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Bad Brains frontman delivers punk message |
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Written by Glenn BurnSilver
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Thursday, 03 May 2007 |
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 One of the most volatile and acclaimed bands to rise out of the Washington, D.C., hardcore punk scene in the early 1980s, many thought the Bad Brains were simply a novelty act.
Here were four men of color playing punk music in a genre dominated by white performers. Yet by mixing virtuosity amongst blazing speed with reggae riddims and social consciousness, the Bad Brains quickly squashed any notion they didn’t belong.
They were so good — and notorious for their riotous stage acts led by their overzealous and sometimes confrontational leader HR Hudson — that they were actually banned from performing in D.C. clubs, and subsequently moved to New York. Such an approach would seem to go against the practice of Rastafarianism, followed by all the band members, and championed in their music. Yet, playing at such amazing speeds, it’s a wonder the message made it through at all.
“Well, I didn’t really think of the objective because it was a candid situation and the spirit was just flowing,” HR, as he is called, explained in a phone interview. “A lot of the songs were from living on the edge and having a very avant-garde approach. So it came through the cosmos and all things being equal, the band image and moral ideal, that was all interpreted in a very simple way. I don’t think it had to do with the length (of the songs). People had something to identify with. Ours was the intensity of the music, the speed and the energy. I think that’s what defined us.”
The Bad Brains were also defined by their turbulent leader. HR frequently missed shows, fought with audience members and other musicians, or forgot lyrics in the middle of a song. During its 20-year history, the Bad Brains broke up and reformed eight times, or performed with various lineups. HR even sang a vocal track over the phone from jail for an album. But the band is together again, working on a new album and planning a summer tour.
“Everything is going much more positively these days. As a youth, you sometimes jump to conclusions and emotions are running strong and you do things you shouldn’t. But today everything is much better,” he said.
“Thank you for caring, but I assure you it is a comforting and positive vibe that flows now. We reconciled and made amends and it is peace and love throughout the camp. We look forward to a very positive and productive year.”
Meanwhile, HR is “relaxing,” touring with his reggae-focused band the Dubb Agents. Still, he acknowledges, people in the audience always request Bad Brains material.
“I like to save the outrageous for the Bad Brains,” he said. “For my own material I like to focus more on the groove factor, the comforting factor. I like that level of communication and just experiencing the essence of it all.”
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TO GO TO THE SHOW
HR and the Dubb Agents
7 p.m.; show 9 p.m., May 9
Road 34
1213 W. Elizabeth St., Fort Collins
221.3434
$15. Ages 21 and older
www.myspace.com/diarecords
www.badbrains.com
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