Genetic Control

Genetic Control is a Canadian hardcore punk band from Montreal, whose "First Impressions" single is a sought after item for punk record collectors. They existed from 1983 to 1986, and then reunited in 1998. They played with many bands such as the Dead Kennedys, Charged GBH and Suicidal Tendencies. They were also known for the comical disguises they wore on stage during the band's performances.^[1][2]

History

Genetic Control began in 1983 when two bands came together. Mike Price, Rob Huppé and Doug Crevier from the band "Out Of Step". Before "Out Of Step" Rob Huppe & Doug Crevier were playing as an instrumental 3 piece consisting of Rob Huppe on Guitar, Doug Crevier on Bass and Alex Soria on drums. They didn’t have a band name at that time. Alex was also the singer in a band called The Nils who were also just starting out. As it turns out Alex was not their drummer, but rather he was just drumming with them as they did not have a drummer. Alex was working on getting the Nils happening at the time. Mike Price approached Rob & Doug and asked them if the wanted to start a band. And "Out of Step" was formed. However they never played a real show during this time. They just wrote during this time and played small shows at the BBC, their rehearsal space for friends. The Drummer during this period was Mark Doucette from Halifax. The band started jamming & playing lot’s of covers by Bad Religion, Minor Threat & the Bad Brains.

Mark left the band in 1983 and moved back to Halifax. Just around the time when Mark left The remaining members started thinking about looking for new drummer when someone suggested that there was a drummer Mike Brisbois and a guitar player Rob Porter who were looking for a singer and a bass player. They were called “Drunken Disturbance”. Formerly of “Terry Fox’s Right Leg”? The 2 bands united and immediately started jamming.^[3] The first gig Genetic Control played was at Club Cargo on St. Dennis Street on February 2, 1984.

The name "Genetic Control" was taken from a song lyric. The song was called “Get ‘em out by Friday, by the band Genesis off of the album Foxtrot. Influenced by George Orwell and Aldus Huxley. Genetic Control was an organization that was in charge of designing people in the future from the novel Brave New World. Genetic Control would decide how tall people would be etc...

Rob & Mike used to beat the crap out of each other all the time. They would show up at rehearsal with black eyes and bruises. They were roommates, worked together and played in the same band. The other members had to make a choice and since Rob was a song writer, As a result Mike Brisbois was asked to leave.

Louis Leveque was then added from Local Band "Unruled". They played a lot of Discharge and GBH influenced music. Louis was about 16 or 17 and he played with a Genesis cover band before joining unruled. Louis was by far the best drummer in any of the punk bands in Montreal at the time. Once Louis joined it took the band to a whole new level musically. The band used to jam the entire album Killer by Alice Cooper The band rehearsed 4 or 5 times a week.

Influenced by Minor Threat and the Bad Brains, the band established itself in an old apartment block, that also served as a rehearsal space for local bands dubbed as the BBC (for Bleury Beach Club), which gave birth to the 1980s Montreal hardcore scene. Their songs are in the form of a short story, depicting people and situation as the band sees them.^[3] The band first released the song "Suburban Life" on the Primitive Air-Raid compilation album on Psyche Industry Records in 1984.^[1][2][3]

They wanted to record an album in 1984, but they did not have sufficient funds, and settled for a single release. "First Impressions" was released on Generic Records, of which only 500 copies were pressed. Singer Mike Price recorded while on crutches, after he was hurt in the mosh pit during one of their first shows.^[3] They also recorded an album in 1985, but there were no master tapes made, as the band opted instead for just a cassette recording, as the band could not afford to pay for the multitrack tape, a decision the band and many fans have regretted over the years.^[1][2][4]

The band was supposed to go on tour but shortly after,^[3] failing to release their LP, the band split up because of conflicts between the band members. But in the years after, their single that was already very rare, became one of the most sought after collectibles by punk rock record collectors all around the world, fetching as much as $500 on eBay during the 1990s. This prompted the German label, Lost & Found Records, to press a bootleg of the 7" on CD, with the song "Suburban Life" as a bonus track. However, the band were never paid for the article.^[1][2]

Genetic Control reunited in 1998 for the Les Foufounes Électriques 15 years anniversary, playing a few shows during the summer. They then started to play regularly again, even though some members were by then in Toronto, and others in Vancouver and Montreal. In 2005, they released Brave New World on Sonik's Chicken Shrimp Records, which was taken from one of their 1998 concerts, and included a new song, the original 7" single and "Suburban Life". It became the first of Sonik's Chicken Shrimp Records releases to become out of print.^[1][4][5][6]

Personnel

• Mike Price, also known as Zabo or as Polio Elvis - Vocals
• Rob Porter, also known as Teen Hunk Rob, Robbo, or Bobby Casino - Lead guitar
• Rob Huppé, also known as Duke Crysal, or as Kung Fu Rob - Rhythm guitar
• Douglas Crevier, also known as Dick Pageant, or as Dougo - Bass guitar
• Louis Lévesque, also known as Late Louis - Drums
• Mike Brisebois - Drums

Discography

Singles

• "First Impressions" 7" (Generic Records, 1984)

Albums

• Brave New World (Sonik's Chicken Shrimp Records, 2005)

Compilation albums

• "Suburban Life" on the Primitive Air-Raid compilation album (Psyche Industry Records, 1984)

References

External links

• Genetic Control entry in Punk History Canada
• Genetic Control at Myspace