Black Flag is an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. Initially called Panic, the band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter, and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band. They are widely considered to be one of the first hardcore punk bands, as well as one of the pioneers of post-hardcore. After breaking up in 1986, Black Flag reunited in 2003 and again in 2013. The second reunion lasted well over a year, during which they released their first studio album in over two decades, What The… (2013). The band announced their third reunion in January 2019. Brandon Pertzborn was replaced by Isaias Gil on drums and Tyler Smith was replaced by Joseph Noval on bass.
The Beat are a band founded in Birmingham, England, in 1978. Their music fuses Latin, ska, pop, soul, reggae and punk rock.
Youth crew is a music subculture of hardcore punk attributed to bands who were primarily active during the mid-to-late 1980s, particularly during the New York hardcore scene of the late 1980s. Youth crew is distinguished from other hardcore and punk scenes by its optimism and moralist outlook. The original youth crew bands and fans were predominantly straight edge and vegetarian advocates.
Scritti Politti is a British band, originally formed in 1977 in Leeds, England, by Welsh singer-songwriter Green Gartside. He is the only member of the band to have remained throughout the group's history.
Discharge are an English hardcore punk band formed in 1977 in Stoke-on-Trent by Terence "Tezz" Roberts and Royston "Rainy" Wainwright. While the band has undergone several line-up changes throughout its history, the classic line-up from the early 1980s featured bassist Wainwright, drummer Gary Maloney, Anthony "Bones" Roberts playing guitar, and vocalist Kelvin "Cal" Morris.
Mark Helias is an American jazz double bass player and composer born in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
Timothy "T. V." Smith is an English singer-songwriter, who was part of punk band The Adverts in the late 1970s. Since then he has fronted other bands, as well as pursuing a solo career.
Get Smart! was a three-piece post-punk band formed in Lawrence, Kansas, in 1980 consisting of Marc Koch, Lisa Wertman Crowe and Frank Loose. The band released 2 studio albums along with some singles and EPs over a 10 year career.
The Embarrassment was an American quartet formed in 1979 in Wichita, Kansas, that was active from 1979 to 1983, but has reunited several times since then. The band consisted of guitarist Bill Goffrier, lead singer and organist John Nichols, bassist Ron Klaus and drummer Brent Giessmann. After the break-up, Giessmann played for The Del Fuegos and Goffrier formed Big Dipper. The band was considered a prominent part of the Lawrence music scene of the early 1980s.
Pancake Mountain is a children's television show created by filmmaker Scott Stuckey. Described as an “alt-rock guerrilla kids' dance party, forged in the crucible of Washington, D.C. cable-access television”, it is notable for featuring many punk rock/indie rock musicians like The White Stripes, Eddie Vedder, Fat Mike, The Melvins, Kings of Leon, Henry Rollins, Shirley Manson, Gerard Way, Daniel Johnston, Tegan and Sara, Katy Perry, Bright Eyes, Deerhoof, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, The Fiery Furnaces, Thievery Corporation, Arcade Fire, Built to Spill, Jenny Lewis, Metric, Starcrawler and many others. The show is hosted by a goat puppet named Rufus Leaking, superhero Captain Perfect and his slightly more sensible foil Garnett who serve as interviewers and dance-party impresarios. Interviews have included George Clinton, Juliette Lewis, and Chuck Leavell among others.
Marc was a British television series presented by T. Rex's lead singer Marc Bolan. It was produced in Manchester by Granada Television for the ITV network. A second series was planned but Bolan died before it could be produced.
Scott Stuckey is a filmmaker and record producer from Washington D.C.. Stuckey is best known as the creator of the cult TV show Pancake Mountain as well as his work with singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt.
Paul Richard Fox was a British singer and guitarist, best known from his work with the UK punk band, The Ruts. The Ruts' style combined punk with dub reggae, a sound that owed much to Fox's guitar skills and earned him respect and admiration. The Guardian noted in his obituary: "Fox played a pivotal songwriting role, and quickly became a model punk guitarist at a time when the three-chord thrash was the height of many of his contemporaries' ambitions". Unlike many of his peers, Fox had been playing guitar since the mid-sixties, citing Hendrix as an influence.
Kendall Stephen Chinn, known under the stage name Mr. Chi Pig, was a Canadian punk rock lead vocalist and artist born in Edmonton and long residing in Vancouver. He fronted the hardcore punk band SNFU from 1981 until their hiatus in 2018. Other, short-lived groups that he led included The Wongs, Little Joe, and Slaveco.
Action Reaction is the debut album by American Post-punk band Get Smart!, released on Enigma Records' "Fever" imprint in 1984.
Swimming With Sharks is the second album by Get Smart!, released on Enigma Records' "Restless" imprint in 1986.
Fresh Sounds From Middle America was the first in a series of compilations featuring bands from the Midwest region of America. Volume 1 was a split compilation cassette-only release featuring 22 tracks from 4 bands and is sometimes referred to as "the Buffalo tape" because of the Buffalo imprint on the cover of the tape.
Words Move is a 4-track EP by Get Smart!, released on Syntax Records on December 8, 1981. It was recorded at Ramona Studios in Lawrence, KS and produced by Dave Stuckey, of the Dave and Deke Combo. The track "Eat, Sleep A Go-Go" from this EP was included on the Sub Pop #5 cassette compilation.
Fresh Sounds From Middle America was the third album released in the series of compilations featuring bands from the Midwest region of America. The mix of styles was about half punk rock and half alternative rock. The best known of the bands included are the Micronotz, the Pedal Jets and the Homestead Grays. This volume was presented by "Redline and KJHK".
Fresh Sounds Records was a Lawrence, KS based independent record label run by local music promoter Bill Rich. Acts who have been on the label include Get Smart!, the Embarrassment, the Mortal Micronotz, Start, SPK, the Homestead Grays and William S. Burroughs.
