Bad Brains

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Bad Brains

Bad Brains

Washington. D.C. has given us some of punk rock’s greatest ambassadors: Ian MacKaye [who was so inspired/influenced by Bad Brains he started a band AND a label], Dave Grohl, Henry Rollins… but often overlooked are Bad Brains. Although it is often debated whether Bad Brains was the first hardcore-punk of note, few can argue that they were among the elite. Bad Brains didn’t just play fast, they played well. They fused punk with reggae but really they were capable of playing any style at all. Content with their status as a cult band, Bad Brains never seemed to attempt to reach the big time. Forming in 1977, the four-piece (frontman Paul “HR” Hudson, guitarist Gary “Dr. Know” Miller, bassist Daryl Jenifer and drummer Earl Hudson) pioneered the hardcore genre, bringing an intense, breakneck but technically adept style of punk thanks to their background in jazz fusion. Their influence is felt far and wide:  the Beastie Boys [who named themselves Beastie Boys after seeing Bad Brains live just so they could share the same initials {they would also have Bad Brains open for them on their Ill Communication Tour}], Rage Against the Machine, Soundgarden, Red Hot Chili Peppers and many more. Did you ever wonder what would have happened if Bob Marley started a punk band? Well… it would sound something like this. The band actually was inspired by Bob Marley after seeing him live and chose to incorporate more reggae into their punk-thrash sound. Bad Brains weren’t set out so much on fitting into the punk scene as much as the punk scene fit into what Bad Brains were doing. There is so much energy, and precision and anger, in this short blast of hard-core fury. -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 and sessions, 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 rock. The band developed an early reputation in Washington D.C., due in part to the relative novelty of an entirely black band playing punk rock at the time, but also due to their high-energy performances and undeniable talent.[In 1979, Bad Brains found themselves the subject of an unofficial ban among 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, where they would serve as a catalyst for that city's burgeoning hardcore scene.  Their self-titled debut album was released on Neil Cooper's ROIR on "cassette only" on February 5, 1982. Later, the Cars’ Ric Ocasek would track the band down after a gig in Mexico and record their sophomore effort, Rock for Light. While many complaints about punk, and ‘80s hardcore in particular, center around the lack of technical musical skill, Bad Brains were former jazz-fusion virtuosos who started a punk band to escape the grossly exhibitionist-urges of so-called “good” musicianship. They were far from unskilled, and they didn’t allow the militant fashions of the punk scene control their next moves. And in a scene at times mired in replication, Bad Brains offered variety. From the very beginning they were lightly flavoring their albums and live sets with authentic reggae numbers; their masterpiece I Against I deftly incorporated heavy metal, but spared us the histrionics. Bad Brains carried an aura of other-worldliness that might amount to the punk rock equivalent of a Prince or a David Bowie. Although more of a cult band, their influence is felt far and wide. Some of their accolades include… being nominated for the class of the 2017 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Ranked No. 99 on Vh1’s 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock. They were named after a Ramones song (“Bad Brain”). Their most well known song is probably “Pay Tp Cum”. If you have a good brain… you’ll go and listen to...

Bad Brains