PUNK HARDCORE - American Hardcore & Straight Edge Scene

Much of the punk and skinhead influence on America developed into hardcore, growing from both the West and East coasts. In California, there were bands like Black Flag, Germs, Descendents, Adolescents, X, Minutemen, Dead Kennedys, Circle Jerks, Bad Religion, T.S.O.L. (True Sounds Of Liberty), Vandals and others; in Washington D.C. there was Minor Threat, Bad Brains and other bands on the Dischord label.

Black Flag has often been considered America's first hardcore band, beginning in 1978. By creating the still-surviving SST label, Black Flag single-handedly gave the West Coast hardcore scene international prominence. by the time their first EP 'Jealous Again' came out in 1980, Black Flag had begun touring enough to become a major attraction in nearly every city and inspire others to get into the scene. While Black Flag and their peers wrote cutting songs like 'T.V. Party' about commercial culture and middle class suburban life, the sound they made was predominantly a joyful noise, and they rarely preached to their fans.

The Dead Kennedys became an exception to the West Coast scene when they honed a self-righteously moral attack upon middle and upper-class values. 'Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables', their 1980 debut, contained 'Holidays In Cambodia' their crowning achievement. The Dead Kennedys's sarcastic diatribes bordered on the overbearing on In God We Trust, Inc. until they redeemed themselves with an improved sense of humor on Plastic Surgery Disasters in 1982.

The East Coast had much more in common with the Dead Kennedys than the more hedonistic California bands. While SST was just starting, Minor Threat helped establish the Dischord label. They issued the 'Bottled Violence' EP in 1981, which revealed strong influence from the ideology of Crass and the music of The Ruts. The power of their own influence became apparent when, with one impassioned hardcore tune called 'Straight Edge' they called for abstinence from drugs and booze. From that song, Minor Threat unwittingly would create a whole new American subculture which would adopt the same song title. A song that acknowledged both the aspirations and realties of political punk rock inspired a whole generation of skinheads and people without any label to denounce the self-destructive, nihilistic lifestyle that cultural icons like Sid Vicious romanticized.

Meanwhile, Bad Brains carried on the tradition of the 2-Tone movement to the states, pushing the hybrids even further. The black jazz-rock fusionists from Washington D.C. proved their mastery of hardcore early in their career with the 1980 single, 'Pay to Cum!'. On the 1982 'Roir' album, Bad Brains featured radically contrasting excursions into dub and reggae amongst the hardcore fury. As the band progressed, they shed some of the hardcore sound to create even more exciting blends of funk, reggae and metal wile continuing to espouse rastafarian principles.