The Bruisers were a punk band that pioneered the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

streetpunk/ oi! movement, formed in

Portsmouth, New Hampshire Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on the Piscataqua River bordering the state of Maine, Portsm ...

in 1988. The original lineup included: Al Barr (

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

, now the lead singer of the

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

punk band

Dropkick Murphys Dropkick Murphys are an American Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. Singer and bassist Ken Casey has been the band's only constant member. Other current members include drummer Matt Kelly (1997– ), singer Al Barr (19 ...

), Scotty Davies (

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

), Jeff Morris (

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

) and Rodger Shosa (

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a ...

s). Morris is now a guitarist and lead vocalist for Death & Taxes, and a former guitarist for Mark Lind & the Unloved. Former guitarist Rick Wimert died 1995. The first band members were

skinhead A skinhead is a member of a subculture which originated among working class youths in London, England, in the 1960s and soon spread to other parts of the United Kingdom, with a second working class skinhead movement emerging worldwide in th ...

s (although not white power skinheads). After a few years and lineup changes, the band and their style changed slightly. By 1996, Al Barr was the only remaining original member of The Bruisers. One notable release by the band was a 7" split with Barr's future band

in 1997. After 10 years, the band broke up in 1998. The Bruisers had a reunion concert on September 14, 2005 at The Roxy in Boston. The bill included local acts The Ducky Boys and

Tommy & The Terrors Tommy may refer to: People * Tommy (given name) * Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Tommy'' (1931 film), a Soviet drama film * ''Tommy'' (1975 fil ...

, as well as

The Casualties The Casualties are an American hardcore punk band from New York City, founded by vocalist Jorge Herrera, Hank (guitar), Colin Wolf (vocals), Mark Yoshitomi (bass) and Yureesh Hooker (drums) in 1990. In July 2017, it was announced on the band's F ...

from

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

.Bruisers (Al Barr of Dropkick Murphys) reunion show details , Punknews.org
/ref> The Bruisers played a second reunion show on August 31, 2012 headlining the first night of the 2000 Tons of TNT Fest at the Webster Theater in Hartford, CT.

Former members

* Al Barr –

(1988–1998, 2005) * Jeff Morris –

(1988–1996, 2005) * Scotty Davies –

(1988–1990) * Rodger Shosa –

s (1988–1989) * Dan Connors – drums (1989–1997, 2005) * Crash – guitar (1989–1990) *Rick Wimert – guitar (1990–1995) * Todd Seely – bass (1990–1991), guitar (1996–1997) * Keith "Ritchie" Richards – bass (1991–1996, guitar (1997–1998, 2005) * Robert Garceau – guitar (1995–1996) * Scott Vierra – guitar (1996–1998, 2005) *

Johnny Rioux Johnny Rioux is a musician primarily known for playing in and working with many punk rock bands. He was initially based in Boston, MA but is now based in Texas. Rioux is most known for his tenure as bass guitarist with the Street Dogs with who ...

– bass (1996–1998) * John Dicicco – drums (1997–1998) * Mike Savitkas – bass (2005)

Discography

Albums

* '' Cruisin' for a Bruisin''' (1993) * '' Up in Flames'' (1996)

EPs/singles

* ''

Intimidation Intimidation is to "make timid or make fearful"; or to induce fear. This includes intentional behaviors of forcing another person to experience general discomfort such as humiliation, embarrassment, inferiority, limited freedom, etc and the victi ...

'' (1989) * ''

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Many ...

'' (1990) * '' American Night'' (1991) * '' Gates of Hell'' (1994) * '' Clobberin' Time'' (1995) * ''

Mad Parade/Bruisers Mad, mad, or MAD may refer to: Geography * Mad (village), a village in the Dunajská Streda District of Slovakia * Mád, a village in Hungary * Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport, by IATA airport code * Mad River (disambiguation), several r ...

'' (1995) * ''

Still Standing Up The Bruisers were a punk band that pioneered the American streetpunk/oi! movement, formed in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 1988. The original lineup included: Al Barr (vocals, now the lead singer of the Boston punk band Dropkick Murphys), Scotty ...

'' (1997) * ''

The Bruisers/Charge 69 ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (1998) * '' Molotov'' (1997) * '' Bruisers/Randumbs'' (1998) * '' The Bruisers/Dropkick Murphys'' (1998)

Compilation albums

* '' Society's Fools'' (1996) * '' Anything You Want It's All Right Here...: The Authorized Bruisers 1988–1994'' (1998) * '' One Law For Them...Another One For Us'' (1999) * '' In The Pit - Live And Rare (2000) * '' Better Days'' (2000) * '' Singles Collection 1989–1997'' (2004)

References

Rock music groups from New Hampshire American punk rock groups Street punk groups {{US-punk-band-stub