Legal Weapon were a Southern California-based

punk band Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid ...

, initially composed of singer Kat Arthur and guitarist Brian Hansen (both previously of the Silencers), bassist

Patricia Morrison Patricia Anne Rainone (born January 14, 1962), better known by her stage name Patricia Morrison, is an American bass guitarist, singer and songwriter. She has worked with Bags, the Gun Club, Fur Bible, the Sisters of Mercy, and the Damned. Biog ...

(formerly of

Bags A bag, also known regionally as a sack, is a common tool in the form of a floppy container, typically made of cloth, leather, bamboo, paper, or plastic. The use of bags predates recorded history, with the earliest bags being lengths of animal s ...

and later of

the Gun Club The Gun Club were an American post-punk band from Los Angeles that existed from 1979 to 1996. Created and led by singer-songwriter and guitarist Jeffrey Lee Pierce, they were notable as one of the first bands in the punk rock subculture to i ...

the Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band formed in Leeds in 1980. After achieving early underground fame, the band experienced a commercial breakthrough in the mid-1980s, sustaining their success until the early 1990s, when they halted th ...

and the Damned), drummer Charlie Vartanian and guitarist Mike R. Livingston. The band's early full-length albums '' Death of Innocence'' (on which their lineup included

Steve Soto Steve Soto (August 23, 1963 – June 27, 2018) was an American musician. Soto was the founding bassist of California punk rock bands Agent Orange and the Adolescents. Soto was also a member of Legal Weapon, Joyride, Manic Hispanic, Punk Rock ...

and

Frank Agnew Francis Thomas "Frank" Agnew (born August 18, 1964) is an American guitarist and songwriter, best known for being a member of punk rock band the Adolescents. Frank's brothers Rikk Agnew and Alfie Agnew, as well as his son Frank Agnew Jr., are als ...

the Adolescents The Adolescents are an American punk rock band formed in Fullerton, California in 1979. Part of the hardcore punk movement in southern California in the early 1980s, they were one of the main punk acts to emerge from Orange County, along with ...

) and '' Your Weapon'' were well received. Later efforts moved away from punk to a more

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...

sound. The band released one album on a major label, 1988's '' Life Sentence to Love'', during a period in which they were signed to

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc. established in 1972, though MCA had released recordings under that name in the UK from the 1960s. The label achieved success in the 1970s through the 1980s, often by acquiring other ...

. With her powerful voice, Arthur was often called "the

Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and songwriter. One of the most iconic and successful Rock music, rock performers of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and her "electric" ...

of punk". She died October 14, 2018, at the age of 62.

Discography

;Studio albums *'' Death of Innocence'' (1982, Arsenal Records) *'' Your Weapon'' (1982, Arsenal Records) *'' Interior Hearts'' (1985, Arsenal Records) *'' Life Sentence to Love'' (1988,

) *'' Take Out the Trash'' (1991,

Triple X Records Triple X Records was a Los Angeles-based record company started by three former employees of the bankrupt Greenworld Distribution: Dean Naleway, Peter Heur and Charley Brown. The label was known for "a fearlessly eclectic catalogue that broke awa ...

) *''Squeeze Me Like an Anaconda'' (1994, Last Resort Records) *''Legal Weapon'' (2002, Sewer Line Records) ;Singles and EPs *''No Sorrow'' EP (1981, Arsenal Records) *''The World Is Flat'' EP (1993, Last Resort Records) *"Totally Knocked Up" 7" single (1996, Subway Records) ;Compilation appearances *"Daddy's Gone Mad" on '' Hell Comes to Your House'' (1981, Bemisbrain Records) *"Pow Pow" on ''American Youth Report'' (1982, Bomp Records) *"Time Forgot You" on '' Dudes - The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Album'' (1987, MCA) *"Warsaw Tuinal" on ''Spinning the Chamber'' (1995, Last Resort Records) *"Equalizer" on ''Slam Chops'' (1995, Triple X Records)

References

External links

Legal Weapon official MySpace page
{{Authority control Punk rock groups from California Triple X Records artists Musical groups established in 1980 Musical groups disestablished in 2018 1980 establishments in California 2018 disestablishments in California