a conscious decision to come out of the gates with all guns blazing, proclaiming, "I'm excited to open the record with a fast song. Usually Soulfly albums begin mid-tempo, but this reminds me of Beneath the Remains. This song also has one of the biggest hooks I’ve ever done. I can close my eyes and picture huge festival crowds singing it. When the fast part comes in, it’s just war.”

Soulfly’s previous albums featured guest appearances by notables, including Chino Moreno of Deftones, Sean Lennon, and Slipknot's Corey Taylor over the years. In the spirit of that collaborative tradition, Conquer sees Max with Throwdown’s Dave Peters on the standout track, “Unleash”, and with Morbid Angel’s David Vincent on “Blood Fire War Hate.” On “Unleash”, Peters and Max create a corrosive chorus that isn’t easily forgotten. Max says, “It’s the closest thing I’ve done to Pantera. Dave put some killer lyrics to the music. The fast part at the end is my favorite part on the album.” Firing off a throat-slicing riff and catchy hook, “Unleash” impacts like a wrecking ball. About working with underground metal hero Vincent, Max exclaims, “His screaming on that song was off the wall! To work with David was a trip. The song’s a full assault, and it feels really natural. It’s got that uncompromising attitude.”

Conquer’s cover artwork inspired the title and the picture holds a special significance for Max. “Usually, album titles are inspired by something else, like a movie,” he reveals. “The first sketch the artist sent me was amazing. It depicted this crazy guy with six arms holding six weapons. Each weapon represented one of our records. When I got the image, the word Conquer just came to me.” More importantly, Conquer is a personal statement for Max and of course, has a deeper meaning meant to be explored by the listener. “To me, it’s not about conquering the world. My statement on the record is conquering fear. If you conquer your fear, you conquer life and death. You’re truly free when you conquer your fear. So that’s why this name means so much,” he finishes.

Soulfly is truly a world music-inspired collective and the writing and recording process often sees Cavalera globetrotting for atypical inspiration. For Soulfly’s fifth album, Dark Ages, saw Max travel to five locations to record, but for Conquer, a trip to Egypt was all he needed. He says, “I like to mix cultures. The other Soulfly albums were more Eastern European-flavored. Sepultura was more Brazilian. Egypt has a big chunk of influence on Conquer. We visited ‘The City of the Dead’ while we were in Egypt. It’s a cemetery where families still live near their dead. That was crazy, creepy and wild. I didn’t know the Cairo trip was going to affect the album as much as it did.” The eerie, tribal outro of “For Those About to Rot” was a direct result of the trip, as Max recorded it live by the Nile. It’s a strange transition that heightens the musical tension. “By the Nile River, there was this crazy gypsy band playing killer music,” Cavalera recalls. “I happened to have my recorder so I recorded them and made an interlude out of their performance. It felt so authentic to have that outro—like old Sepultura. I’d rather the record sounds live than use a sound library from the Internet. That outro is subtle. I've been making records for so long, and I finally found the perfect balance between brutality and experimentation.” Therefore, Conquer is a truly organic sonic experience.

Max also sculpted a head-spinning trip into psychedelic metal territory with “Touching the Void”. Stretching past the seven-minute mark, the song oozes classic Sabbath sludge, while incorporating entrancing dub flourishes. For Max, that track’s extremely important. “Honestly, it’s a thank you to Black Sabbath for being Black Sabbath. It’s slow doom metal,” he says. On the track, Max also collaborated with French dub artist Fedayi Pacha. Of the experience, Max says, “Fedayi makes dark, really heavy dub—completely different from commercial dub. He did the outro for ‘Touching the Void,’ and he played a lot of weird instruments. Those little things definitely make this song special when you listen to it.”

In the end, Conquer, just like every note of music he’s ever produced, comes from Cavalera’s heart. He eschews studio trickery and computerized flourishes in favor of straightforward instrumentation and real world experimentation. “I do this for the love of music,” he says. “We could use the tools of the market to make a commercial record and sell more, but I wouldn’t be as happy inside. I made the choice, and we aren’t going down the easy road. We’re going down the fucked up road, but that’s the road that we know.”

With that sincerity, there’s no doubt that Max and company will conquer all roads ahead.

Legendary Hardcore/Thrash titans, AGNOSTIC FRONT, are back with another testament to the bands flawless legacy! Recorded at the now infamous Planet Z Studios in Hadley Massachusetts by Zeuss (Hatebreed, Shadows Fall), Warriors is the yet another landmark in hardcore’s history. Produced this time around by vocalist Roger Miret’s little brother, Freddy Cricien (Madball, Hazen Street), the bands message of family and unity has never come across stronger in their music. Warriors is a statement of strength in the face of adversity and few bands make a statement louder than AGNOSTIC FRONT.
In today’s civilization, people continue to suffer undergoing the grief, corruption, oppression and exploitation without a way to elude their troubles. Many have lived through these problems for ages, and the moment one tries to fight for what they believe is right, the elite brings them down and their voices are disregarded. For over a decade, AGNOSTIC FRONT has helped get these messages across to the populace to help solve these problems through socially driven music known as “hardcore.” In their latest offering, the band gives power and strength to these ignored voices. As one of the original hardcore bands that lived and breathed the problems that controlled their everyday New York City lifestyle since 1983, they have been amongst the most venerable and notorious outcasts of this hardcore movement.
These rarely confronted and always respected leaders of hardcore were established as one of the meanest-sounding bands in the emerging punk genre, helping to initiate the term "hardcore," and placing an entire uproar on the New York map by association. From the start, AGNOSTIC FRONT released a catalogue of fast and violent punk tunes consisting of distinctive and aggressive drumming, bass work, and a non-stop barrage of chaotic shouting. AGNOSTIC FRONT’s uncontrollable drumming and fuming guitars fill every minute like an onrushing storm of flailing limbs and incinerating transistors. The heavier paced balance between the energy and discipline of their earlier punk roots strikes a taut and vivid rock barrage that moshes in close formation. "It's social politics," Roger states. "The day-to-day reality of waking up, reading the newspaper, and walking around the neighborhood. It's a hard stare on why the world is still one fucked-up place, and we tackle the very real shit that's going down: gentrification's running rampant, street justice, world destruction, working wages, and backs are still being stabbed."
Long outliving their now-legendary contemporaries like Minor Threat, SSD, Dead Kennedys and Black Flag, AGNOSTIC FRONT could easily live off their laurels, but their fight is yet over! Throughout their storied history, AGNOSTIC FRONT have been anything but a ravishing group of individuals living prosperously and content. In fact, the band is more akin to have experienced growing up in adverse streets, undergoing arduous times, serving time in prison, become inflicted with murdered friends, the list would go on perpetually. But while there are definite vestiges of the past affecting them, they manage to continue and expose the conflicts they had to undergo in a compellingly evocative approach by relating it to their views of the world today.
AGNOSTIC FRONT continues to be living embodiment that "hardcore for life" isn't an empty slogan or a musical dead end. No one is born with tattoos. No one's born hardcore. But when the ink or the music sets in, you're changed. Their latest offering reaffirms that AGNOSTIC FRONT as a band, still operates like a musical razor blade. Regardless of their history, the proof is simple: AGNOSTIC FRONT’s anthems are hard, cutting, and the remarkable music continues to broaden with every release. “We support UNITY! We despise ignorance and hatred within our scene. The only people we should be at war with is those who oppress us, not with each other. Unite! Fight the system! Not ourselves! Believe – Hardcore

After 5 years of struggling and making some demo-tapes, in 1995 Discipline signed to Lost&Found Records from Germany.
The 1st release was the 5-track “Stompin’ Crew EP” in the summer of 1995. This one was followed up by their 1st album “Guilty as Charged” in 1996. The reactions to this dynamite Streetcore-album were overwhelmingly positive and the guys did a lot of shows, including a european tour with The Business to promote this album all over Europe.
Early 1998 the “Bulldog Style”-album was released, also by L&F Records. On this record Discipline already tried to combine the best of both worlds: Oi meets Hardcore. This album was a huge success again in the underground scene. Through hard work, the band gained itself a reputation of doing very energetic liveshows.
But like always, there was also another side to the coin……The amount of violence and fights at shows was growing and after a while Discipline almost got crucified for that.
Luckily, after some time the air cleared and the negative publicity stopped.
Unfortunately the relationship between band and recordlabel went downhill. The band decided to leave and signed to I Scream Records from Belgium.

The first release on the new label was the “Nice Boys Finish last” album in 1999. With this release Discipline definitely earned herself a place at the top of the entire European Street Rock -scene. To promote this album Discipline did a few European tours again with the likes of Agnostic Front, Dropkick Murphy’s and US Bombs.
These Dutch thugs also managed to get this album released in the US by Too Damn Hype Records.

This record was followed by the “Love thy Neighbor” album towards the end of 2000. One month earlier the “Hooligans Heaven EP” was already released. This song turned out to be a true ‘hit-single’ in the underground-scene and to the Hardcore football crowd.
To promote the album, Discipline was part of the “UNITY-Tour 2000”, with the likes of Agnostic Front, Ignite, Shutdown and The Forgotten.

The summer of 2003 saw the release of the “Everywhere we Go” single. This song is another football-anthem and has proven to be a real classic by now!
A few months later 2 albums were released at almost the same time. First there was the release of the live-split album with long time brothers Agnostic Front from New York City and a few weeks later the long-awaited new full-length album “Saints & Sinners”.
To promote this album the boys were part of the first Eastpak Resistance tour in Europe and did their first US-tour with the likes of Dropkick Murphy’s, AF, Hatebreed and Murphy’s Law.

Early 2004 the lads hit the studio again to record 3 brandnew songs and 3 cover-versions for the split-CD with longtime mates Argy Bargy.
These new songs are the best they have ever done: 6 hardhitting, melodic songs with aggro and a hardcore beat!! “100% Thug Rock” was released through Captain Oi! records in march 2004. One of the new songs titled “Red & White Army” is already the Football-Anthem for 2004.
To promote this latest release the boys played at all major summer-events again and did many headlining clubshows.

Through lots of touring and doing shows, Discipline has earned herself a large crowd of loyal supporters all over Europe and the US. Besides having done many headlining tours, the band has also shared the stage with the likes of Agnostic Front, The Business, Cock Sparrer, Madball, Sick of it All, Dropkick Murphy’s, Cockney Rejects, Biohazard and Ignite. The last few years they managed to play at all the major European festivals like Dynamo Open Air, Graspop, Holidays in the Sun, With Full Force, Pressure-Fest, Punk&Disorderly, Vans Warped Tour and the European HC Parties!!

At the moment Discipline are writing new songs for their upcoming new album. European release-date: May 9th 2005.
Also new dates are being booked for 2005 including a 4 dates Finland-tour, a Spanish tour, Italian dates and our first visit ever to Russia and Bulgaria! Make sure to check our website for updates!!

NO SURRENDER!!

Discography:
Stompin’ Crew EP 7”single (1996, L&F)
Guilty as Charged CD (1996, L&F)
Stompin’ Crew EP MCD (1998, L&F)
Bulldog Style CD (1998, L&F)
Skinhead & Proud CD (1999, L&F)
Nice Boys Finish Last CD (1999, ISR)
Hooligans Heaven EP CDS (2000, ISR)
Love thy Neighbor CD (2000, ISR)
Everywhere we Go CDS (2002, ISR)
Working Class Heroes (live) CD (2002, ISR)
Saints & Sinners CD (2002, ISR)
Rejects of Society (Best of) CD (2003, Captain Oi!)
100% Thug Rock (split) CD (2004, Captain Oi!)

Discipline has also contributed exclusive tracks to compilations like “The Dutch HC tribute to the real Oi”, “Worldwide tribute to the real OI”, “Respect your Roots”. All I Scream Records full-length releases have also been released on vinyl by german Knock Out Records.

Hailing from Bandung, Indonesia, KUBIK is the brainchild of FX.ADAM.J and LUCIMERS, they were childhood friends who have the same musical taste. They are combining elements of darkwave, heavy metal and electronica. Their music has re-defined the alternative music scene, as it stated in local newspapers as a band who changed the face of Indonesias music in the mid-90s. With the release of their most anticipated album in 2004, Velvet Words And Lies, they got a great review from the fans and the music media. Velvet Words And Lies, is a beauty of vindictive bile, a self-inflicted bruise and with modern textures of electronic music they create dark rock songs that are brimming with soulful emotion. No matter how complex the instrumentation or how unusual the sounds are, the music makes the songs easily accessible and intensely enjoyable. 

2008 NEWS!!! : F.X. ADAM J currently joined with KOIL as their bass player and very much involved in backing vocal & sound engineer for Koil's new released album 'Blacklight Shines On'. As for Lusimers DeLuciva is now a housewife still working as makeup artist and created a drum n bass project with Homogenic's member Deena called Tranquility.

Pure Saturday, Indonesian indie darlings. Formed by Muhammad Suar Nasution (vocals, guitar), Ade Purnama (bass), Aditya "Adhi" Ardinugraha (guitar), Yudistira "Udhi" Ardinugraha (drums) and Arief Hamdani (guitar) in 1994, they were pioneers of the Bandung indie scene. Their self-titled debut album was released in 1996, the first 5000 copies of which were sold innovatively via mail-order through a teen magazine. The album was then available on wide distribution after the band signed with Ceepee Records. The single "Kosong" made them household names, with the artistic accompanying video gaining heavy rotation. 


Their more complex and challenging second album, Utopia, was released in 1999 through Aquarius Musikindo. Because of family and business reasons, Pure Saturday was mostly inactive for several years, culminating in Suar's departure in 2004. After unsuccessful auditions to find a suitable replacement vocalist, fate intervened one day when Satria "Iyo" NB, the band's manager, filled in during rehearsals. The guy they were looking for was there all along! 

With their new lead singer in tow, Pure Saturday released its long-awaited third album, Elora, in March 2005 through FastForward Records. 

This made it official: Pure Saturday was reborn and ready to rock again!!. 

" After releasing our last record "Time for a change...time to move on", we are now working on a project which involving Bandung iconic metal band "BURGERKILL". The project itself started few weeks ago, and yet still has a lot to work thru. The has been quite an amazing excitement..as well as a though challenge ever since we have to be able to cope with all the ego-matters and ideas..as we know that the 2 bands perform different kind of music style. What would it be in the end? Somehow there's no clue so far..one thing for sure: WE ARE INDEED TRYING TO MAKE A SOMETHING NEW..NOT COLLABORATING !!! JUST WAIT AND SEE. CHEERS. " 

-----------------------------------------------

DISCOGRAPHY

1996 

1997 

1998 
1999 

2001 
2004 
2005 

2007 Pure Saturday (Album)
Baccott Management distributed by Ceepee Production 
Indonesian Best Alternatives (Compilation Album)
Aquarius Musikindo 
Banga (Single Bandung)
Utopia (Album)
Aquarius Musikindo
Pathetic Waltz (Mini Album Bandung)
Buka (Single)
Elora (Album)
Labyrinth Records 
Time for a change..time to move on (Album)

HOMOGENIC was formed in 2002 while Risa and Dina were attending the same high school. Realizing they had high musical aspirations (and talent), Dina coaxed Risa to write songs about their adolescence. They tried to be honest about their potential and it never occurred to them to do covers. This came from their ideals of self-satisfaction and creativity. 

In the beginning, the band took a minimalist approach to song-writing, even with the beats and notes that infused their music. Equipped only with a keyboard, they were able to write several songs. The vocals were by Risa while Dina concentrated on arranging the music. Another aspect that set them apart from the other bands was their disinterest in performing on stage. Their reason was rather simple: the time wasn't right and they were far from ready to perform live. 

On how they came to be known as such, Homogenic is the title of an album and song by an artist with extraordinary talent - Bjork. Everyone knows her, and Bjork is one of their musical influences. Perhaps as a result of their indecision, they decided to take on the name. It has to be stressed, though, that while writing songs, never once did it occur to them to imitate Bjork's style or music. 

After graduating from high school, they recognized the need for a new stimulus. From a mutual friend's recommendation, Juang was roped in and he contributed the sounds of his sampling, looping and beats from a drum machine. Juang's involvement got them thinking of being more serious and the direction of their songs and lyrics. Their changing attitude towards music led them to create new compositions with pop and electronic influences, on top of soft and smooth vocals. By creating new atmospheres for their listeners, the band hoped to lull them into their world. They soon realised they had something good on their hands. 

HOMOGENIC began having renewed faith in their creations when they started to enjoy performing live. Realizing the need to entertain, they began to explore 'the art of performance' on stage and consciously developed a more serious image. They decided to integrate visual art with music in every performance. They worked tirelessly and patiently to learn and do everything with precision and feel they have managed to preserve something they consider very important: that their music is understood and accepted without any loss of ideals or vision. 

Yet nothing is ever perfect. Juang, with a heavy heart, unexpectedly expressed his desire to leave the group. Risa and Dina decided to continue and shortly after they met Dea, who helped complement their vision. Even though his position as an additional player was new, he could easily understand and enhance the group's music, so much so he became a permanent member. 
HOMOGENIC was in a new phase. After much exploration of the music world, they finished their first album in March, 2004. "Epic Symphony" was released with 12 of their best compositions, rewarding proof of their continuous hard work.

Bad Religion is an American punk rock band founded in Southern California in 1980 by Jay Bentley (bass), Greg Graffin (vocals), Brett Gurewitz (guitars) and Jay Ziskrout (drums). They are often credited for leading the revival of punk rock and inspiring punk rock bands[1][2][3][4] during the late 1980s, as well as influencing a large number of other punk and rock musicians throughout their career.[5] In the 29 years since its inception, Bad Religion has had numerous lineup changes, and Graffin has been the only constant member, although the band currently features three of the original four members.

To date, Bad Religion has released fourteen studio albums, two EPs, three compilation albums, one live recording, and two DVDs. Their 1988 album Suffer has been regarded by some critics as one of the most important punk rock albums of all time,[6][7][8] although it was not charted in Billboard. Bad Religion rose to fame with their 1993 album Recipe for Hate, which reached number 14 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart, marking the highest initial charting album in the band's career. Their next album, Stranger Than Fiction, featuring the band's well-known hit singles "21st Century (Digital Boy)" and "Infected", was also highly successful and became the only Bad Religion album to obtain gold status in the US. Following Gurewitz's departure in 1994, Bad Religion declined in popularity and poor record sales continued until the release of The New America in 2000. Gurewitz returned to the fold in 2001, making Bad Religion a six-piece band, and contributed to their three most recent albums. The band has discussed the possibility of recording their next studio album, which is expected to be released in 2010,[9] and will also mark the first time that a Bad Religion line-up had not changed in four consecutive studio recordings.

They are particularly known for their sophisticated use of style, metaphor, vocabulary, imagery, and vocal harmonies (which they refer to in their album liner notes as the "oozin aahs".) Lyrics are often reflective on matters of personal feelings or of personal or social responsibility.

History

[edit]
Formation and early career (1980–1982)

Bad Religion was formed in Los Angeles, California in 1980 by high school students Greg Graffin (vocals, keyboards), Jay Bentley (bass), Jay Ziskrout (drums), and Brett Gurewitz, also known as "Mr. Brett" (guitar). James O'Hanlon from New York filled in on guitar briefly as well while Brett was in the hospital with a broken leg. The band's major influences stemmed from earlier punk acts such as The Ramones, The Adolescents, Black Flag, The Germs, and The Sex Pistols. Outside of the punk scene, their influences ranged from Elvis Costello, The Jam, and Nick Lowe to authors like Jack Kerouac.[10] Greg Graffin called his influences "pop sounding rock tunes that were not necessarily commercial."[11]

In 1981, the band released their eponymous debut EP on the newly-formed label, Epitaph Records, which was and continues to be managed and owned by Gurewitz. 1982 saw the release of their first full-length album, How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, gaining the band a sizable following. During the recording of How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, Jay Ziskrout left the band and was replaced by Peter Finestone.

[edit]
Into the Unknown, Back to the Known and hiatus (1983–1985)

In 1983, the band released Into the Unknown, a keyboard-driven progressive rock album that was enormously unpopular with the band's core fanbase. It is now officially out of print, after almost all of the 10,000 copies were surreptitiously sold out of the warehouse they were being stored in by Gurewitz's ex-girlfriend, Suzy Shaw (who currently runs Bomp Records).

The record has since become a collectors item, and has also gained acceptance from some fans. It can be seen going for more than $100 on eBay.

Also in 1983, the Mystic Records compilation album "The Sound Of Hollywood, Vol. 2" was released featuring two Bad Religion songs- "Every Day" and "Waiting For The Fire" which continued in the mellow acoustic/keyboard direction of the previous album. These songs are exclusive to this vinyl-only release which has been out of print for many years.

In 1984, Greg Hetson of Circle Jerks fame, who had played the guitar solo for "Part III" on How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, teamed up with Graffin on the song "Running Fast" for the soundtrack of the film Desperate Teenage Lovedolls. Originally credited to Greg Greg on the initial release, the 1997 CD reissue lists the artist as Greg Graffin and Greg Hetson. Soon after, Graffin reassembled Bad Religion with Hetson replacing Gurewitz, who had gone into rehab for his drug problem. Bad Religion returned to a somewhat mellower, rock and roll version of their original sound with the Back to the Known EP, but disbanded temporarily soon after.

In 1985, Brett Gurewitz released a 5-song EP on Epitaph Records under the name The Seeing Eye Gods. This psychedelic influenced record is long out of print and has never been released on CD.

[edit]
Reunion and Suffer (1986–1988)

Bad Religion slowly reformed in 1986 out of the Back to the Known lineup when Greg Graffin called Jay Bentley and asked him to return. Bentley's response was tentative, but after being assured that the setlist consisted mostly of tracks from How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, he agreed to return for one show, and ended up staying on because he had so much fun. A freshly rehabilitated Gurewitz was eventually convinced to come back aboard, and with Pete Finestone returning on drums and Greg Hetson on second guitar, Bad Religion was back.[12]

The reunited band released their long-delayed third album Suffer in 1988, cementing their comeback in the punk community. Not only is this album often cited as one of their very best by fans, but it is credited with "saving" the Southern California punk rock scene by fans and Bad Religion's contemporaries alike.[13]

[edit]
No Control, Against the Grain and Generator (1989–1992)

During the Suffer tour in 1988, Bad Religion began writing "album's worth of material". In early 1989, while the band was on a brief break from their Suffer tour, they decided to commence work on their next album and entered the Westbeach Recorders studio in June of that year to record it. The resulting album, No Control, was released in November 1989, and ended up selling more than 50,000 copies. By the time it was released, the band had become one of the most critically-praised hardcore punk bands of the time, in spite of a lack of mainstream success.

Bad Religion's hardcore punk style continued with their next album, Against the Grain, which was released in 1990. While the album still did not break the group into mainstream audiences, it was the first 100,000 seller, and showed how quickly they were growing. The track "21st Century (Digital Boy)" off the album, which was originally intended to appear on No Control, is generally regarded the band's most well-known song, and is often a staple at live shows.

Bad Religion's sixth album, Generator, was released in 1992. Before recording sessions for Generator commenced, drummer Pete Finestone left Bad Religion early in 1991 to focus on his other band, The Fishermen, which had signed with a major label, and Bobby Schayer joined the band as his replacement.

To coincide with the band's success, Bad Religion released a compilation album, 80-85, in 1991. It is a repackaging of their debut album, How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, their two EPs, Bad Religion and Back to the Known and the band's three track contributions to the Public Service EP. This compilation did not include Into the Unknown. 80-85 is now out of print and has been replaced by the 2004 re-issued version of How Could Hell Be Any Worse? with the same track listings.

[edit]
Mainstream success and depature of Gurewitz (1993–1995)

With alternative rock and grunge breaking into the mainstream, Bad Religion decided to leave Epitaph for Atlantic Records in 1993 and quickly re-released their seventh full-length studio album Recipe for Hate on the label that same year. Despite receiving mixed reviews from music critics, the album finally broke Bad Religion into mainstream audiences and got their highest U.S. chart position to date, debuting at #14 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart, with "American Jesus" and "Struck a Nerve" in particular becoming major rock radio hits at their time. Also in 1993, the band recorded the song "Leaders and Followers" (which later appeared as a bonus track on the Japanese version of their next album) for the soundtrack for the Kevin Smith film, Clerks.

Recipe for Hate was followed up by Bad Religion's eighth studio album Stranger Than Fiction. The album met high critical reception upon its release in September 1994, and subsequently became their most successful release, scoring hits with "Infected" and a re-recording of "21st Century (Digital Boy)", which was originally released on Against the Grain. The album was Bad Religion's first to enter the Billboard 200; the release peaked at number 87, and was awarded gold certification on March 4, 1998 for sales of over half a million copies.[14] Before the release of Stranger Than Fiction, Gurewitz left the band. He officially cited the reason for his departure as the increasing amount of time he was needed at Epitaph as The Offspring (who had just released Smash to unexpected success and acclaim) became one of the biggest bands of the mid-1990s, but it was well known that his departure was not on good terms. Gurewitz, along with many fans, accused the band of selling out for leaving Epitaph to seek greater financial success despite the fact that Gurewitz was making millions off of The Offspring alone.[15]

As tensions increased, Graffin would sing alternate lyrics during concerts such as "I want to know where Brett gets his crack" or "I want to know why Gurewitz cracked," on the song "Stranger Than Fiction".[16] These barbs referred to Gurewitz's struggles with crack, heroin and other addictions which plagued him for years. Brett discussed his drug use in an interview on the band's Suffer tour documentary, Along the Way, and is now clean and sober. In response, Gurewitz recorded a song with his new band The Daredevils entitled "Hate You", reportedly directed towards Jay Bentley.

Gurewitz was replaced as a guitarist by Brian Baker, a former member of bands such as Minor Threat and Dag Nasty. Since Greg Graffin and Gurewitz had split songwriting duties, Graffin was now Bad Religion's primary songwriter.

[edit]
Post-Gurewitz period (1996–2000)

Bad Religion continued touring and recording without Brett Gurewitz and released three more albums for Atlantic, starting with The Gray Race (1996), produced by former Cars frontman Ric Ocasek. Despite never garnering the amount of attention that Stranger Than Fiction received, it would score Bad Religion a minor U.S. radio hit with the song "A Walk" as well as the European release of "Punk Rock Song" (sung in both English and German).[citation needed] The band would find its greatest success in Europe, where the album would reach the German music charts at #6 and score the band their first European gold record for sales in Scandinavia alone

Their next album, No Substance (1998), was not as well received by the critics or fans.[17] For The New America (2000), Todd Rundgren, an early musical inspiration for Graffin, was brought in to produce. "Todd was kind of an underground sensation back in 1974. Here's a guy who was making pop music but in a way that you wouldn't hear on the radio. So much of my early musical identity was wrapped up in the way he conducted himself." In the summer of 1999 they set out on a three month US arena tour opening for Blink 182.[18] Unfortunately, the experience might not have been all that Greg and the rest of the band might have hoped. Interest in recording the record waned, due to Rundgren's poor attitude. Jay Bentley reflects on this by saying, "I didn't feel we were going anywhere and so did Greg. Todd didn't like Greg and that made Greg so mad! He met his idol and he was a jerk! I don't think Todd gave a shit about anything."[19] Meanwhile, Bobby Schayer left the band following a serious shoulder injury and was replaced by Brooks Wackerman (Suicidal Tendencies).

Bad Religion departed from Atlantic Records in 2001 and returned to Epitaph.

[edit]
Reunion with Gurewitz (2001–2004)

In 2001, Brett Gurewitz rejoined the band in time to record The Process of Belief (2002). Graffin states, "there was a little bit of disappointment on my part when he left the band, but we never had any serious acrimony between the two of us. I can't say the same for the rest of the band. But he and I, being the songwriters from way back, we really wanted to try again."[20]

Their next album, The Empire Strikes First, was released in June 2004. Like The Process of Belief, it is widely regarded by fans and critics as a return to form for the band, as opposed to their time on Atlantic.

The band also re-released digitally-remastered versions of several of their early albums on Epitaph Records, including How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, Suffer, No Control, Against the Grain, and Generator. The How Could Hell Be Any Worse? re-issue, though reclaiming the original title of the band's debut LP, contained all of the same material as the previously issued 80-85 compilation, including their first EP, the Public Service EP (with different versions of the songs Bad Religion, Slaves, and Drastic Actions than the self-titled EP) and the "Back To The Known" EP.

New Maps of Hell and beyond (2005–present)

On March 7, 2006, a live DVD, Live at the Palladium was released. This DVD featured a live show performed in late 2004 at the Hollywood Palladium, as well as extensive interviews, several music videos, and a photo gallery. During one of the interview segments, guitarist Brett Gurewitz said the band's next album would be a double length release, but this turned out not to be the case.[11]

Greg Graffin released his second solo album, Cold as the Clay, on July 11, 2006.

Bad Religion's fourteenth (and most recent) studio album, New Maps of Hell, was released on July 10, 2007. On June 29 of that year (Greg Hetson's 46th birthday), Epitaph Records started selling New Maps of Hell at the Warped Tour in Pomona, California. The album was a commercial success and spawned two hit singles "Honest Goodbye" and "New Dark Ages", and as a result, New Maps of Hell reached number 35 on the Billboard 200, marking Bad Religion's highest ever chart position. Bad Religion also joined the 2007 Warped Tour to support the album.[21]

Hetson formed a supergroup band called Black President, consisting of Charlie Paulson (from Goldfinger), Jason Christopher, Wade Youman (both from Unwritten Law) and Christian Martucci (from Dee Dee Ramone).[22]

In early March 2008, Bad Religion played several-night residences at House of Blues venues in Southern California as well as Las Vegas.[23] They also played at the KROQ Weenie Roast (y Fiesta) on May 17 along such bands as Flobots, Metallica, The Offspring, Pennywise, Rise Against and Scars on Broadway. Following that, they performed four European festival appearances in May and June.[24]

On July 8, 2008, Bad Religion released their first-ever deluxe edition CD, a reissue of 2007's New Maps of Hell. The deluxe version includes the original 16 song CD, along with seven new acoustic tracks recorded by Graffin (vocals) and Gurewitz (guitars/back vocals). Three of the acoustic songs are new, written specifically for this release; the other four tracks are new acoustic versions of BR songs. The release also includes a DVD with an hour-long live performance, music videos and behind-the-scenes footage.

In June 2008, Jay Bentley said in an interview at the Pinkpop Festival in Landgraaf, Netherlands that Gurewitz had already begun writing new material for the next Bad Religion album. Bentley stated that the band was planning to return to the studio after Graffin teaches UCLA to start work on the follow-up to New Maps of Hell planned for a June 2009 release.[25] However, according to a December 2008 report on the fan site The Bad Religion Page, Bentley revealed that due to Bad Religion's upcoming touring commitments for 2009, the band would not have a chance to record their new album until around the end of the year, for an expected 2010 release date.[9]

"21st Century (Digital Boy)" was released as DLC on the Warped Tour 01 Pack for Rock Band and Rock Band 2

[edit]
Lyrics and ideology

The majority of Bad Religion's lyrics are written by either Greg Graffin or Brett Gurewitz. Only on rare occasions will they co-write a song. Other band members, such as Jay Bentley, also contribute songs, but these constitute only a small percentage of the Bad Religion catalog.

Brett Gurewitz acknowledges attempting to emulate The Germs singer Darby Crash early on in Bad Religion's lyrical style. "He wrote some intelligent stuff, and didn't shy away from the vocabulary, which I thought was cool."[26] In addition to their use of unusually sophisticated vocabulary for a punk band, Bad Religion is also known for their frequent use of vocal harmonies. They took their cues from The Adolescents, in the way that they used three-part harmonies. Bassist Jay Bentley says, "Seeing The Adolescents live, it was so brilliant. So, in a way, the Adolescents influenced us into saying we can do it too, because look, they're doing it."[12][27]

[edit]
Social and political issues

Many of Bad Religion's songs are about different social ills, although they try not to ascribe the causes of these ills to any single person or group. Greg Graffin believes that the current political situation in the United States can make it difficult to voice these concerns, as he doesn't want to feed the polarization of viewpoints.[28]

The band doesn't always restrict political commentary exclusively to metaphor. Brett Gurewitz pulled no punches when he attributed his anger towards former U.S. president George W. Bush as the major inspiration for The Empire Strikes First. "Our whole album is dedicated to getting Bush out of office. I'm not a presidential scholar but I don't think you'll find a worse president in the history of the United States. He's probably one of the worst leaders in the history of world leaders. I just hate the guy.

Despite the name of the band, the members do not consider themselves antitheist. Singer Greg Graffin states that more often than not, the band prefers to use religion as a metaphor for anything that doesn't allow for an individual's freedom to think or express themselves as they choose. In this way, their songs are more about anti-religion.[30] Greg Graffin himself is an atheist who co-authored the book 'Is Belief in God Good, Bad or Irrelevant?' The band's bassist Jay Bentley has stated that he has spiritual beliefs. [31] Brett Gurewitz is a "provisional deist."

[edit]
In the media and legacy

Bad Religion has appeared once on The David Letterman Show in 1994, twice on The Jon Stewart Show in 1994 and 1995, twice on The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn in 2000 and 2002 and Late Night with Conan O'Brien five times in 1993, 1995, 1996, 2002 and 2007. In the early days, Bad Religion appeared twice on the New Wave Theatre in 1981 and 1982. During the 90's, Bad Religion appeared a lot on MTV which sponsored their The Gray Race tour. They were considered a "classic" band on MTV's 120 Minutes, appearing a number of times live on that show. Frontman Greg Graffin appeared three times on Politically Incorrect in 1994, 1996 and 2000.

In movies, Bad Religion's "Crossbuster" logo has appeared in Juno, SLC Punk! and 8mm. Posters for The Empire Strikes First appear in Superbad, Strange Wilderness, Fifty Pills and Special. A Bad Religion sticker appears in The Ring; it is worth noting that Gore Verbinski, director of The Ring, directed several Bad Religion music videos early in his career. A Bad Religion poster appears in PCU. Bad Religion music has appeared in movies such as Clerks, The Chase, Glory Daze, The Hammer and Stoked: The Rise and Fall of Gator. Two Bad Religion songs appear in the 2000 short movie entitled "What to Do?". In TV, Bad Religion's song "New America" appeared in the final episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 and "Portrait of Authority" was in an episode of Lizzie McGuire. A Bad Religion poster appears in an episode of Weird Science. During the 2000 MTV Movie Awards, a guitar riff from "New America" was played before it cut to commercials. A sample of "Infected" was played during a commercial for Vans Warped Tour 2009. In an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, a group of kids play with a gun. One of them gets shot. In the moment he is shot he wears a Bad Religion t-shirt.

In video games, Bad Religion songs made it into Crazy Taxi, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, Tony Hawk Underground, Tony Hawk's American Wasteland, Tony Hawk's Project 8, NCAA Football 2006, Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller and NHL 2K9. Bad Religion's song "Infected" (from Stranger Than Fiction) is in Guitar Hero and downloadable for Guitar Hero 2. However, these are covers not the actual song. The song "21st Century (Digital Boy)" (from Against the Grain) is downloadable for Guitar Hero: World Tour, however the date of the song in the game claims the song was made in 2004 (possibly referring to Against the Grain's remastered date) even though it was made in 1990. The songs "Sorrow" (from The Process of Belief) and "21st Century (Digital Boy)" (from Against the Grain) appear as downloadable songs for both Rock Band and Rock Band 2. On an episode of ScrewAttack's Video Game Vault, they review Crazy Taxi and the reviewer mentions the soundtrack and makes a comment about Bad Religion and shows a picture of their "Crossbuster" and also their songs "Hear It" and "Them and Us" can be heard for brief seconds in the review..[32]

As of 2007, the famous Los Angeles modern rock radio station KROQ has listed Bad Religion at #39 in the "top 106.7 biggest KROQ bands of all time" memorial for the past six years in a row.[33] Bad Religion has played at all three of KROQ's festivals several times; they played at the Weenie Roast four times in 2002, 2004, 2007 and 2008, four times at the Almost Acoustic Christmas in 1993, 1994, 2001 and 2007, and once at the L.A. Invasion in 2002.

Melodic hardcore is a subgenre of hardcore punk with a strong emphasis on melodic exploration. Peter Jandreus describes the style as "punk rock with a HC beat".[1]

The genre is commonly defined with fast hardcore drum beats, melodic pop punk-influenced guitar riffs and melodic singing.

History

Melodic hardcore initially emerged out of the L.A. hardcore scene, with the Descendents.[2] In 1985, the Descendents worked with a new vocalist, Dave Smalley of DYS and Dag Nasty.[3] Bad Religion, from the San Fernando Valley, also worked in this vein,[1] recording their classic How Could Hell Be Any Worse? in 1982.[4]

Dag Nasty is a touchstone band, hailing from mid-1980s DC, with Dave Smalley of Boston's DYS on vocals and Brian Baker (ex-Minor Threat) on guitar. Dag Nasty's sound was an extension of the direction Minor Threat was developing with the Out Of Step LP before they broke up.

Gorilla Biscuits came out of the late 1980s youth crew straight edge scene, and while they were initially just one of many Youth Of Today clones of the era (albeit musically more similar to Side By Side) they eventually evolved an original and highly influential sound with the release of the seminal "Start Today" album -- echoes of which are still being felt in today's post-hardcore scene. In some ways Gorilla Biscuits paved the way for post-hardcore, as the guitarist Schreifels went on to found one of the defining post-hardcore bands: Quicksand. Other side projects included the band Moondog, writing music for the CIV project as well as the World's Fastest Car, Walter & The Motorcycles, Rival Schools and Walking Concert bands.

Turning Point, a New Jersey band, was also under the influence of Youth of Today's youth crew hardcore genre, but by the time they had passed the growing pains of their demo and first 7", their later material (the 1990 LP It's Always Darkest Before The Dawn etc.) proved to be the defining moment of melodic hardcore sound. These records were to be a direct influence on other New Jersey bands like Lifetime.

Many of these pioneering melodic hardcore bands sounds are what form an essential part of the styles that has been borrowed by bands across the modern punk and hardcore spectrum, encompassing pop punk and pop-influenced hardcore.

[edit]
Defining musical characteristics

Minor sevenths and minor ninth chords used in combination with an open string modal playing style. This style was probably inspired by Bob Mould, extended by Brian Baker in Dag Nasty and later by Dan Yemin with his work in Lifetime (their early releases on New Age Records are good examples of the genre).

Drop D-tunings on guitars and bass is common for post-1990 melodic hardcore to achieve a heavier sound than possible with a standard tuning.

200bpm and 220bpm is a very common tempo for post-1990 melodic hardcore.

Guitar licks and vocal hooks with 5th or 9th harmony is common in post-1995 melodic hardcore.

Triplets and tapping (both for guitar and bass) are becoming more and more common features in newer melodic hardcore.

The punk subculture is a subculture based around punk rock. It includes music, ideologies, fashion, visual art, dance, literature and film. The punk scene is composed of an assortment of smaller factions that distinguish themselves from one another through unique variations. Several of these factions have developed out of punk to become subcultures in their own right.

History
Main article: History of the punk subculture

The punk subculture emerged in the United States and the United Kingdom in the mid-1970s. Exactly which region originated punk has long been a major controversy within the movement. Cities in Australia, South Africa, and Japan also played host to early scenes

Early punk had an abundance of antecedents and influences, and Jon Savage has described the subculture as a "bricolage" of almost every previous youth culture that existed in the West since the Second World War "stuck together with safety pins".[7] Various philosophical, political, and artistic movements influenced the subculture. In particular, punk drew inspiration from several strains of modern art. Various writers, books, and literary movements were important to the formation of the punk aesthetic. Punk rock has a variety of musical origins both within the rock and roll genre and beyond.

The earliest form of punk rock, named protopunk in retrospect, started as a garage rock revival in the northeastern United States in the late 1960s.[8] The first ongoing music scene that was assigned the punk label appeared in New York City between 1974 and 1976.[9] At about the same time or shortly afterward, a punk scene developed in London.[10] Soon after, Los Angeles became home to the third major punk scene.[11] These three cities formed the backbone of the burgeoning movement, but there were also other scenes in a number of cities such as Brisbane and Boston.

Around 1977, the subculture began to diversify with the proliferation of factions such as 2 Tone, Oi!, pop punk, New Wave, and No Wave. In the United States during the early 1980s, punk underwent a renaissance in the form of hardcore punk, which sought to do away with the frivolities introduced in the later years of the original movement, while at the same time Britain saw a parallel movement called streetpunk.[12] Hardcore and streetpunk then spread to other regions just as the original subculture had. In the mid-1980s to the early 1990s in America, various underground scenes either directly evolved from punk or at least applied its attitudes to new styles, in the process producing the alternative rock and indie music scenes.[12] A new movement in the United States became visible in the early and mid-1990s that sought to revive the punk movement, doing away with some of the trappings of hardcore.

[edit]
Music
Main article: Punk rock

The punk subculture is centered around listening to recordings or live concerts of a loud, aggressive genre of rock music called punk rock, usually shortened to punk. While most punk rock uses the distorted guitars and noisy drumming that is derived from 1960s garage rock and 1970s pub rock, some punk bands incorporate elements from other subgenres, such as metal (e.g., mid-1980s-era Discharge) or folk rock (Billy Bragg). Different punk subcultures often distinguish themselves by having a unique style of punk rock, although not every style of punk rock has its own associated subculture. Most punk rock songs are short, have simple and somewhat basic arrangements using relatively few chords, and they use lyrics that express punk values and ideologies ranging from the nihilism of the Sex Pistols' "No Future" to the positive, anti-drug message of Minor Threat's "Straight Edge". Punk rock is usually played in small bands rather than by solo artists. Punk bands usually consist of a singer, one or two overdriven electric guitars, an electric bass player, and a drummer (the singer may be one of the musicians). In some bands, the band members may do backup vocals, but these typically consist of shouted slogans, choruses, or football(soccer)-style chants, rather than the sweet, arranged harmony vocals of pop bands.

Ideologies

Punk politics cover the entire political spectrum, although most punks could be categorized as having left-wing or progressive views.[citation needed] Punk-related ideologies are mostly concerned with individual freedom and anti-establishment views. Common punk viewpoints include anti-authoritarianism, a DIY ethic, non-conformity, direct action and not selling out. Other notable trends in punk politics include nihilism, anarchism, socialism, anti-militarism, anti-capitalism, anti-racism, anti-sexism, anti-nationalism, anti-homophobia, environmentalism, vegetarianism, veganism and animal rights. However, some individuals within the punk subculture hold right-wing views (such as those associated with the Conservative Punk website), neo-Nazi views (Nazi punk), or are apolitical (e.g.horror punk).

Early British punks expressed nihilistic views with the slogan No Future, which came from the Sex Pistols song "God Save the Queen". In the United States, punks had a different approach to nihilism based on their "unconcern for the present" and their "disaffection from both middle and working class standards".[citation needed] Punk nihilism was expressed in the use of "harder, more self-destructive, consciousness-obliterating substances like heroin, or ... methamphetamine" and by the "mutilation of the body" with razor blades.[13]

Fashion

Punks seek to outrage others(with the exception of the Hardcore punk scene, who's clothing choice consisted of sneakers, straight leg jeans, and flat color shirts/band shirts, along with basic hair styles.) with the highly theatrical use of clothing, hairstyles, cosmetics, tattoos, jewelry and body modification. Early punk fashion adapted everyday objects for aesthetic effect: ripped clothing was held together by safety pins or wrapped with tape; ordinary clothing was customized by embellishing it with marker or adorning it with paint; a black bin liner became a dress, shirt or skirt; safety pins and razor blades were used as jewelry. Also popular have been leather, rubber, and vinyl clothing that the general public associates it with transgressive sexual practices like bondage and S&M.

Some punks wear tight "drainpipe" jeans, plaid/tartan trousers, kilts or skirts, T-shirts, rocker jackets (which are often decorated with painted band logos, pins and buttons, and metal studs or spikes), and footwear such as Converse sneakers, skate shoes, brothel creepers or Dr. Martens boots. Some early punks occasionally wore clothes displaying a Nazi swastika for shock-value, but most contemporary punks are staunchly anti-racist and are more likely to wear a crossed-out swastika symbol. Some punks cut their hair into Mohawks or other dramatic shapes, style it to stand in spikes, and color it with vibrant, unnatural hues.

Some punks are "anti-fashion," arguing that punk should be defined by music or ideology(mainly the Hardcore punk scene. This is most common in the post-1980s US hardcore punk scene, where members of the subculture often dressed in plain T-shirts and jeans, rather than the more elaborate outfits and spiked, dyed hair of their British counterparts.

Visual art
Main article: Punk visual art

Punk aesthetics determine the type of art punks enjoy, usually with underground, minimalistic, iconoclastic and satirical sensibilities. Punk artwork graces album covers, flyers for concerts, and punk zines. Usually straightforward with clear messages, punk art is often concerned with political issues such as social injustice and economic disparity. The use of images of suffering to shock and create feelings of empathy in the viewer is common. Alternatively, punk artwork may contain images of selfishness, stupidity, or apathy to provoke contempt in the viewer. Much of the earlier artwork was in black and white, because it was distributed in zines reproduced at copy shops. Punk art also uses the mass production aesthetic of Andy Warhol's Factory studio. Punk played a hand in the revival of stencil art, spearheaded by Crass. The Situationists also influenced the look of punk art, particularity that of the Sex Pistols. Punk art often utilizes collage, exemplified by the art of Dead Kennedys, Crass, Jamie Reid, and Winston Smith. John Holmstrom was a punk cartoonist who created work for the Ramones and Punk Magazine. The Stuckism art movement had its origin in punk, and titled its first major show The Stuckists Punk Victorian at the Walker Art Gallery during the 2004 Liverpool Biennial. Charles Thomson, co-founder of the group, described punk as "a major breakthrough" in his art.[14]

[edit]
Dance
Main article: Punk dance

Two dance styles associated with punk are pogo dancing and moshing.[15] Stage diving and crowd surfing were originally associated with protopunk bands such as The Stooges, and have appeared at punk, metal and rock concerts. Ska punk promoted an updated version of skanking. Hardcore dancing is a later development influenced by all of the above mentioned styles. Pyschobillies prefer to "wreck", a form of slam dancing that involves people punching each other in the chest and arms as they move around the circle pit.

Literature

Punk has generated a considerable amount of poetry and prose. Punk has its own underground press in the form of punk zines, which feature news, gossip, cultural criticism, and interviews. Some zines take the form of perzines. Important punk zines include Maximum RocknRoll, Punk Planet, Cometbus, Flipside,and Search & Destroy . Several novels, biographies, autobiographies, and comic books have been written about punk. Love and Rockets is a notable comic with a plot involving the Los Angeles punk scene.

Examples of punk poets include: Richard Hell, Jim Carroll, Patti Smith, John Cooper Clarke, Seething Wells, Raegan Butcher, and Attila the Stockbroker. The Medway Poets performance group included punk musician Billy Childish and had an influence on Tracey Emin. Jim Carroll's autobiographical works are among the first known examples of punk literature. The punk subculture has inspired the cyberpunk and steampunk literature genres.

[edit]
Film
Main article: Punk film

Many punk-themed films have been made, and punk rock music videos and punk skate videos are common. Punk films often intercut stock footage with news clips and home videos of band concerts. Several famous groups have participated in movies, such as the Ramones in Rock 'n' Roll High School, the Sex Pistols in The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle, and Social Distortion in Another State of Mind. Some well-known punks have had biographical films made about them, such as Sid and Nancy, which tells the story of the Sex Pistols' bassist Sid Vicious (portrayed by Gary Oldman) and Nancy Spungen (portrayed by Chloe Webb).

Original footage of punk bands is also often used in music documentaries. The seminal punk documentary is The Filth and the Fury, detailing the rise of the Sex Pistols. In addition to the members of that band and its affiliates (Malcolm McLaren, Vivienne Westwood, Nancy Spungen, etc.) it also features archival footage of Billy Idol, Sting, Shane McGowan, and a young teenaged girl who would grow up to be Siouxsie Sioux, among others. One of the highlights of the movie is footage of the Sex Pistols playing "God Save the Queen" on a barge in the middle of the Thames during the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II, and their subsequent arrest.

The No Wave Cinema and Remodernist film movements owe much to punk aesthetics. Derek Jarman and Don Letts are notable punk filmmakers. Many other films are associated with punk, such as 24 Hour Party People, which presents the evolution of punk rock into New Wave and Madchester, and Threat, which focuses on militant Straight edge punks in the New York hardcore scene.

[edit]
Lifestyle and community

Punks can come from any and all walks of life and economic classes. The subculture is predominantly male, with the exception of the riot grrrl movement. Compared to some alternative cultures, punk is much closer to being gender equalist in terms of its ideology.[16] Although the punk subculture is mostly anti-racist, it is vastly white (at least in predominantly-white countries). However, members of other groups (such as Blacks, Latinos, and Asians) have also contributed to the development of the subculture.[citation needed] Substance abuse has sometimes been a part of the punk scene, with the notable exception of the straight edge movement. Violence has also sometimes appeared in the punk subculture, but has been opposed by some subsets of the subculture, such as the pacifist strain of anarcho-punk.

Punks often form a local scene, which can have as few as half a dozen members in a small town, or as many as thousands of members in a major city.[17] A local scene usually has a small group of dedicated punks surrounded by a more casual periphery. A typical punk scene is made up of punk and hardcore bands; fans who attend concerts, protests, and other events; zine publishers, band reviewers, and writers; visual artists who create illustrations for zines, posters, and album covers; people who organize concerts, and people who work at music venues or independent record labels.[17] Squatting plays a role in some punk communities, providing shelter and other forms of support. Illegal squats in abandoned or condemned housing and communal "punk houses" sometimes provide bands a place to stay while they are touring. There are some punk communes, such as the Dial House. The Internet has been playing an increasingly larger role in punk, specifically in the form of virtual communities and file sharing programs for trading music files.

Authenticity

In the punk and hardcore subcultures, members or the scene are often evaluated in terms of the authenticity of their commitment to the values or philosophies of the scene, which may range from political beliefs (e.g., in an anarcho-punk squat) to lifestyle practices (e.g., not using drugs or alcohol in a "straight edge" scene"). In the punk subculture, the epithet "poseur" (or "poser") is used to describe "a person who habitually pretends to be something he is not."[18] The term is used to refer to a person who adopts the dress, speech, and/or mannerisms of a punk or hardcore subculture, generally for attaining acceptability within the group, yet who is deemed to not share or understand the values or philosophy of the subculture.

While this perceived inauthenticity is viewed with scorn and contempt by members of the subculture, the definition of the term and to whom it should be applied is subjective and the subject of much debate. For example, the Television Personalities' 1978 song “Part-Time Punks,” "declared that either everyone who wanted to be a punk was one or that everyone was a poseur (or both)" and it argues that "the concept of … punk rock authenticity … was a fiction."[19] Music journalist Dave Rimmer’s book Like Punk Never Happened argues that the "first punk kids in London envisioned waging a revolution against the corruption that had undeniably crept into a becalmed and boring rock scene." Rimmer notes that the "terms in which they expressed their disdain for hangers-on and those whose post-hip credentials didn’t quite make it came straight out of the authenticity movements: "Poseurs" was the favorite epithet."[20] Ross Buncle's history of late-1970s punk rock in Perth, Australia claims that eventually the scene "opened the door to a host of poseurs, who were less interested in the music than in UK-punk fancy dress and being seen to be hip"; he praises the gigs where there "were no punk-identikit poseurs" in the audience.[21]

The term was used in several punk songs, in addition to the song “Part-Time Punks,” including the X-Ray Spex song "I am a Poseur", the early 1980s hardcore punk band MDC's song "Poseur Punk", and California punk band NOFX's song "Decom-poseur", which "lashes out" at "an entire population of bands … guilty of bastardizing a once socially feared and critically infallible genre" of punk.[22] An article in Drowned in Sound argues that 1980s-era "hardcore is the true spirit of punk", because "after all the poseurs and fashionistas fucked off to the next trend of skinny pink ties with New Romantic haircuts, singing wimpy lyrics", the punk scene consisted only of people "completely dedicated to the DIY ethics"; punk "[l]ifers without the ambition to one day settle into the study-work-family-house-retirement-death scenario."[23]

Interactions with other subcultures

Glam rockers such as New York Dolls and David Bowie had big influences on protopunk, early punk rock and glam punk. Punk and hip hop emerged around the same time in the late 1970s New York City, and there has been some interaction between the two subcultures. Some of the first hip hop MCs called themselves punk rockers, and some punk fashions have found their way into hip hop dress. Malcolm McLaren played roles in introducing both punk and hip hop to the United Kingdom. Hip hop later influenced some punk and hardcore bands, such as Blaggers I.T.A., Biohazard, The Transplants and Refused.

The skinhead subculture of the late 1960s — which had almost disappeared in the early 1970s — was revived in the late 1970s, partly because of the influence of punk rock, especially the Oi! punk subgenre. Conversely, ska and reggae, popular among traditionalist skinheads, has influenced several punk musicians. Punks and skinheads have had both antagonistic and friendly relationships, depending on the social circumstances, time period and geographic location.

The punk and heavy metal subcultures have shared some similarities since punk's inception. The early 1970s heavy metal scene had an influence on the development of protopunk. Alice Cooper was a forerunner of the fashion and music of both the punk and metal subcultures. Motörhead, since their first album release in 1977, have had continued popularity in the punk scene, and singer Lemmy is a fan of punk rock. Genres such as metalcore, grindcore and crossover thrash were greatly influenced by punk and heavy metal. The New Wave of British Heavy Metal influenced the UK 82 style of bands like Discharge, and hardcore punk was a primary influence on thrash metal bands such as Metallica and Slayer. The early 1990s grunge subculture was a fusion of punk anti-fashion ideals and metal-influenced guitar sounds. However, hardcore punk and grunge developed in part as reactions against the heavy metal music that popular during the 1980s.

The industrial and rivethead subcultures have had several ties to punk, in terms of music, fashion and attitude.

In punk's heyday, punks faced harassment and attacks from the general public and from members of other subcultures. In the 1980s in the UK, punks were sometimes involved in brawls with Teddy Boys, greasers, bikers, mods and members of other subcultures. There was also considerable enmity between positive punks and the glamorously dressed New Romantics.

In the late 1970s punks have also been known to have confrontations with hippies due to the contrasting ideologies and backlash of the hippie culture. Nevertheless Penny Rimbaud of the English anarcho-punk band Crass said in interviews, and in an essay called The Last Of The Hippies, that Crass was formed in memory of his friend, Wally Hope.[24] Rimbaud also said that Crass were heavily involved with the hippie movement throughout the 1960s and Seventies, with Dial House being established in 1967. Many punks were often critical of Crass for their involvement in the hippie movement. Like Crass, Jello Biafra was influenced by the hippie movement and cited the yippies as a key influence on his political activism and thinking, though he did write songs critical of hippies.