Cult phenomenon Bad Brains is finally back together and on the west coast, touring its new album “Into the Future.” Washington D.C.’s most political musical export — tied with Fugazi — will play Hollywood on Dec. 1.
Influenced most by the wild freedom of the Sex Pistols and the political intentions of Bob Marley, it was this communion of punk and reggae that made Bad Brains an immediate force among the annals of the American Hardcore scene, revolting with fellow punk inseminators like Minor Threat, Black Flag, The Dicks, Husker Du, and The Dead Kennedy’s, to name a few.
The group initially formed as a progressive jazz act, Mind Power, in 1977. Two years later, H.R. (short for Human Rights, the stage name for lead singer Paul D. Hudson) moved from guitar to lead vocals, replacing Sid McCray. With that, the Bad Brains line-up as we know it was created — Dr. Know on guitar, Darryl Aaron Jenifer on bass, and drummer Earl Hudson.
Wailing banshee H.R. is well known for unleashing a Tourette’s-like libretto, both screeched and howled in a nasal falsetto, along with anthemic call and response choruses that play between H.R. and Dr. Know.
Bad Brains manipulates tempo to lull you into a comfortable groove, before turning up the heat and snapping your neck like a spring chicken. The spirit of Bad Brains exists where the energy of the id meets a rebellious heart.
“Into the Future” might be a stronger album than its predecessor, 2007’s “Build a Nation,” but it’s too close to call. Both strike a better balance between rock and reggae genres, representing the group’s ever-divergent focus.
The band has split numerous times, with H.R. and brother Hudson focusing on reggae, while Know and Jenifer opt for hard rock projects. Never reaching the same success as a band apart, they have once again re-united.
They are still capable of producing well-constructed melodies, driving riffs, and clever lyrics, and then there’s the wackiness that is H.R. It all comes together in both slow reggae jams and in the ratcheted assault of their rant anthems. Ranthems, if you will.
Bad Brains will perform at The Fonda Theater, just outside of West Hollywood — proving that one-time Rastafarian homophobe H.R. has grown more comfortable with alternative lifestyles.
In 1982, a notorious feud erupted between the Bad Brains and two openly gay frontmen: Gary Floyd of The Dicks and Randy Biscuit Turner of Big Boys, creating a rift within the DIY punk community. Some consider this the reason Brains never broke from cult status to reap mainstream profits.
More recently, an online photo surfaced of H.R. allegedly smoking weed with actress Brooke Shields in 1983, securing his position as a corruptor of traditional American ideals.
Long since the days of feuds and intolerance, a less lucid yet friendlier H.R. has been touting his belief in a Positive Mental Attitude, an idea cultivated from the book “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill.
Will the fearsome foursome bring the energy we know and love this Saturday night? The Jesus Lizard managed such a feat on the same stage two years ago.
Come out and witness the chaos for yourself. We’ll be there. See you down front.
