Man Is the Bastard
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| Man Is The Bastard | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Claremont, California, US |
| Years active | 1991–1997 |
| Genres | Hardcore, Punk |
| Members | Henry Barnes Andy Beattie Joel Connell Aaron Kenyon Israel Lawrence Bill Nelson Eric Wood |
Man Is the Bastard were a pioneering hardcore punk band who contributed the name, and perhaps also the ethos, to the punk subgenre known as power violence. Based in Claremont, CA, the band existed from 1991 to 1997, releasing many vinyl records on obscure labels from around the world.
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[edit] Works
In stark contrast to other punk musicians, Man Is the Bastard made the move of displacing the electric guitar from its long reign as the primary instrument of punk aggression. In turn, they made room within their revolutionary spirit for progressive bass chords and scales, for industrial noise (field recordings and power electronics), and for member Henry Barnes’ (Amps for Christ) homemade guitar reconfigurations.
The bass-heavy configuration was found in earlier projects by founding members Joel Connel and Eric Wood, who recorded under such monikers as Cyclops and Neanderthal. Their thematic emphasis on the primitive and mythological would continue in Man Is the Bastard records such as “Sum of the Men” and the split album with Bleeding Rectum. The fullest expression of these concerns appeared with the 7 inch EP entitled “Backward Species,” which combined an almost anthropological/New Historicist approach to humanity’s violent practices. Songs such as “Koro Treatment” and “Heretic’s Fork” are exemplary.
[edit] Man Is the Bastard family tree
In addition to the bands accomplisments, Man Is the Bastard exist as a nucleus around which many prominent bands can be traced within a recognizable lineage: Cyclops, Pillsbury Hardcore, Peace Corpse, Pissed Happy Children, Charred Remains, Neanderthal, Infest, No Comment, Loomis Slovak, Atavism of Twilight, Sleestak, Buckethead, Bastard Noise, Born Against, Djam Karet, Amps for Christ, and more..
In the years since, Man Is the Bastard has splintered off into several working factions. Wood occasionally performs in the Los Angeles area as Bastard Noise. Kenyon and Connel have soldiered on in progressive rock acts such as Controlling Hand and Lux Nova Umbra Est. Perhaps the biggest surprise is Barnes’ Amps for Christ, which has blossomed into a highly regarded folk/noise hybrid.
[edit] Political message
Man Is the Bastard's lyrical violence was balanced by their adamant avocation of progressive ideals. Animal rights, vegetarianism, the decriminalization of marijuana, the legacy of American foreign policy, the encroaching police state, government corruption, corporate greed, the underlying problems with capitalism, and many others but above all the band was concerned with raising consciousness. This record of political activism resulted in their most widely available album, 1997’s split LP with political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal.
The band's willingness to sublimate political concerns into a harsh and unique aesthetic is sorely missing. For example, during the first Gulf War, one of their releases featured cover art depicting Saddam Hussein being sodomized by George H.W. Bush.
[edit] External links
- http://www.recordhospital.org/mitb.htm – A semi-exhaustive unofficial Man Is the Bastard discography, compiled by Toby Brown and Joshua Mann.
