The artists’ we work with assembled the punk sound together, one chord and one rabid scream at a time. Whether it was Johnny Rotten shredding his shirt in London or H.R. of Bad Brains backflipping off stage at the first D.C. hardcore show, we can never repay them for what they gave us. But if we spend an evening putting them together, we can pay tribute.
H.R. and his band Bad Brains broke just about every rule they could. Together they invented hardcore punk and then redefined it, blending it with reggae, metal, hip hop and funk. The peace loving, optimistic Rasta also coined the term “moshing” and his shows were banned for being too intense. You can’t put H.R. in a box. That’s why we had to use a tube.
John Lydon came from the wrong neighborhood, couldn’t sing or play an instrument, and had something to say about everything and anything. He transformed himself into Johnny Rotten and changed music forever as part of the Sex Pistols then went on to become one of the most important figures in the post-punk era by launching Public Image Ltd. (PiL).
