{"key":"14288","name":"Dead Kennedys","bio":"Dead Kennedys are a hardcore punk\/punk rock band from San Francisco, California. During the 1980s the band gained a large underground following in the international punk music scene. Their music mixed the more experimental elements of English 1970s punk with the raw energy of the 1980s American hardcore punk scene. Dead Kennedys' songs mix the deliberately shocking lyrics of punk with a satirical and sarcastic left-wing commentary on social and political issues. Many of the band's songs criticize the religious right and the Ronald Reagan administration, along with many other personalities and ideas. Dead Kennedys formed in San Francisco in 1978 when vocalist Jello Biafra (Eric Reed Boucher) and bassist Klaus Flouride (Geoffrey Lyall) responded to a magazine ad placed by guitarist 'East Bay Ray' (Raymond Pepperell). The three joined with drummer '6025' (Carlos Cadona) as a drummer, but he was quickly replaced by 'Ted' (Bruce Slesinger) and formed one of the most successful hardcore punk bands of the 80s. Later the same year, '6025' was invited back as a second guitarist, but he quit the band again in 1979.The band played hard and fast punk that matched the raw energy of the West-coast scene with twists such as Ray's surf-guitar influences and Jello's nasal machine-gun vocals and political fervor conveyed through furious left-wing rants. Their first show was on July 19, 1978, at the Mabuhay Gardens in San Francisco, California.After this The Dead Kennedys played numerous shows at local venues afterwards. Due to the band's provocative name, they sometimes played under pseudonyms, including \"The Sharks\", \"The Creamsicles\" and \"The Pink Twinkies\". The name, despite popular belief, was not meant to insult the assassinated Kennedy brothers, but to quote Biafra, \"to bring attention to the end of the American Dream\".The band released their first single, \"California Uber Alles\" in 1979 and first album, Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables in 1980 on Jello's own Alternative Tentacles record label. Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables is considered a punk classic. The album reached #33 in the UK Albums Chart. In January of 1981, Ted announced that he wanted to leave to pursue a career in architecture and would help look for a replacement. He played his last concert in February. His replacement was D.H. Peligro (Darren Henley).In May, the band released the single \"Too Drunk to Fuck\". The song caused much controversy in the UK as BBC feared the single would reach the Top 30; this would require a mention of the song on Top of the Pops. However, this never came to be as the single peaked at #31. It is also likely that had \"Too Drunk to Fuck\" (retitled \"Too Drunk To\" by the BBC) hit the top 30, it would have been banned from playing, in the fashion of The Exploited.With Peligro's propulsive drums behind the band, 1981's EP In God We Trust, Inc. saw them moving toward full on hardcore\/thrash. In addition to the EP's controversial artwork depicting a gold Christ figure on a cross of dollar bills, the lyrics contained Biafra's most biting social and political commentary yet, and songs such as \"Moral Majority\", \"Nazi Punks Fuck Off\" and \"We've Got a Bigger Problem Now\" put the DKs on the map as the leaders of a social movement (which would not see fruition until \"alternative\" music gained mainstream acceptance a decade later with grunge).The band continued touring all over the United States, as well as Europe and Australia, and gained a large underground following. While they continued to play live shows during 1983 and '84, they took a break from releasing new records to concentrate on the Alternative Tentacles record label, which would become synonymous with D.I.Y. alternative culture, independent from and in contrast to the commercialized sterile cultural landscape the world had become since the \"cultural revolution\" of the '60s faded into the yuppie '80s. The Kennedys were beset by controversy with the 1985 release of their Frankenchrist album, which was packaged with an 'obscene' poster by Swiss artist H.R. Giger. The resulting trial ravaged the band financially and personally, and in February 1986 they broke up the band only to still record material and release the album Bedtime for Democracy in November. Protracted royalty battles between Jello and his ex-bandmates, which lasted up through the 1990's dashed any hope of a complete reunion.However, in 2001, Ray, Flouride and Peligro united with singer Brandon Cruz under the name DK Kennedys. After performing several concerts under this name, the name was changed back to the original Dead Kennedys. In 2003 Cruz was replaced by Jeff Penalty. Two live compilations have been released since the partial reunion: Mutiny on the Bay, notably featuring a version of \"Kill the Poor\" from their final show with Biafra in 1986, and Live at the Deaf Club, a recording of a 1976 performance prior to the release of Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, which features 6025 as second guitar and Ted as drummer. In October 2007 a best-of album entitled Milking the Sacred Cow was released.Jeff Penalty left the band in March 2008 on bad terms and was replaced by former Wynona Riders singer Skip. D.H. Peligro also left due to personal reasons and was replaced by Dave Schreff. On August 21, 2008, the band announced they would not tour in the foreseeable future due to the health issues of Flouride and Peligro. Flouride would continue performing locally and Ray and Skip have announced they will continue to release work under a new band name.","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/14288_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}

{"key":"19854","name":"Descendents","bio":"Descendents are an American punk rock band from Lomita, California, USA. They are known for being one of the early bands in the hardcore punk scene to sing about more personal and comical topics reflective of their own lives.They were formed in 1978 by guitarist Frank Navetta (RIP) , bassist Tony Lombardo and drummer Bill Stevenson. Shortly after forming they enlisted Milo Aukerman and made what started out a surf band into a full fledged punk unit. The Descendents diverged from their punk peers perhaps because of the Beach Boys influences and sang about topics that touched many young punks' lives like parents, food, girls and being rejected. This band separated due to Milo actually going to college (UCSD), like the title of their album. This and other constraints have made them famous for their long hiatuses, sometimes spanning a decade in length. The band is now spread out across the country and their future is somewhat uncertain. Lead singer Milo Aukerman currently resides in Newark, Delaware. He is a biochemist for the internationally known DuPont Chemical company, which is based out of Delaware. However, whenever the end of the Descendents seems to be approaching, Milo pops up again and the band releases a new record.They have released 6 full length albums: * Milo Goes to College (1982) * I Don't Want to Grow Up (1985) * Enjoy! (1986) * All (1987) * Everything Sucks (1996) * Cool To Be You (2004)","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/19854_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}

{"key":"21843","name":"Bad Brains","bio":"Bad Brains are a United States hardcore punk band, originally formed in Washington DC in 1977. Though the band's members objected to the term \"hardcore\" to describe their music, they are considered pioneers of hardcore punk, and their debut album Bad Brains is considered by many to be one of the finest hardcore albums ever. Just as often as their sound is fast and frantic, the band often plays full-on dub and reggae.Originally formed as a jazz fusion ensemble, Bad Brains developed a very fast and intense punk rock sound, which was both musically complex and more extreme than most of their punk contemporaries. They were also an adept reggae band, in a sort of Jekyll-and-Hyde arrangement, while later recordings also featured elements of funk and heavy metal. Bad Brains were also notable as religious Rastafarians. Bad Brains have broken up and reformed several times over the years (most recently as the Soul Brains), sometimes with different singers and\/or drummers. Their existence has been in three periods: 1977\u20131984, 1986\u20131995, and 1997\u2013present. The group's classic line-up was singer H.R., guitarist Dr. Know, bass guitarist Darryl Jennifer, and drummer Earl Hudson.(SOMETHING MISSING HERE?)This might have been the end of the Bad Brains\u2014if it were not for Ric Ocasek. Ocasek, frontman of New Wave band The Cars, had seen the group play in Boston, and asked them to record an album. Having arrived back from tour with no place to live and no equipment, the Bad Brains took him up on his offer. The result was Rock for Light, released on the large independent label PVC\/Jem (who also released The Cure's first album).In the early '90s, H.R. embarked upon a solo reggae career. During his initial departure, he was replaced along with drummer Hudson by new singer Israel Joseph I and their sound became more in the vein of alternative rock.Marking a return to their trademark hardcore punk\/reggae sound, the original lineup of the Bad Brains released Build a Nation in June 2007, a new, critically acclaimed album with longtime fan Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys handling the production. The Beastie Boys, were huge Bad Brains fans, and they intentionally selected a name with the initials B.B. because of this.Official Site: http:\/\/www.badbrains.comMyspace: http:\/\/myspace.com\/badbrains","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/21843_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}

{"key":"19843","name":"Set Your Goals","bio":"Set Your Goals is a San Francisco, California based pop punk band with hardcore influences and two vocalists, formed in 2004. The band name comes from melodic hardcore band CIV's first album, Set Your Goals. Set Your Goals released their first EP, Set Your Goals, on Straight On Records in May 2004. After signing with Eulogy Recordings, they re-released the EP under the name Reset on April 11, 2006 with vinyl released by Panic Records. Their first full length album, Mutiny was released on July 11, 2006. Set Your Goals released an acoustic version of their track Echoes on the Punk Goes Acoustic 2 compilation.A cover of The Police's Message in a Bottle can be found on their MySpace and a cover of Lil' Jon's Put Yo Hood Up can be found on Punk Goes Crunk, released on Fearless records. In May 2008, they released a new song called The Fallen.Set Your Goals performed as the backing band for Vinnie Caruana for a select number of The Movielife shows in the US and UK.Set Your Goals reached a buy-out agreement with Eulogy Recordings in August of 2008. The band parted on bad terms, with co-vocalist Jordan Brown issuing the following statement on AbsolutePunk.net:\"These were not sent as bragging rights. Please do not buy Eulogy records, do not buy Set Your Goals merch from Eulogy's e-store. John has made an untraceable amount of money off of SYG's music and will continue to do so. We have never seen a dime. I have always said from day one that i don't do any of this for money, and i do not. But it does not sit well with me the amount of money he has kept from us (and many other bands). I could care less about seeing any of that money for myself, but i would rather it be with somebody or another band who deserves it more than John Wylie does. We cannot regain control of our Mutiny cd; the reset songs we will get back in another 3 years. For now he continues to milk Set Your Goals for what he can.\"Following the previous statement, co-vocalist Matt Wilson hinted that their upcoming album may be self-released. However, in March 2009, the band announced their signing with Epitaph Records. Their second album, This Will Be the Death of Us, was released on July 21, 2009.http:\/\/www.myspace.com\/setyourgoals.","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/19843_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}

{"key":"24186","name":"Refused","bio":"Refused is a Post-Hardcore band originating from Ume\u00e5, Sweden, formed in 1991. The band's final lineup comprised its founding members, vocalist Dennis Lyxz\u00e9n and drummer David Sandstr\u00f6m, as well as guitarists Kristofer Steen and Jon Br\u00e4nnstr\u00f6m. Their lyrics were often of a non-conformist and politically far-left revolutionary nature. The band released five EPs and three albums before initially splitting up in 1998. Kerrang! placed The Shape of Punk To Come at #13 on their 50 Most Important Albums Of All Time list. Several months of heavy touring and internal stress caused the band's dissolution, after their last show in the United States was dismantled by police. Following the band split, Lyxz\u00e9n went on to front the political garage rock band The (International) Noise Conspiracy.In March 2010, Epitaph Records put up the old Refused website online with the words \"coming soon.\" Rumors spread across the Internet about what the new website could indicate, including speculation of a reunion. Citing an anonymous source \"close to the situation,\" Punknews.org unofficially announced that the band would perform at European music festivals in 2010. Dennis Lyxz\u00e9n has denied claims of a Refused reformation as he and David Sandstr\u00f6m are busy with AC4. The new band website was later announced to be a promotional site for a reissue of Refused's final album, The Shape of Punk to Come. The reissue, released on June 8, 2010, is a three-disc set with an unreleased live album recorded in 1998 and the Refused Are Fucking Dead DVD documentary in addition to the full original album.On January 9, 2012, it was announced that Refused would be performing at the 2012 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Fesitval in Indio, California in April 2012. The reunion was confirmed via Dennis Lyxzen's Facebook page. Magnus Flagge, their original bassist\/cellist, has also rejoined the band. Later that day, it was announced that they would also be playing at Way Out West Festival in Gothenburg, Sweden. They also headlined the Groezrock festival in Belgium. On February 29, Refused played a secret show in Ume\u00e5, their first live performance since 1998. They also appeared for the first time on TV in America on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on July 18, 2012. On August 23, 2012 Refused indicated by a Facebook post that their reunion was for 2012 only and not a continuation of their career. On August 24, 2012, it was announced that Refused would undertake a theatre tour of Australia for the first time ever in November. The after party for Refused's final show to date, on December 15, 2012 in Fabriken, Ume\u00e5, saw brief reunions from related Ume\u00e5 hardcore bands Abhinanda and Final Exit, as well as some rarely performed songs from Refused. Redd Kross also performed.On February 22, 2013, Refused were awarded \"The special prize for Swedish music exports\" by the Minister of Trade. Lyxz\u00e9n and Sandstr\u00f6m chose to criticize the current Government at the ceremony, instead thanking the efforts of popular education, in particular Workers' Educational Association (ABF) and youth centers (in Sweden associated with social democracy) while Jon Br\u00e4nnstr\u00f6m chose to not accept the prize on his behalf later stating he wished they \"(\u2026) had said no to the prize and instead held a press conference about why we had turned it down.\"On October 31, 2014, Jon Br\u00e4nnstr\u00f6m stated on the official Refused Facebook page that he had been fired from the band (the band would later state that he left the band in 2013), implying that Refused are still active and plan on performing again in the future. On November 25, 2014, the band announced that they will perform their first shows in three years at the Reading and Leeds Festivals, Groezrock and Amnesia Rockfest in the summer of 2015. Around the same time, rumors surfaced of a new album being recorded for release in 2015 after ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead's Autrey Fulbright II posted a photo on Instagram claiming that Lyxz\u00e9n had been in the studio recording vocals for the album; however this was quickly deleted.Refused have announced a North American tour, the Freedom 2015 USA Tour, starting with their headlining set at Punk Rock Bowling and Music Festival in Las Vegas on May 24. On this tour, the band will be playing smaller clubs with ~500 capacity. They will also be touring with Faith No More in July and August, which includes a show at Madison Square Garden.","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/24186_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}

{"key":"147286","name":"Cruel Hand","bio":"Spawned in the lethargic backwoods of the pine tree state, Portland, Maine\u2019s Cruel Hand play an eclectic blend of styles that embodies anything but the serenity of their surroundings. Formed in 2006, Cruel Hand\u2019s sound is equal parts New York hardcore and west coast thrash, all with a twist of their own. With five years of heavy touring and three LPs under their belt, the new decade will see Cruel Hand continue to mature and live up to their hard earned road reputation. Their latest release, 2010\u2019s \u201cLock and Key\u201d, was their most refined to date and a sure sign that the 5-piece is only continuing to rise. With a freshly solidified lineup and undisputable live show, expect to see them in your corner of the world soon.www.cruelhand.comwww.facebook.com\/cruelhand","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/147286_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}

{"key":"24999","name":"Propagandhi","bio":"Propagandhi is a punk band formed in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, Canada in 1986 by Chris Hannah and Jord Samolesky. While their earlier work draws from the punk and skate punk tradition, recent Propagandhi records have moved towards a heavier, hardcore thrash-influenced sound.The band members are known for championing various political causes. They have taken an active stance against human rights violations, racism, homophobia, imperialism, fascism, capitalism and organized religion. The band supports vegan lifestyles, animal rights campaigns and feminism, and have described themselves as \"Gay Positive\".In 1986, Samolesky and Hannah recruited original bassist Scott Hopper via a \"Progressive Thrash Band, bassist wanted\" flyer they posted in a local record shop. Hopper was replaced around the turn of the decade by Mike Braumeister. This was the first lineup to perform live. After several demos and larger shows (including one with Fugazi) made a name for the band, Braumeister moved to Vancouver and a young musician with an inclination towards poetry named John K. Samson became the band's third bassist. It was this lineup of Hannah, Samolesky and Samson that would go on to put out the band's early albums and gain recognition outside of Canada.In 1992, Propagandhi played a show with NoFX. Impressed by their performance, Fat Mike signed them to his independent record label Fat Wreck Chords and asked them to come to L.A. to record their debut album. 'How To Clean Everything' was released in 1993, musically, the album owed a lot to 90s skate punk, but there were still glimpses of the band's 'Progressive Thrash' roots in some of the riffs.The band spent the next three years touring and enjoying the popularity provided by the explosion of punk rock in the mid-1990s. In 1996, they recorded and released their second album, on Fat Wreck Chords - \"Less Talk, More Rock\". The album title was a joke, as Propagandhi were (particularly at that point in their career) well known for going into lengthy rants during their live performances. The album was, if anything, more politically out-spoken than its predecessor, with song titles including; \"Apparently I'm a P.C. Fascist (Because I Care About Both Human and Non-Human Animals)\", \"Nailing Descartes To The Wall \/ (Liquid) Meat Is Still Murder,\" and \"\u2026 And We Thought That Nation States Were a Bad Idea.\" However, for all this, the album did see Propagandhi begin to find a sound more their own than on their debut - musically and lyrically - as well as seeing John K. Samson move from bassist\/backing vocalist to occasional singer\/songwriter (Samson would go on to re-work a handful of his songs from this period with The Weakerthans).In 1997, John K. Samson decided to quit the band and form The Weakerthans. Chris and Jord co-founded the record label G7 Welcoming Committee Records (G7 would later release the first Weakerthans' album). The label's co-operative economic structure is based upon that proposed in Robin Hahnel and Michael Albert's 'Parecon', and was initially started thanks to a $50,000 loan from Fat Mike.During this time, Propagandhi released a collection of demos, alternate takes, covers and live songs called 'Where Quantity Is Job #1.' A new bassist - Todd Kowalski of the bands I Spy and Swallowing Shit (who have also put out material on G7) - replaced Samson that year.After four years, Propagandhi released their third full-length album, 'Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes'. The album marked a major departure from their previous works; the song titles and lyrics of 'Today's Empires' furthered the sphere of their political views and presented their ideas in a more coherent and, arguably, more mature way. Bolstered by the addition of Todd's aggressive song-writing (in contrast to Samson's earlier influence) and an increased density of guitar lines, this album was also the band's heaviest to date and had much more in common with hardcore thrash than with skate punk. The album included enhanced content, with videos and essays on topics such as COINTELPRO and the Black Panther Party, and US foreign policy.Propagandhi released their fourth studio LP on October 18, 2005. 'Potemkin City Limits' saw the band's songwriting style change again, with generally longer songs, alternating heavier\/softer parts and more polished vocals and structured music. Strangely, given his influence on their previous release, Todd's songwriting style in particular would embrace softer music and more cryptic lyrics. Like 'Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes', the album has multimedia content, with a number of Adobe PDF files on topics such as Parecon and veganism.Chris Hannah adopted the pseudonym \"Glen Lambert\" for use during the release of Potemkin City Limits, causing confusion among some fans, reviewers, and commentators. In September 2005, G7 Welcoming Committee Records jokingly announced that Chris had left the band in 2003, and that the remaining members had found a replacement in Glen Lambert, formerly of the Portage Terriers. This claim was quickly revealed to be untrue through a multitude of sources.Without admitting to the joke, Propagandhi announced on August 14, 2006 that \"Glen Lambert\" had been dismissed and would be replaced by \"former\" member Chris Hannah. They also added guitarist David Guillas, making the band a four-piece for the first time. Guillas, nicknamed \"The Beaver\", is a former member of two Winnipeg-based rock outfits, Giant Sons and Rough Music.In 2007 the band released a DVD entitled 'Live from Occupied Territory', which features a recording of their set at The Zoo in Winnipeg on July 19, 2003. Proceeds of the DVD benefit the Grassy Narrows blockade and the Middle East Children Alliance. Included on the DVD are two full-length documentaries: 'Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land', and 'As Long as the Rivers Flow'.On March 10, 2009 Propagandhi released 'Supporting Caste'. In a press release, the band had this to say about their latest album:\"Propagandhi are proud pleased delighted required to announce the release of their new album, Supporting Caste.Recorded at the band\u2019s own Illegal Combatant Studios and the world-renowned Blasting Room in Ft. Collins Colorado, Supporting Caste is the fifth full length release from Winnipeg\u2019s Propagandhi.Crafted in collaboration with Bill Stevenson (Black Flag, Descendents, Zeke, 7 Seconds), this 12 song collection of boundless power and depth is a 50 000 watt forward-thinking tip-of-the-hat to the giants \u2014 Voivod, Rush, SNFU, Sacrifice, Razor, Guilt Parade \u2013 that have gone before them.Legendary and unrepentant residents of humankind\u2019s ideological peanut-gallery, Propagandhi does not disappoint with Supporting Caste, launching crude rockets into the heart of the prevailing order with meditations that range in focus from the humane slaughter and consumption of non-vegans in an elaborate 18-course banquet (with wine pairings) to the apparent confusion of turning on the TV to watch a simple hockey game and having to wonder whether or not the Nazi\u2019s actually lost the war after all.Supporting Caste: 12 new laments, reveries and extrapolations from 4 visibly-aging prairie skids who still cannot believe that of all the gin joints in all the galaxies in all the universes, they had to be born on this one.\"Propagandhi are known for their slow-pace production, taking many years between one record and the next one, and their rare live shows, which take place in small venues and, generally, got the entrance fee fixed at an affordable price.","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/24999_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}

{"key":"24234","name":"Defeater","bio":"Defeater are an American melodic-hardcore band from Boston, Massachusetts. To date, they have released Three full-length albums, two EPs and a single. The band's current lineup consists of Derek Archambault (vocals\/acoustic guitar), Jay Maas (guitar), Jake Woodruff (guitar), Joe Longobardi (drums) and Mike Poulin (bass). All of the band's works have been released via Bridge Nine Records, aside from the album Travels, which was initially released via Top Shelf Records, but was later reissued on Bridge Nine Records.The band formed in 2004; however, it would take several years for recorded material to surface. The band's debut album, Travels, was released on September 16th, 2008. It depicts the story of a young man born at the end of the Second World War to a struggling family living on the Jersey shores. Defeater's body of work would continue this story, making the group well known for its high conceptual ambitions. The narrative highlights the hardships and internal conflicts faced by a working-class family living on the Jersey Shore during the post-WWII period. On why this era is of interest to the group, guitarist Maas has said \"it's seen as this period of great American prosperity but there was still a lot of racism, sexism and homophobia. We write about these prejudices and things like war and murder and how they affected real people. All these things definitely contradict those Norman Rockwell-rosy images of that period.\"","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/24234_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}

{"key":"74055","name":"Creative Adult","bio":"Creative Adult is a four piece band signed to Run for Cover Records from North Bay, California, United States who formed in 2012. Creative Adult features members of All Teeth, Life Long Tragedy, No Sir, and Purple Mercy. The band plays a dark and unsettling style of music that draws inspiration from several sub-genres of independent music including punk rock, post-punk, hardcore punk, post-hardcore, alternative rock, and garage rock. They are influenced by bands like Nirvana, Drive Like Jehu, The Wipers, The Men, and early The Who.Current Members:Scott PhilipsJames RogerMichael BinghamMichael FentonDiscography:2012 - Dead Air (EP)2013 - Northern Exile (single)2013 - Happy Hour (split with The Vibrating Antennas)2013 - Bulls in the Yard (EP)2014 - Deep End (single)2014 - Psychic Mess (LP)2015 - Split with Self Defense Family","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/74055_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}