Isocracy was an American

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band from the

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

-area, formed in 1986. The band was one of the key bands in the MRR/

Gilman Street Gilman Street () is a street in Central, Hong Kong, Central, Hong Kong. The street starts north at Connaught Road Central, crosses Des Voeux Road Central and continued as a Cul-de-sac, dead-end pathway leading to several shops at The Center, th ...

project.

John Kiffmeyer John Kiffmeyer (born July 11, 1969), also known professionally as Al Sobrante, is an American cinematographer and retired musician and songwriter. He is the former drummer for the punk rock band Green Day, leaving in 1990 and replaced by Tré Cool. ...

(a.k.a. Al Sobrante), who later went on to play for

Green Day Green Day is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Rodeo, California, in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, with drummer Tré Cool joining in 1990. In 1994, their majo ...

, was the drummer for the band. The other members were Lenny Johnson (guitar), Martin Brohm (bass) and Jason Beebout (vocals), who went on to form

Samiam Samiam (pronounced "sam-I-am") is an American punk rock band from Berkeley, California, active since 1988. History Samiam was formed in late 1988 after the breakup of the 924 Gilman Street, Gilman club mainstay Isocracy (band), Isocracy. Their ...

History

The group recorded a 10-song 7″ EP titled '' Bedtime for Isocracy'', released in 1988 through

Lookout! Records Lookout Records (stylized as Lookout! Records) was an independent record label, initially based in Laytonville, California, and later in Berkeley, focusing on punk rock. Established in 1987, the label is best known for having released Operatio ...

(L005). The band was later featured on the Lookout! Records' compilation, ''

The Thing That Ate Floyd ''The Thing That Ate Floyd'' is a compilation album released in December 1988 by Lookout! Records as a double LP, and in 2002 as a double CD. The album is a compilation of bands from the 924 Gilman St. punk rock scene. It includes bands such as ...

''. Additionally, Isocracy's EP tracks were re-released on (L293) ''Punk Rock 7″s Volume 1''. During their active years from 1986 through 1988, Isocracy was known for their wild performances where anything could happen. According to the book written about the Gilman St. Project, Isocracy was one of the main bands who brought a new sense of positive

anarchy Anarchy is a form of society without rulers. As a type of stateless society, it is commonly contrasted with states, which are centralized polities that claim a monopoly on violence over a permanent territory. Beyond a lack of government, it can ...

to the

punk scene The punk subculture includes a diverse and widely known array of music, ideologies, fashion, and other forms of expression, visual art, dance, literature, and film. Largely characterised by anti-establishment views, the promotion of individual ...

. During this time in the mid-1980s

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...

was the dominant musical style in the scene. Isocracy's live shows included playing in laundromats and covering the audience with garbage and shredded paper. In this regard, Isocracy bridged hardcore punk with

performance art Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...

. Green Day benefited from Sobrante's contacts he had made in the scene prior to their formation. Isocracy is featured in the Green Day-funded 2017 documentary '' Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punk''.

Discography

Releases

* '' Bedtime for Isocracy'' (EP) -

(1988)

Compilation appearances

* "Fuck This" on ''Lethal Noise, Vol. 2'' - David Hayes self-released cassette (1987) * "Confederate Flags" and "Z.B.H.R." on ''

Turn It Around! ''Turn It Around!'' is a punk rock compilation album by '' Maximumrocknroll''. Originally released as two 7-inch records in October 1987, it served as a benefit to raise money for the Berkeley, California DIY punk scene (known as the Gilman Stree ...

'' -

Maximumrocknroll ''Maximumrocknroll'', often written as ''Maximum Rocknroll'' and usually abbreviated as ''MRR'', is a not-for-profit monthly online zine of punk subculture and radio show of punk music. Based in San Francisco, ''MRR'' focuses on punk rock and ...

(1987) * "Happy Now" on ''

'' - Lookout (1988)

References

External links

924 Gilman Street

Lookout Records.

(L293) review on interpunk.com
Musical quartets from California Musical groups established in 1986 Musical groups from Berkeley, California Punk rock groups from California Musical groups disestablished in 1988 1986 establishments in California Bands associated with 924 Gilman {{US-punk-band-stub