Biohazard

Biohazard
Origin	Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Genres	Heavy metal, hardcore punk, rapcore
Years active	1988–2006, 2008-present
Website	www.biohazard.com

Biohazard is a band originally based out of Brooklyn, New York. They are acknowledged as one of the earliest bands to fuse hardcore punk and heavy metal with elements of hip hop.

Early years

The band formed in 1987 in Brooklyn. The original lineup consisted of bassist/vocalist Evan Seinfeld, guitarist Bobby Hambel, and drummer Anthony Meo. Guitarist/vocalist Billy Graziadei joined the band soon after. Their first demo tape, released in 1988, caused a stir with journalists who felt that the band's lyrics displayed certain fascist and white supremacist views, despite the fact that Seinfeld himself was Jewish. Accusations of racism in their music were strenuously denied by the band, but in later interviews, Seinfeld and Graziadei explained that it had all been a publicity stunt to win over the band Carnivore and their fans. Eventually, the songs in question were no longer played or even mentioned, and the band began preaching message of tolerance and anti-racism. After the release of their demo, Anthony Meo left the band and drummer Danny Schuler stepped in to replace him. A second demo tape followed in 1989.

While never really considering themselves a hardcore band, Biohazard often found themselves sharing stages with bands associated with the New York hardcore scene, such as the Cro-Mags and Agnostic Front. They also shared stages with New Jersey hardcore band Mucky Pup on occasion and a friendship between the two bands developed. Mucky Pup became a strong supporter of Biohazard and often booked them as an opening act, but many clubs would refuse to let Biohazard play, thinking the shows would lead to violence. As a result, Mucky Pup would resort to sneaking them on stage to perform a few songs before their own set.

The end of Biohazard

In the meantime, Graziadei had formed another new band with former members of Kittie and The Groovenics. Originally named Rodek, the band eventually changed their name to Suicide City. In October 2005, Graziadei announced that Means To An End had been the final Biohazard album and that he would continue playing with Suicide city as his main focus. One month later, on the Biohazard website, it was announced that there would in fact be a 2006 Biohazard tour.

On December 15th, Seinfeld and Graziadei participated with the Roadrunner United conglomerate at the Nokia Theater in New York for an all-star event. The show opened with Biohazard's "Punishment," performed by Seinfeld, Graziadei, Sepultura's Andreas Kisser, former Fear Factory member Dino Cazares, and Slipknot's Joey Jordison.

In January 2006, Danny Schuler announced his resignation from Biohazard and the formation of Bloodclot with singer Jon Joseph of the Cro-Mags and guitarist Scott Roberts and bassist Craig Setari of Sick of it All. As a result of Schuler's resignation, Roberts announced that he would also be leaving the band to focus on Bloodclot with Schuler. That same month, Graziadei announced that Biohazard would not go on a farewell tour after all. A Biohazard DVD was released soon after.

Graziadei and Schuler have since relocated their recording studio to South Amboy, New Jersey and have renamed it Underground Sound Studios. The studio has undergone renovations in order to include a live room with 20-foot (6.1 m) ceilings and 4,000 square feet (370 m2) of studio space.

In February 2006, Seinfeld participated in the filming of SuperGroup, a VH-1 reality television series also starring Ted Nugent, Scott Ian of Anthrax, Sebastian Bach and Jason Bonham of Bonham, UFO, and Foreigner as a band named Damnocracy. The show debuted on May 21, 2006. Seinfeld continues to work with his wife, Tera Patrick, in adult entertainment. In 2005, they launched the Tera Patrick Agency with the goal of representing talent in both the adult and mainstream entertainment business.

In March 2007, Evan Seinfeld debuted his new band, The Spyderz, as an opening act for a Buckcherry performance. The band was originally named White Line Fever, until it was discovered that a UK band already owned the name. The Spyderz also features guitarist John Monte, formerly of Ministry and M.O.D.. In October 2008, Seinfeld also joined Tattooed Millionaires as a bassist and co-vocalist.

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EARTH CRISIS

Breed The Killer

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Earth Crisis (short story)

SHUTDOWN

Few And Far Between

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Shutdown (short story of)

Bad Brains

Background information
Also known as	Soul Brains
Origin	Washington, D.C., USA
Genres	Hardcore punk, reggae
Years active	1977–1984 1986–1995 1997–present
Labels	ROIR, Caroline, SST, Epic, Maverick, Megaforce
Associated acts	Faith No More
Website	BadBrains.com

Bad Brains is an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1977. They are widely regarded as among the pioneers of the genre, though the band's members objected to the term "hardcore" to describe their music.

Originally formed as a jazz fusion ensemble under the name Mind Power, Bad Brains developed a very fast and intense punk rock sound, which was both musically complex, and was often played faster and more emphatically than the music of many of their peers. They were also an adept reggae band, in a sort of Jekyll-and-Hyde arrangement, while later recordings featured elements of other genres. Bad Brains are also notable as religious followers of the Rastafari movement. Bad Brains broke up and reformed several times over the years, sometimes with different singers and/or drummers. The band's classic and current lineup is singer H.R., guitarist Dr. Know, bassist Darryl Jenifer, and drummer Earl Hudson, H.R.'s younger brother.

Though the official name of the band is Bad Brains, they are often referred to as The Bad Brains, sometimes even by the band members themselves.

The band was first founded as a jazz-fusion ensemble called Mind Power (1975), with singer Sid McCray, in the mold of bands such as Chick Corea's Return to Forever and John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra. In 1977, McCray introduced the rest of the band, who were already interested in bands such as Black Sabbath, to punk rock, including the Dickies, the Dead Boys, and the Sex Pistols. Mind Power became obsessed with punk rock and changed their name to "Bad Brains", after the Ramones song "Bad Brain" but with the word "bad" in the sense of "powerful". Despite their burgeoning punk sound, the early Bad Brains also delved deep into reggae music.McCray left in the early days of the group's hardcore-punk era, and guitarist H.R. became the band's singer.The band developed an early reputation in Washington D.C., due in part to the relative novelty of an entirely African-American band playing punk rock, but also due to their high-energy performances and undeniable talent

The band's considerable musical technique, due in part to their jazz and progressive rock roots, set them apart from other Washington punk groups, who were typically earnest but often amateurish performers. Bad Brains' emphasis on extreme speed, especially in their early records and performances, are often regarded as establishing hardcore punk.

Their music still contained hints of their progressive rock past, with quick time changes and H.R.'s fluctuating vocal dynamics. H.R. was a muscular and unpredictable stage performer with a very wide vocal range, who often leapt into the audience or onto amplifiers.

In 1979, Bad Brains found themselves the subject of an unofficial ban among many Washington D.C. area clubs and performance venues (later addressed in their song, "Banned in D.C."). The band subsequently relocated to New York City.

Their self-titled debut album was released on New York's ROIR Records on "cassette only" in January 1982, followed in 1983 by Rock for Light, produced by Ric Ocasek of The Cars. These two albums, containing hardcore punk and mellow reggae, were landmarks, influencing an entire generation of musicians, including Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, 311, Living Colour and more.

The band fought constantly with volatile singer H.R., who was very expressive. H.R. seemed to reflect Bad Brains' music: one minute calm and espousing peace and love, and the next minute an aggressive, sometimes violent man. In 1984, Bad Brains broke up; it was the first of many splits. H.R. began a solo career devoted to all genres of music, calling music "Transcendental" and saying "acceptance of all music is what I feel will be the unification of all nations under one" releasing many albums from 1984, 86', 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, and 2000.

In 1986, Bad Brains reunited and SST Records released I Against I. As the title track demonstrated, Bad Brains could still play extremely fast, but there was also a new variety; there was much more melody and slower grooves. Dr. Know sounded a bit like a punked-out Eddie Van Halen, there was an outright love song in "She's Calling You," and H.R. famously provided vocals for "Sacred Love" over the phone from the Lorton Reformatory while doing a bid for a cannabis charge. Also critically praised was H.R.'s performance: "he digs deep into his bag of voices and pulls them all out, one by one: the frightening nasal falsetto that was his signature in the band's hardcore days, an almost bel canto baritone, and a declamatory speed-rap chatter that spews lyrics with the mechanical precision of a machine gun".

The title track's video was shown on MTV's then-new 120 Minutes program, for which the band appeared in promotional footage. Despite the success of I Against I, Bad Brains broke up again after spending most of 1987 on the road.

The group signed with Caroline Records in the late 1980s to release Quickness in 1989. The album continued where I Against I had left off, yet with a heavier sound and featuring the return of reggae with "The Prophet's Eye".

Bad Brains were plagued by internal tensions nearly from their beginning. Aside from the problems with H.R., who sometimes refused to perform at scheduled concerts, he and his younger brother, drummer Earl Hudson, also wanted to devote the band strictly to reggae, while Dr. Know and Darryl Jenifer were increasingly interested in heavy metal music. H.R. was replaced by Taj Singleton for the Quickness tour. H.R. had financial problems after an unsuccessful European tour with the group Human Rights, and meanwhile touring replacement singer Taj Singleton did not fit well with Bad Brains. H.R. and Earl both returned to the band, and H.R. was given a week to spit out some lyrics and get the vocal tracks down for Quickness. After the Quickness tour, H.R. and Earl left once again and H.R. was replaced by former Faith No More vocalist Chuck Mosley. Soon afterwards, Bad Brains broke up yet again.

In 1990, Bad Brains backed longtime friend, fan, and protege Henry Rollins on a cover version of The MC5's "Kick out the Jams". The recording appears on the soundtrack to the film Pump Up the Volume.

As bands influenced by Bad Brains (such as Living Colour and Fishbone) enjoyed commercial success, Dr. Know was approached by Epic Records in 1993, offering the band a major-label record deal. However, H.R. and Earl weren't interested, as they were concentrating strictly on reggae. Dr. Know and Darryl Jenifer replaced them with former Cro-Mags drummer Mackie Jayson (who had played as a session musician on Quickness), and vocalist Israel Joseph I. Rise was released in 1993 to some confusion as original vocalist H.R. had been billed as "Joseph I" on the Rock for Light album back in 1983. Mixing jazz, punk, reggae, pop, funk, and rock, Rise was by far the most diverse album the group had released. In addition to a mix of reggae and hardcore, the album also featured heavy metal overtones. However, sales were unimpressive, reviews were mixed, and Israel and Jayson were fired to make room for the return of H.R. and Earl Hudson.

With the original band back together for the first time in five years, Bad Brains signed to the Maverick Records label for the 1995 release God of Love.

At a show at The Bottleneck in Lawrence, Kansas in 1995, H.R., (according to some accounts, while high on psychedelic mushrooms), bashed a microphone stand against the skull of an audience member, notably, a skinhead, severely injuring him. After this incident, the band called it quits yet again. Earlier that year, while on tour with Beastie Boys, the band was arrested with drug paraphernalia while crossing into Canada. Later in Montreal, Canada, H.R. attacked Bad Brains' manager Anthony Countey, breaking his nose, and also assaulted his brother Earl before their scheduled appearance with Beastie Boys. This incident also caused them to miss the next show planned for Madison Square Garden in New York City. Maverick dropped the Brains soon after and signed Deftones, who sounded eerily like the Brains on their debut album Adrenaline

Two years later, the band worked together to remaster some very early studio recordings which were then released as the EP The Omega Sessions by Victory Records. In 1999, the original lineup toured under the name "Soul Brains"

due to H.R.'s desire to not be associated with anything "Bad". A live album, A Bad Brains Reunion Live from Maritime Hall was released in 2000 .

visit: wikipedia and external links 

• Bad Brains' MySpace
• Official website
• Bad Brains at Allmusic
• Bad Brains at ROIR

Shutdown

Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes; Shutdown emerged from the crumbling New York hardcore

scene in late 1995. Their positive message and distinctive sound has catapulted them to the top of the hardcore world.

Over the past five years Shutdown has grown into one of the most prevalent NYC hardcore bands around, selling over 20,000 copies of their Victory debut CD Against All Odds. From there they released an EP entitled Something to Prove on Victory in late February of 2000. The success of the EP was just a small taste of the magnitude of their new CD, Few and Far Between

Few and Far Between," produced by Roger Miret of Agnostic Front, shows how the band has grown both musically and in life. Starting the band when some of the members were only 14 Shutdown is all grown up and ready to take on the world. The new CD shows a definite progression from their debut, but it doesn't stray too far from their patented sound. Mark Scondotto's distinctive vocals fused with Steve DellaCroces menacing guitar riffs sets Shutdown apart from all other hardcore bands.
From the very beginning of their careers, Shutdown has been on non-stop tours with hardcore heavy weights such as, Agnostic Front, the legendary Cro-mags and label mates Hatebreed. Their high-energy music and impressive live show has proven they can roll with the best of them.
Shutdowns signature breakdowns and chunky guitar sound is enough to please any hardcore fan. Each song stands apart form the next. The CD is packed with an array of guest vocalists, Freddy Cricien of Madball fame shouts out the chorus for the title track Few and Far Between. Marks brothers, Mike (of Inhuman) and Jon lend him a hand on Homestretch and Afraid to Fail
Shutdown defines positive, inspirational hardcore. They portray a message of unity, standing up for your morals, and living a life where you are true to yourself. Shutdowns fresh new sound will win the hearts of thousands and have them screaming their anthems throughout the entire world...
Shutdown's newest offering, "FEW AND FAR BETWEEN" is in stores now. Aggressive yet passionate, "FEW AND FAR BETWEEN"is their most mature material to date, redefining the future of hardcore.

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STRIFE

In This Defiance

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Short Story (Strife)