BAD BRAINS: BUILD A NATION

One of the most definitive American Hardcore bands to ever unleash hell and havoc upon a stage, Washington DC’s Bad Brains played with the kind of possessed energy and moxie that had them toeing the same line as legendary punk bands like The Sex Pistols, Black Flag, The Clash, and The Ramones. Though the band originally intended to blur the borders that separated roots, reggae, and rock, ironically, Band Brains’ unique sense of diversity was eventually their own undoing. Parting ways in 1989 over Guitarist Gary “Dr. Know” Miller and bassist Darryl Jenifer desire to lean on their more hardcore/metal influences, and singer HR and drummer Earl Hudson desire to churn out more reggae stylings, the band would ho humbly return (to mixed…very mixed…reviews) in a variety of incarnations (including one as the original line up). While those early to mid nineties releases at least marked an effort, most probably felt Bad Brains had been banished to a furiously warm spot in a lot of punk rocker’s hearts.

But tomorrow, June 26th, marks an astonishing return to form for the band. Their first collaborative effort in more than a decade, the Adam Yauch produced, Build a Nation spits fury with narcotic dub; a combination that has Band Brains sounding like the band of yore. Brutal, unapologetic, yet spliced with the band’s signature reggae undertones, Build a Nation offers those longing for the band’s beautifully bold, chaotic past, a real sense of nostalgia.

Stream Build a Nation on Bad Brains’ MySpace Page.


In addition to the album, the band is playing a spattering of summer stops. All announced dates are listed below

Bad Brains on Tour
6/25 – NY Boat Ride - New York NY
7/29 – The Rogers Picnic – Toronto Ontario
8/05 – The Virgin Festival – Baltimore MD

- David Pitz