U.S.CHAOS

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U.S. Chaos
[1]
Origin New Jersey
Years active 1981–1987, 1995–current
Genres hardcore punk
Members Eddie Enzyme
Jack Gibson
Gary "U.S. Chaos" Rightmeyer
Allan "Skully" Skolsky

U.S. Chaos are an United States hardcore punk band from New Jersey, formed in early 1981.

Formed from the remainders of late 1970s punk rock group The Radicals, U.S. Chaos created one of the first legitimate streetpunk or Oi! style bands in The United States. The band was originally based in Passaic and Bergen counties, New Jersey. U.S.Chaos is the one of many punk bands of their time to author, produce, record as well as publish music with an ironic as well as satirical, overzealous pro-American stance, both in lyrical content as well as attitude. Most of the things they wrote about did come true.

Their first release was "We've Got The Weapons". This vinyl EP is highly collectible and has been priced in the range of $500.00 at the highest time of an offer, during the 1990s in goldmine magazine per early [Ebay] and Bleeker Bobs record store in New York City.

They are considered extremely controversial with a non-politicaly correct approach for their time in the early 1980s. They loved to taunt and harass their audiences, into absolute destructive madness. They often employed bodyguards with loaded sidearms. Audiences appeared in the thousands, at many venues. Most historic being The Ritz with The Exploited and in 1983 at The Showplace in Dover, NJ with Iron Cross several times in Washington DC.

U.S. Chaos has played constantly with constituent groups, at venues that hosted legendary performances. CBGB's,Ritz (rock club), in New York City in the 1980s The Pepermint Lounge, Great Guildersleves, The Noname, The 9:30 Club, A-7 Club With bands Kraut, Cro-Mags, The Worst, Iron Cross, Major Conflict, Black Market Baby, The Exploited, Discharge, 999 and a host of other infamous musicans of the era.

Contents

[edit] The Radicals

In 1979 members of the band The Front Line disbanded to move onward. Members Alex Kinen and Gary Rightmeyer formed The Radicals, an endeavor which lasted until about 1981. Afterwards, Alex Kinen moved on to form Cause For Alarm, which would later become New York hardcore supergroup Agnostic Front. Meanwhile, Gary formed the band U.S. Chaos.

[edit] U.S. Chaos

U.S. Chaos had been writing songs and rehearsing in the basement for months, but never playing out, in 1981, when their singer (Ron) quit and they needed a replacement. Jack Gibson asked Allan Skolsky if he wanted to be in a punk band. He knew of U.S. Chaos but had never seen them play. Skolsky had listened to a few songs that they recorded during practice on a portable tape deck a few weeks earlier and thought they were pretty good. At first he declined, but when Gary asked him again, Allan agreed to try out. The audition was unimpressive, but due to lack of interest (no one else tried out), the band took Skolsky on. That's where U.S. Chaos started to really come together.

It was the winter of 1982-83 and we practiced and wrote a few more songs and in March of 1983 we were asked to play at a party at Aldo's Hideaway in Lyndhurst, NJ That was our first gig. The lineup was Skully on vocals, Jack on bass, Gene on the drums, Gary on guitar and Brian (HC) on the other guitar. Steve Hotshot from the prominent group The New York Violators soon joins. Oh yeah, let us not forget Freddy L. our manager for years and years.

[edit] 1987: The Chosen Few

After Gary's departure from U.S. Chaos in order to focus on his career, the only original member of the band was Skully. With that, the band decided to change their name to The Chosen Few and write new material. This change concided with the end of the first wave of US hardcore punk, with many bands changing their sounds or calling it quits altogether. With The Chosen Few, U.S. Chaos lived on, albeit in a different form.

[edit] The 90's to Present-day: Reunited

In 1992, U.S. Chaos decided to do a "reunion gig" at a party. The band continued this tradition every year until 1995 when they decided to fully bring U.S. Chaos out of hiatus. Marty Munsch took over as the band's manager during this period. This lead to several more releases for the band and several appearances in movies. From 1996 to 1997 the line up was Gary guitar, Jack bass, Spiky drums and Skully vocals. They then kicked Spiky (Glen) out of the band AGAIN and convinced Eddie Enzyme, whom also had played in Fahrenheight 451 and former Misfits member Bobby Steele's band The Undead, to rejoin and that's where they stand today. The band continues to exist and release new material into 2007.

[edit] Discography

  • We've Got The Weapons EP (1983)
  • Eye For An Eye / Don't Wanna Live 7" (self-released, 1984 - later reissued by punkcore records) [2]
  • Complete Chaos LP (1996)
  • You Can't Hear A Picture LP (Punkrockrecords/Razorwire E.U., 1997)
  • We are Your Enemy - split 7" single with Portland, Oregon's Statch and the Rapes (1999) - song "Blame It On Sam"

Compilation appearances

  • Stinkbox Records Compilation LP (1996)
  • Pins and Skins CDLP (1996) [3]
  • Punk Dwellings: New York's Finest Vol. 1 CD - songs "For Being You" and "Last Call For Alcohol" (Dwell, 1996)[4]
  • No More Heroes: A Tribute To The Stranglers song "Shut Up" (Elevator Music, 1998) [5]
  • Broken Bones And Power Chords Vol. 1: New York's Finest CD songs "For Being You" and "Last Call For Alcohol" (Crosscheck, 2005) [6]
  • The Punks EP (Punkrockrecords, 2007)

[edit] Filmography

  • Pariah - movie soundtrack inclusion (1996)
  • Punks Not Dead The Movie - movie soundtrack inclusion (2006)-(Susan Dyner)
  • All Grown Up The Movie - doc movie soundtrack full inclusion, legnthy verbal video interview (2006)-(Andrea Whitting)
  • Love and Bullets - movie soundtrack inclusion (1999)-(Matthew Brown)

[edit] Members

  • 1982 Gary guitar, HC guitar, Jack bass, Spiky drums, Ron vocals
  • 1982 Gary guitar, HC guitar, Jack bass, Gene drums, Skully vocals
  • 1983 Gary guitar, HC guitar, Jack bass, Spiky drums, Skully vocals
  • 1984 Gary guitar, Jack bass, Spiky drums, Skully vocals
  • 1984 Gary guitar, Hot Shot guitar, Jack bass, Spiky drums, Skully vocalsr
  • 1984-85 Hot Shot guitar, Jack bass, Spiky drums, Skully vocals.
  • 1985 Gary guitar, Hot Shot guitar, Jack bass, Eddie Enzyme drums, Skully vocals.
  • 1986 Gary guitar, Mark Beer guitar, Jack bass Eddie Enzyme drums, Skully vocals.
  • 1986 Gary guitar, Mark Beer guitar, Jack Bass, Jade drums, Skully vocals.
  • 1987 Mark Beer guitar, Gary guitar, Tim Taylor bass, Jade drums, Skully vocals.

U.S. Chaos Reunited

  • 1996 Gary guitar, Skully Voacals, Spiky drums, Jack Bass, Spiky drums.
  • 1997 to Present lineup is: Skully vocals, Gary Guitar, Jack bass and Eddie drums.

Others

  • Freddy L. - manager during first incarnation
  • Marty Munsch - Band manager from 1995 to present
  • Matthew Brown filled in on drums while Eddie seriously injured his hand.
  • Rene Wasted of Blanks 77 Garys younger sister, also plays occasionally.

[edit] Related Bands (and shared members)

  • The Chosen Few (Mark Beer, Jade, Tim Taylor, Allan "Skully" Skolsky)
  • Fahrenheight 451 (Eddie Enzyme)
  • The Front Line (Gary "U.S. Chaos" Rightmeyer)
  • Johnny and The Barflys (Jack Gibson)
  • The New York Violators (Steve Hotshot)
  • The Pickles (Eddie Enzyme)
  • The Radicals (Gary "U.S. Chaos" Rightmeyer)
  • The Undead (Eddie Enzyme)

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

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