State of Alert (often abbreviated to S.O.A.) was an American
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 ...
group formed in
Washington, D.C., in October 1980, and active until July 1981.
S.O.A. was fronted by
Henry Rollins, then using his original surname Garfield.
History
S.O.A. was formed in October 1980, after the members of a previous group, the Extorts, lost their vocalist
Lyle Preslar and hired Rollins, then known by his birth name Henry Garfield.
[Cogan, p. 306] The original lineup consisted of Rollins (vocals),
Michael Hampton (guitar), Wendel Blow (bass) and Simon Jacobsen (drums).
During December 1980 and January 1981, the group recorded the 10-song 7-inch
EP ''
No Policy'' at
Inner Ear Studios in
Arlington, Virginia
Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county is located in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from Washington, D.C., the nati ...
, produced by Skip Groff and engineered by Inner Ear owner
Don Zientara. It was released on
Dischord Records
Dischord Records is a Washington, D.C.–based independent record label specializing in punk rock. The label is co-owned by Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson, who founded Dischord in 1980 to release '' Minor Disturbance'' by their band the Teen Id ...
in March 1981, as the label's second release. ''No Policy'' was financed by Rollins, as Dischord was tied up in releasing
Minor Threat's debut EP.
Circa April 1981, drummer Jacobsen was replaced by Ivor Hanson. At the time, Hanson's father was a top admiral in the
US Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
and his family shared living quarters with the vice president in the
Naval Observatory. The band held their practices there and had to be let in by
Secret Service agents.
S.O.A. played a total of nine concerts in and around the eastern United States. Among them:
* 1980-12-06 - Washington, D.C. ''(the first show)''
* 1980-12-13 - 1929 Calvert St., Washington, D.C.
* 1980-12-17 - Unheard Music Festival, D.C. Space, 7th & Enw., Washington, D.C.
* 1980-12-18 - Unheard Music Festival, D.C. Space, 7th & Enw., Washington, D.C.
* 1981-01-10 - The 9:30 Club, 930 F Street NW, Washington, D.C.
* 1981-04-04 - The Wilson Center, Washington, D.C.
* 1981-07-10 - Philadelphia ''(the last show)''
Rollins later described their performances: "All of them were 11 to 14 minutes in duration because the songs were all like 40 seconds... and the rest of the time we were going, 'Are you ready? Are you ready?' Those gigs were poorly played songs in between 'Are you readys?"
[Azerrad, p. 27]
Three S.O.A. songs ("I Hate the Kids",
UK Subs cover "Disease" and
Boyce and Hart cover "
Stepping Stone Party") were posthumously included on the influential Dischord compilation ''
Flex Your Head'', issued in January 1982.
''No Policy'' was later included, in its entirety, on the Dischord compilations ''Four Old 7-inchs on a 12-inch'' (1984) and ''Dischord 1981: The Year in Seven Inches'' (1995). In 2014, Dischord issued a 7-inch EP of early demos, titled ''
First Demo 12/29/80''.
Legacy and other projects
Today, S.O.A. is remembered primarily as Rollins' first band – before he joined
Black Flag and then founded
Rollins Band – but also as an example of early
"DC hardcore" and an influence on other bands such as Detroit's
Negative Approach and New York City's
Agnostic Front
Agnostic Front is an American hardcore punk band from New York City. Founded in 1980, the band is considered an important influence on the New York hardcore scene, as well as a pioneer of the crossover thrash genre.
History First era (1980– ...
.
Hampton and Hanson went on to form
the Faith in 1981 with
Alec MacKaye (brother of
Ian MacKaye
Ian Thomas Garner MacKaye (; born April 16, 1962) is an American musician. Active since 1979, he is best known as the co-founder and owner of Dischord Records, a Washington, D.C.–based independent record label, and the frontman of hardcore pu ...
),
[Blush, 138] and then
Embrace with Ian MacKaye in 1985. In 1986, Hampton joined
One Last Wish with
Guy Picciotto (
Fugazi
Fugazi (; ) is an American post-hardcore band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1986. The band consists of guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally, and drummer Brendan Canty. They were noted for their style-transc ...
,
Rites of Spring) and
Brendan Canty (Deadline, Fugazi, Rites of Spring).,
and also played in the Snakes. Moving to
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
, Hampton joined forces again with Hanson to form
Manifesto
A manifesto is a written declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party, or government. A manifesto can accept a previously published opinion or public consensus, but many prominent ...
in 1988,
and later played with members of
Ivy in
Paco.
Blow went on to play in
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...
and Lethal Intent.
Band members
Former members
*
Henry Garfield − lead vocals
(1980−1981)
*
Michael Hampton − guitar
(1980−1981)
* Wendel Blow − bass
(1980−1981)
* Simon Jacobsen − drums
(1980−1981)
* Ivor Hanson − drums
(1981)
Discography
EPs
* ''
No Policy'' 7-inch (1981,
Dischord)
* ''
First Demo 12/29/80'' 7-inch (2014, Dischord)
Compilation appearances
*"I Hate the Kids", "Disease" and "
Stepping Stone Party" on ''
Flex Your Head'' (1982, Dischord)
*complete ''No Policy'' on ''Four Old 7-inchs on a 12-inch'' (1984, Dischord)
*complete ''No Policy'' on ''Dischord 1981: The Year in Seven Inches'' (1995, Dischord)
*"Public Defender" on ''
20 Years Of Dischord (1980 - 2000)'' box set (2002, Dischord)
References
Further reading
*
*
*
External links
State of Alert at Dischord Records
{{Authority control
Hardcore punk groups from Washington, D.C.
Straight edge groups
Musical groups established in 1980
Musical groups disestablished in 1981
Dischord Records artists
1980 establishments in Washington, D.C.