The 80's and 90's were a great time to be growing up and listening to American alternative music.
In the 80's the economy was in a recession, people lost jobs and houses, and were disenfranchised. They were angry at the lame bill of goods sold to them by the gov't, and unsure of the future.
All these and other conditions, together with the growing interest in the Punk movement, made way for some amazing and creative bands to be born.
Angry Samoans, Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, Cramps, Flipper, Fear, Circle Jerks, Anti-Flag, Anti-Nowhere League, GG Allin & the Murder Junkies, MDC, Minor Threat, Misfits, Skrew Driver, Kraut, etc.
They all grew out of this era and provided an interesting chapter to music history, and the behavior that went with it.
From slam dancing, to skanking, to moshing, music was no longer something where you just went to a venue and listened.
You participated, whether you wanted to or not.
You never knew where a mosh pit would spring up, or a chain of people smashing into the crowd, had to be on your toes.
There was also the emergence of some interesting factions, the "punks" with the mohawks and funky piercings, and the skinheads, who frequently hung together and many times dismissed drugs and alcohol, giving rise to the "straightedge movement", kids who went to shows not to get drunk or high, but to go insane in the pits, and test the limits.
Great memories, great times, and only a few broken bones along the way.
One of the angriest and most prolific Hardcore bands. Their album Damaged remains an iconic milestone.
Their shows were the best, exploding with energy and flying bodies. Henry was the hardcore king, and people worshipped at his feet. (He got laid a lot, too)
Wow Dead Kennedys, that brings me back a bit. Herring is like the Matt Pinfield of alternative and obscure music. Great threads, man! Here's some DKs for you.
holiday in cambodia
Sex Bomb, here's a quote by someone who knew them:
"Favorite song; theses guys were way ahead of their time, however, fueled by the media,the radios refused to play Flipper on the radio, so they banned them. I knew these guys; the lead singer, Kirk, was a friend. He died broke. Punk was cool, the radio stations, fueled by the corparations preverted it into something evil ... "skin-heads," nazism - it was all a lie. I am black and punks were neither racist, sexist or homophobic. Sex Bomb rules"
Punk and Hardcore Bands!
The 80's and 90's were a great time to be growing up and listening to American alternative music.
Reply With Quote
Henry was the hardcore king, and people worshipped at his feet. (He got laid a lot, too) 