Stars and Stripes (band)
| Stars and Stripes | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Genre (s) | Oi! , Hardcore punk |
| founding | 1989, 2002 |
| Website | www.oldtimehardcore.com |
| Founding members | |
singing |
Jack Kelly |
Guitar, bass |
Jordan Wood |
Drums |
Mark McKay |
| Current occupation | |
| Jack Kelly | |
| Jordan Wood | |
| Chris Lauria | |
| Mark McKay | |
Stars and Stripes is an American Oi! / Hardcore punk band from Boston . She comes from the band Slapshot and attracted a lot of attention in the punk scene in the 1980s because of the pro-American, patriotic and "sometimes slightly xenophobic traits" lyrics .
history
Jack Kelly, Jordan Wood and Mark McKay founded Stars and Stripes as a side project in 1989. The band played typical English Oi! in the style of the 4-Skins and Red Alert , to which she mixed American hardcore punk elements. In 1989 a 7 '' EP called Drop the Bomb was released on the US label Vulture Rock . Shortly thereafter, Jack Kelly released the debut album Shaved for Battle on his own label Patriot Records . In the original line-up, the band played a single gig in Allston , Massachusetts on November 11, 1989 . The other Patriot Records bands Forced Reality and The Bruisers were also present that evening . Jeff Morris and Scotty Davies were hired by The Bruisers for later live concerts. The band remained inactive until 2002. In the meantime, the Drop the Bomb -7 '' has been reissued and Taang! Records released a new edition of the debut with the 7 '' in 1998.
In 2002 Chris Lauria joined the line-up as a permanent bassist and the group began performing again. In 2002 the second album One Man Army was released on I Scream Records .
Texts and controversy
The lyrics of the debut album show strong references to the British Oi! Scene. Red Alert and the 4 skins are mentioned, which were also musically a source of inspiration. The themes of most of the songs were also taken from the British Oi! Movement. The album deals with the skinhead gang culture, the working class and the fight on the street with songs like Doc Marten Army , Street Kids , Shaved for Battle or Gang Riot . Explicitly on US relations aims American Oi! from. This song is also kept patriotic. The song The Power and the Glory again campaigns for Vietnam War veterans , but at the same time incites against the Soviet Union . Xenophobic elements include the song In the Right , which blames foreigners for preventing Americans from getting decent jobs.
It is precisely these controversial songs that repeatedly led to the fact that the band is listed by right-wing extremist bands. In Germany, a version of the debut album was released on the right-wing extremist label Rock-O-Rama , although it is unclear whether this release is to be regarded as a bootleg or a license pressing. The CD in question contains no reference to Rock-O-Rama. Jack Kelly himself sees Stars and Stripes as a fun project and an attempt at classic Oi! to play. The texts should be understood as a calculated provocation and ironic . Kelly also rejects any right-wing extremist attitudes and points to the otherwise anti-fascist orientation of his other bands.
Discography
- 1989: Drop the Bomb (7``, Vulture Rock)
- 1989: Shaved for Battle (CD / LP, Patriot Records)
- 2002: One Man Army (CD / LP, I Scream Records )
- 2015: Planet of the States (CD / LP, Olde-Thyme-Records)
Web links
- Stars and Stripes on Slapshot's official website
Individual evidence
- ^ Matthias Mader: This is Boston, not New York. A hardcore punk encyclopedia . IP Verlag, Berlin 2003, ISBN 3-931624-19-6 , pp. 133 .
- ↑ a b Official biography (English). Official website, accessed March 12, 2013 .
- ^ Shaved for Battle. Musik-Sammler.de, accessed on March 12, 2013 .
- ^ Review of One Man Army , Ox No. 56
- ^ Matthias Mader: This is Boston, not New York. A hardcore punk encyclopedia . IP Verlag, Berlin 2003, ISBN 3-931624-19-6 , pp. 133-135 .