The Extroverts - Living In Poverty 7"

And if I thought finding P.E.I. bands was tough, finding Saskatchewan H.C. was even more difficult. Not even How Can They Intend To Heal could help me. I was able to find the single from the band The Extroverts. It was released in 1980. Kinda catchy punk but mostly unspectacular. And that's all for now from The Great White North.

Poverty

My Dog Popper - 668: The Neighbor Of The Beast

Here is some crazy hardcore from Quebec.They released two albums. This was their first and, without a doubt, the best album title of all time. It also contains the tune that has unfortunately become a theme son for me" 'We're Old, We're Fat, And We're Slow'. Great stuff.

A Living Abortion Brought To Term

Slow Death - Self-Titled Demo

Recorded evidence of 80's hardcore from Prince Edward Island was difficult to find. Luckily, How Can They Intend To Heal was there to help me out. Follow the (yet another!!) link to an interview with the band. This demo delivers fast and furious straight edge thrash.

I Don't Want To Listen To Your Heart Bleed

Direct Action - Trapped In A World

Here's another band I first heard on a comp and had to find more of. They had one track on the '86 There's A Method To Our Madness comp. Fast and ultra-political. They kinda remind me of B.G.K. (Damn, this site has become a regular Linkstravaganza!) I absolutely love the 'One Tin Soldier' cover.

I Am Like An Unexploded Bomb

System Overload - Rocks Off Demo

System Overload deliver some fast, unpolished hardcore from the Province of Nova Scotia. Got this from the great How Can They Intend To Heal blog. There is a wealth of Canadian hardcore info as well as interviews and more downloads. Check it out.

I Want You To Know That I Hate You

Tough Justice - 3 Seconds Of Silence Demo

Rounding out the Newfoundland Triple Treat is the hardcore band Tough Justice. Here's their full last.fm bio. And here's their 1986 demo. It reminds me of 7Seconds if they had hired a heavy metal guitarist. P.S. - I was unable to find the actual cover online, so I opted for a picture of their sexy 80's mugs instead!

Justice Hammer

Da Slyme - Self-Titled Double L.P.

According to their website Da Slyme was Newfoundland's first punk band. And apparently this was the first Canadian Double L.P. Sloppy and obnoxious, this is what your parents thought ALL your music sounded like! It is entertaining but to be honest, a little goes a long way. Here's the L.P. in two files.

My Only Concern Is My Cock

I Say My Mind Is Shot

Schizoid - Beer Thief 7"

Here's some more rippin' hardcore from Canada. Schizoid was a short lived band from Newfoundland. It's fast and angry.

Obnoxious Attitude

Neighbourhood Watch - Death At The Hands Of Time 7"

Neighbourhood Watch were a band from Fredericton, New Brunswick. They were active between '85-'88 and released this excellent chunk of old school hardcore in 1987.

Acid Baby

Personality Crisis - Creatures For Awhile

I first heard Personality Crisis on the BYO comp Something To Believe In and then the Rat Music comp. I loved both of those tunes so I had to give this a try. The 1983 release mostly delivers fast, rockin' hardcore with seriously gruff vocals. There's a bit of a transition to a more 'rock' sound as the L.P. continues, but all in all it doesn't disappoint.

Name Dropper

Subhumans - Self-Titled E.P.

Here's 4 classic tunes from Canadian punk pioneers The Subhumans. Also, here's a rather lengthy bio I got from KFTH, which they got from the liner notes of the Subs' '96 reissue.

In Vancouver's long and glorious history of punk rock, nobody was any more punk, or any more rockin' than the Subhumans. Subhumans gigs were a riot, sometimes literally; years later, their records still seethe with raw power. The Subhumans were angry and hilarious, often simultaneously, the living embodiment of everything that was great about punk rock, circa 1978-82.
The band's first show was at an anti-Canada Day celebration (sponsored by anarchists) on July 1st, 1978, but the roots of the group go back years earlier, when a bunch of long-haired social misfits named Brian Goble, Gerry Hannah, Ken Montgomery and Joe Keighley started hanging out together in Burnaby.

Thier first musical experiments were crude covers of Black Sabbath, early Pink Floyd, the Doors and Bob Dylan. Then Gerry, believing industrial society was destroying the world convinced his comrades to put aside their electric instruments and go acoustic. Dropping out of school, they left the city and squatted in abandoned cabins with a vague plan to form a commune and grow their own food.

Alas, winter came, starvation beckoned, and they moved back to Vancouver. Upon their return, they once again picked up electric instruments and formed the band Stone Crazy. They tried to make a living playing rock songs from the late 1960's/early 70's - songs which they felt had both edge and meaning, but it was 1976 and the era of disco and self-indulgent formula rock was in full swing. Consequently, the band did not do very well and Brian, Gerry, Ken and Joe became increasingly bitter and resentful towards a music industry that seemed intent on thoroughly defanging and lobotomizing rock music.

Luckily, in early 1977 the first punk rock recordings began to surface in Vancouver and after a few listens to such classics as the Sex Pistols' Anarchy in the U.K. and the Clash's White Riot, the boys from Burnaby realized they had found their niche. They cut their hair and dove in, face first. Brian became Wimpy Roy, Gerry became Gerry Useless, Ken became Dimwit and Joe, Joey Shithead.

Brian, Joe and Ken, along with a guitarist named Simon Werner formed the Skulls and Gerry started a band called Victorian Pork. Within a year though, Shithead had founded D.O.A., while Wimpy, Useless, and Dimwit joined with guitarist Mike "Normal" Graham to form the Subhumans. The mix was perfect. Wimpy was a born front man, delivering unbelievably funny off-the-top-of-his-head rambles while hunched around the stage. The rhythm section was lethal. Dimwit bashed his drums with sticks the size of baseball bats, and lock in with Gerry's bass to create a rumble and cruch that could level tall buildings. Mike Normal sprinkled gas on the fire with electrifying bursts of guitar.

It drove audiences wild. In Los Angeles, hundreds of fans stormed into a sold-out show, precipitating a full-scale riot, complete with a police helicopter - and band hadn't even played. At Simon Fraser University, a couple was so stimulated by the (well hidden) eroticism in the Subhumans' music they jumped on stage and had sex. "Somebody said 'if you guys take off your clothes and fuck right here, we'll give you a case of beer,' " says Gerry, "and they fucked right on the stage." But the wildest gig of all was at a short-lived Vancouver punk club called the Laundromat (it's now the yuppie bar Richard's on Richards). A raucous New Year's Eve crowd hauled Wimpy off stage, ripped off all his clothes, and deposited him back on stage, completely nude. "It was like Jonah," laughs Gerry, "This guy gets sucked into the sea, and then he gets spit back up on stage five minutes later with no clothes on." "It started to take a physical toll on me," says Wimpy, "Because having your clothes ripped off your body...it's tough material. When you rip it over your skin, you can get pretty nasty bruises."

The audiences really went crazy when the band unleashed their anthems, Fuck You and Slave To My Dick. Both were penned by Gerry Useless, and both captured the tenor of the times. Fuck You was the ultimate giving-the-finger-to-authority punk song, a musical buzz bomb with a chorus that summed up the attitude of disillusioned youth everywhere: "We don't care what you say, fuck you!" Slave To My Dick was something else again, a song that is deadly serious, but also deadly funny. Has anyone ever written a more wicked satire of horny men? "I put on my clothes, that make me look tall. I don't think about, i don't think at all! I dres high class, it makes me look high paid. You know I do it baby 'cause I want to get laid! I'm just a slave to my dick! It really makes me...sick!" The song was inspired by some disco ducks who were lingering around Gerry's old girlfriend. "The clothes they wore, the way they did their hair, the fact that they went out and danced to this music that they really didn't like at all ...it was all an effort to get into some woman's pants, as far as I could tell." Unfortunately, the irony of the lyrics went over the heads of some people. "I remember one guy who was totally into that song," says Gerry. "He kept saying 'Right on! Right on! Yeah I'm a fuckin' slave to my dick too! Right on!' He was just totally ecstatic that somebody had finally written a song about the male sex drive and how God-like it was. It was amazing."

Wimpy had the knack of writing serious political songs with hilarious titles - Death To The Sickoids, Moron Majority, Let's Go Down To Hollywood (And Shoot People). Mike Normal's songs also tended to be very political (Firing Squad, Urban Guerillas), and blisteringly fast.

Dimwit played with the band for about a year, during which time the band released their first record, the Death To The Sickoids single. When he left to follow other pursuits, he was replaced by Jim "Koichi" Imagawa. Jim may not have hit as hard as Dimwit - few did - but he was a blur of energy, and was the drummer on most of the band's classic recordings, including the self-titled EP released in 1979 on Quintessence records, the Firing Squad single, released in 1980 and the Incorrect Thoughts album.

Besides doing very well in Canada, constant touring help the band establish a beachhead in the United States, where they would often appear on the same bill with such bands as Minor Threat, the Dead Kennedys, X, and Bad Brains, to name a few. They did particularly well on the West Coast, building up large followings in places like Seattle and San Francisco. But it was a grind, and being underground sensations was not what you'd call financially lucrative.

Eventually, Gerry and Jim packed it in, and were replaced by bassist Ron Allen and drummer Randy Bowman on the last Subhumans album, No Wishes, No Prayers. In 1982, Brian decided to join D.O.A., and Mike went off to found Shanghai Dog and the Subhumans were no more.

In 1983 Gerry became famous, but not as a musician. Always involved in political issues, including environmentalism - one of his nicknames was "Nature Punk" - he linked up with a group of political activists in Direct Action, a band of urban guerillas that blew up an environmentally unfriendly hydro-electric substation on Vancouver Island and bombed the Litton plant near Toronto, which manufactured parts for the cruise missle, a "first strike" nuclear weapon.

Gerry wound up being sentenced to 10 years in jail when the police finally caught the group, which became known as the Squamish Five. He served five years in prison, but has no regrets. "I don't look back and say 'Oh my God, if only I hadn't been in guerilla group and we hadn't done these actions!' I never do that. I'm not ashamed of it: it's the way my life and I don't have a problem with it."

These days, Gerry works as a snow plow operator in the B.C. interior, while Brian is still playing bass with D.O.A.. Jim is a postman, and Mike works for his father's architectual firm. Sadly, Ken Montgomery died in 1994, just when he appeared on the verge of major success with the Four Horsemen.

In 1995, the Subhumans reformed for a western Canadian tour (Gerry called it his "summer job"), with Brian on vocals, Gerry on bass, Jon Williams on guitar and David Macanulty on drums. It remains to be seen if more live gigs are forthcoming. Time has been kind to the Subhumans music - it sounds as fresh and invigorating as the day it was cut, and the political sentiments are as valid today as they were in 1979 or '80. the Subhumans are still pissed off - and with good reason.


I Lie To Myself, And To My Friends Too

Yay! My First Cease & Desist!

Apparently the good ol' boys in West Virginia don't like us high falutin' city folk. Th' Inbred L.P. is no longer available.

Beyond Possession - Is Beyond Possession

Slick mid 80's Crossover from the Province of Alberta, Canada. Beyond Possession released two records of fast metal punk. Beyond that, I don't know too much.

Who Are You To Tell Me There's Something Wrong With My Head?

And thanks to the Colonel for the extra links in the comments!

Black Market Baby - Senseless Offerings

Here's our last stop in the U.S. for a while. Black Market Baby was a fantastic D.C. band that released one of the greatest punk albums there is. 'Senseless Offerings' was released in 1983 and was, unfortunately their only full length release. But I'm tellin' ya, EVERY song is a classic! Their website is dormant, but pretty informative too.

Fight For Your Life

The News - Spread The News 7"

So, for those of you that have been keeping score at home, there's one state left that I haven't posted a band from (and yes I know I cheated on the Dakotas). That would be Wyoming. I spent plenty of time searching for evidence of 80's hardcore recordings from Wyoming and was largely unsuccessful. I did, however find this 7" from Wyoming's own The News. Released in 1978, it's their only release, I believe. Call it goofy punk, powerpop or new wave. Regardless, it is catchy.

Leave Them Alone, They're Alright

Mecht Mensch - Acceptance 7"

Mecht Mensch came from Wisconsin and gave us one brutal 7" in 1983, a demo, a split with them as the Tar Babies, some boots and several comp tracks. Powerful stuff.

I Want To Be A Zombie

Th' Inbred - A Family Affair

Here's some crazy shit from West Virginia. Th' Inbred originally formed in 1984 and released 2 L.P.'s and a 7" before splitting in 1988. They bring a really unique sound to the table. And a good sense of humor. I remember an MRR ad for their Kissin' Cousins L.P. that had the heading "If You Can't Keep It In Your Pants, Keep It In The Family."

Unity Is Fascism

Mr. Epp & The Calculations - Of Course Im Happy, Why?

The short-lived Mr. Epp is best known for being Mark Arm's first attempt at a band. It ends up sounding kinda like a deranged (and far less talented) Minutemen. Weird, but oddly entertaining.


I'm The Mohawk Man. I'm Big-Time Now

Prevaricators - Snubculture

I distinctly remember NOT liking this band back in the day. But when I stumbled onto this L.P. online a few years ago I decided to give it a shot. What the hell was I thinking?!? This is a damn good punk rock L.P.! Download It! Now!!

I'm Not Too Sure Where I Belong

Wards - The World Ain't Pretty But Neither Are We 7"

Formed in 1977... still going Strong!!!

There's the Bio of noisy Vermont punks the Wards.Here's their debut 7". Fun & primitive hardcore.

Sticking With The Union

Massacre Guys - Behind The 8 Ball 7"

Massacre Guys were a great band from Salt Lake City, Utah. Unfortunately they released only two 7"s, this one in '84 and 'The Rider' in '85. Great stuff.

We Will Survive

Bang Gang - She Ran... But We Ran Faster 7"

This great, tastelessly-titled 7" from San Antonio's Bang Gang was released in 1983. It's the only release. Goofy, fast hardcore.

Stupid Stupid Stupid Stupid People People People People

S.T.D. - Another Dead Asshole 7"

Here's a rockin' hardcore 7" from Tennessee. Don't know anything about the band. This is their only release, from 1984. You can definitely hear a metal influence. Kinda reminds me of Ludichrist.

First I'll Stab You In The Back And Then I'll Run Away

Antischism - All Their Money Stinks Of Death 7"

Antischism was an anarcho/crust band from South Carolina. Here's their debut from 1988. It's an acquired taste. Rudimentary Peni comes to mind. Worth a try for the excellent version of Purple Haze, alone.

SCREAM

Verbal Assault - Volume One: The Masses & Learn

Verbal Assault originally began in Rhode Island in 1983 and had several releases before their breakup in 1991. 'Volume One' is a CD, released in 2002, that has their first Demo and their first E.P. Singer Chris Jones clearly emulated Ian MacKaye, which isn't a bad thing. The music, however lacks the power of Minor Threat. It's still a great representation of Straight Edge H.C.

RIX

Russian Meatsquats - Let's Hang Out

The Russian Meatsquats were a group of goofy kids from Eastern Pennsylvania that came up with one of the best band names ever. They must've gotten all the chicks. "What band am I in? The Russian Meatsquats, baby!" This is their only official release, from 1986. Crazy, fast hardcore.

That's The Way We Like It

Sado-Nation - We're Not Equal

Here's some female-fronted hardcore from the City of Roses. Sado-Nation originally formed in 1979. They released a 7" in 1980 and this L.P. in 1982, as well as a number of comp tracks before breaking up in 1984. In 2005 a CD was released with these plus an unreleased L.P. from '81, an E.P. from a 2000 reunion and some live tracks. This is some rough-edged punk with that good crunchy Portland sound.

Stand Up, Fight Back

Face First - Self-Titled 7"

And here's another Oklahoma band. And it's another band I know little to nothing about. Face First released this five song 7" in 1986 and I believe it's their only release. It's a more straight ahead HC sound than Death Puppy, or N.O.T.A. for that matter. Kinda reminds me of a rougher 7Seconds. Positive lyrics and lots of who-oh's throughout.

Just A Little Man Inside

Death Puppy - Playing Dead Demo

N.O.T.A. may be the most known hardcore band from Oklahoma, but by no means were they the ONLY band. Death Puppy played some great snotty skate punk. This demo is from 1985. I believe they also released a 7" with a couple songs from this demo. Don't know much more about the band, tho.

Church & State, Church & State, Never Gonna Separate

Toxic Reasons - Independence

Toxic Reasons are punk rock legends. Originally forming in Ohio in 1979 the band released 8 albums and various 7"s between 1980-1995. A decent history can be found here. Personally after this singer left and as they matured musically I kinda lost interest in them. This first L.P. however, is truly a chunk of classic hardcore.

I Don't Wanna Be No War Hero

A Number Of Things - Toasterhead

I originally bought this LP back in the day because I went through a phase where all I wanted to hear was 'funnypunk'. A.N.O.T. delivered that from North Carolina. While it is humorous alot of it falls flat, and unfortunately hasn't really withstood the test of time. But here it is anyway.

She's So Ugly I'm Ashamed

MCA RIP

Great Man, Great Band, Great Song

She's On It (DOWN UNDERGROUND brings it!)

Kraut - An Adjustment To Society

Kraut was an awesome punk rock band from New York. Originally forming in 1981, they released a couple 7"s before this fantastic full length in 1982. It was always a favorite back in the day, and I think it still kicks ass today. Unfortunately after this release they started moving towards a more boring rock/metal sound. Pity.

It's The Truth, We're Doomed Youth

Jerry's Kidz - Well Fed Society 7"

Great harcore from Albakoikee, New Mexico.This 7" was their only 'official' release, in 1983. I believe there's a demo kicking around as well. Tight and fast.

There's A Little Man Inside My Head

Bodies In Panic - This Ain't Rock 'N' Roll...Then What The Hell Is It?

More funnypunk from New Jersey. Basic hardcore with humorous lyrics. It's fun.

I Don't Care What It Ism. I Just Don't Like It.

GG Allin - I Wanna Fuck Your Brains Out 7"

What?!? 221 posts and I still haven't included the madman of Manchester?! In 1956 Jesus Christ Allin (Apparently he was actually given this name because his father told his wife that Jesus Christ himself had visited him, and told him that his newborn son would be a great man in the vein of the Messiah. Sounds about right!) was unleashed on an unsuspecting world. Between then and his completely expected death in 1993 GG released literally COUNTLESS records. Countless because most of his releases were pretty much just thrown together and had incredibly limited pressings. This 1985 release is the first 7" I heard, and owned. Poor production, obscene lyrics, classic GG.

Don't Try To Tell Me What To Do