RIFFS: Bad Brains are back in town

Tag : folk crafts

Bad Brains helped lay the groundwork for hard-core punk, a genre that meldedpunk's energy with breakneck tempos and political ideals. The bandtook root during the late 1970s in the District, which later wouldspawn another iconic punk group, Minor Threat. From the outset,however, Bad Brains differentiated itself from similar hard-coreoutfits. Not only did the group embrace elements of reggae andjazz, but its members were black, a group that had not previouslywielded - or sought - much influence in the punk genre.
Bad Brains' energetic, often manic performances grew increasinglynotorious as the decade progressed. By 1979, the band's reputationhad soured among various club owners, resulting in an unofficialban from the city's venues. That ban has been the subject of muchspeculation through the ensuing years, and curiosity has reached afevered pitch in recent weeks.
Why? Because Bad Brains will return to the District on electionnight, Tuesday, for a sold-out performance at the 9:30 Club.
"It is a misunderstanding," stresses lead singer H.R., referring tothe band's supposed exclusion from its native city. "'Banned in DC'is [only] a song title!"
In a 2007 interview with the All Music Guide, bassist DarrylJenifer offered similar sentiments. "We wasn't really banned inD.C.!" he said. "We played in a club one time up in Logan's Circle,like a club where jock-type people went, and they never heard punkrock. All the kids came and were pogoing and jumping around. Thebar owner was all, 'We ain't having no more punk in this club, andespecially no black punks!' And then we went home and said, 'We'rebanned in D.C.' But you couldn't stop the Bad Brains. It was justlike a concept we put on ourselves."
Whether voluntarily or not, the band relocated to New York City.Nearly 30 years later, the original lineup will visit home on auniquely historic night, both musically and politically.
Fans who already have scored tickets for Bad Brains' homecoming canlook forward to "victory" and "more love," promises H.R., who willvisit Jammin' Java on Nov. 18 in support of his recent solo album.
Ahn the road
A former denizen of rural Bernville, Pa. (population: 865), Priscilla Ahn now calls Los Angeles home. She hasn't visited either locationrecently, however, having taken to the country's club circuit insupport of her debut album, "A Good Day."