CONCERT PREVIEW
Selected by Dan
Grunebaum
Bad Religion
JEC International
Heroes to a thousand Japanese melocore bands,
SoCal veterans Bad Religion return to Japan for a much-anticipated tour that will see them
playing only one date in the Tokyo area.
With a well-regarded new album - The New America - Bad Religion are still at the
vanguard of a movement that they helped launch back in the early ' Along with groups
like Black Flag, Rancid and Offspring, Bad Religion gave vent to the anger felt by a
generation of white suburban kids at a time of deep economic and social discontent.
Formed in 1980 in Los Angeles by guitarist Brett Gurewitz and singer-songwriter Greg
Graffin, Bad Religion issued their first self-titled EP in 1982 on Epitaph, the label
formed by Gurewitz to release the band's records. Their debut album Into The Unknown
followed in 1983, after which Gurewitz dropped out of the band to recover from substance
abuse problems.
Reforming in 1987, Bad Religion issued Suffer, reestablishing the group in the US
indie-rock scene. No Control in 1989 and Against The Grain in 1990
cemented their reputation and street cred.
By the time of their 1993 album, Recipe For Hate, Nirvana's grunge revolution had
brought the underground punk scene to the attention of the major labels, leading to the
signing of Bad Religion with Atlantic for 1994's Stranger Than Fiction.
While the move lost them some diehard indie-rock fanatics, it also brought Bad Religion to
a wider audience and new generation of listeners. Meanwhile, Gurewitz's label Epitaph had
scored big with Smash, The Offspring's surprise hit, which lead to his departure
from the band. The Grace followed in 1996 with No Substance appearing in
1998.
Under the direction of Todd Rundgren, the recording for 2000's The New America
took place on Kauai, Hawaii, and saw Graffin reunite with Gurewitz to pen the song
"Believe It."
"To me the song does sound like a long-lost friend," says Graffin on the
official Bad Religion website. "It's just silly to deny that there is something
special between us. We are connected and always will be."
Bad Religion
play On Air East on December 6. See listings
for details. |
