Gang Green - Another Wasted Night (1986)

Perhaps best remembered for the song, “alcohol” on their debut album in 1986, Gang Green make their mark on the Boston hardcore scene with, ‘Another Wasted Night,’ on Taang! Records.

Also included is a fine hardcore rendition of "Voices Carry,” A song made famous in the '80s by 'Til Tuesday. This rambunctious young punk band did for the East Coast what J.F.A. were doing for the Southwest in Phoenix: helping to create skate-punk music without as much of the apocalyptic, angry, or depressed sentiment that many L.A. punk and metal groups seemed obsessed with at the time.

While not quite as overtly negative, the music on ‘Another Wasted Night’ certainly doesn't lack ferocity. Standout tracks include the title cut "Another Wasted Night," “Skate To Hell," and “Have Fun”

‘Another Wasted Night’ successfully captures Gang Green at their rawest and most inciting. This record is considered to be the band's best recording and is regarded as one of the definitive hardcore punk records of its time.

Gang Green

The first incarnation of Gang Green was in 1980 and consisted of 15 year olds Chris Doherty, Mike Dean, and Bill Manley and contributed seven tracks to the This Is Boston, Not L.A. compilation in 1982.

Unfortunately, in 1984 the group disbanded and lead singer Chris Doherty joined the band Jerry's Kids for their album ‘Is This My World?’ In 1985, Gang Green released the 7" "Sold Out" on Taang! Records, the heavily influential Boston label's first release. All of the tracks recorded by the original line up of Gang Green were later released on the Preschool CD, released by Taang! Records.

With the first reunion and the release of, ‘Another Wasted Night ‘(1985-1986), Doherty re-emerged with an all new Gang Green line-up consisting of himself (vocals, guitar), Chuck Stilphen (guitar, vocals), Glen Stilphen (bass, vocals) and Walter Gustafson (drums). This second line-up is the most famous nationally as it was both the first to tour and the one that recorded the songs "Alcohol" and "Skate to Hell".

This record is considered to be the band's best recording and is regarded as one of the definitive hardcore punk records of its time.

The song "Alcohol" has been covered by a number of bands. Tankard, a German thrash metal band, featured the song on their album Chemical Invasion. It was also covered by Impaled Nazarene, a black metal band from Finland. It appeared on their EP entitled Motörpenis which was released in 1996. Boston punk rock outfit, Dropkick Murphys covered the song on their "Back to the Hub" 7 inch. It also appeared on their live compilation, Live on St. Patrick's Day from Boston, MA. It was also covered by The Meatmen on their album Pope on a Rope, and also by No Fun at All on their album Master Celebrations. Metallica also played the song live and it was rumoured to be a consideration for their Garage Days EP but did not appear on the release.

During the years being signed to Roadrunner Records (1987-1989),  the band’s musical style had come to lean more toward heavy metal and the personnel of the band had changed completely, the Stilphen brothers departed at the end of 1986 to form Mallet-Head and later Scratch and Nuns of Punk. This incarnation of Gang Green consisted of Doherty, Fritz Erickson (guitar), Joe Gittleman (bass) and former Jerry's Kids drummer Brian Betzger. In 1989 Gittleman left to devote more time to The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and was replaced by Josh Pappe, formerly of Dirty Rotten Imbeciles.

During Gang Green’s second hiatus (1990-1995)

After touring the United States with Social Distortion in 1990, Gang Green experienced a few more line-up shuffles before being dropped by Roadrunner and going on hiatus for several years in which Doherty founded the bands Klover (Mercury Records) and Hamerd.

With their Second reunion (1996-2004)

In 1996, Chris Doherty, Chuck Stilphen, Glen Stilphen and Walter Gustafson re-formed to play 5 east coast dates including shows at The Rat and CBGB's. Gang Green surfaced yet again with Walter Gustafson returning on drums, along with newcomers Mike Earls (guitar, vocals) and Matt Sandonato (bass, vocals). They re-signed with Taang! Records and in 1997 released Back & Gacked  (EP) and Another Case Of Brewtality.

These records saw the band returning to their punk roots and even moving in a pop direction. Gang Green toured Europe and the U.S. extensively in 1997 and 1998.

Chris Doherty then moved from Boston to Cincinnati shortly afterwards and in the early 2000s Gang Green played only once or twice a year in Boston and NYC.

In 2005 Chris Doherty and a new Gang Green line-up supported the Dropkick Murphys’ tour of the U.S. west coast tour.

In early 2007, the band toured through Florida and up the east coast of the US with bands like Lucky Scars before heading out for a European tour scheduled for spring 2007 that included UK and Irish dates. These Irish dates were filmed for a live DVD by punk filmmaker, Lewis Smithingham.

Mike Dean moved to Maui in 1990 and now lives in Las Vegas.

In 2009 Chris Doherty formed a Cincinnati chapter of the band with a line-up featuring Chris Donnelly, Dusty Bryant and Troy Bryant and began playing a few local shows.

Gang Green is in the studio working on a new album. Once out, it will be their first studio recording in 13 years.

Official Gang Green Website

The Ramones - In-Fest '93 part 3 - High River, Alberta, Canada

The Ramones - In-Fest '93 part 1 - High River, Alberta, Canada

The Ramones - In-Fest '93 part 2 - High River, Alberta, Canada

The Ramones - In-Fest '93 part 1 - High River, Alberta, Canada

The Ramones - In-Fest '93 part 1 - High River, Alberta, Canada

The Ramones - In-Fest '93 part 1 - High River, Alberta, Canada

The Ramones – In-Fest ’93 – High River, Alberta, Canada

During the August long weekend of 1993, High River, Alberta became home to the second three-day festival in that location in two years. Once again, overnight, hordes of punk rockers and grunge rockers soon exceeded the population of High River itself.

Not unlike its predecessor, Highwood ’92, In-Fest ’93 played host to over 40 bands during that weekend. The most notable being The Ramones, The Violent Femmes, Bad Brains and The Meat Puppets.

Supporting these headlining acts were also a caste of brilliant performers including Big Drill Car, SNFU, The Smalls, Dayglo Abortions and Grim Skunk.

Honestly, I really don’t remember much of anything of the first night, I remember smoking a big doob with a group of folks we met the first night, and not much after that.

By the dawn of Saturday July 31, 1993, the High River Rodeo Grounds became tent-city. There were miles and miles of tents as far as the eye could see and the faint sound of the first band warming up in the distance ready to kick off the first set of the day.

Fire pits once again ablaze to cook breakfast, not a cloud in the sky and temperatures set to climb into the mid-30s. It was going to be one hell of a weekend, and it had really only just begun.

A massive onslaught of weirdoes wandering the main streets. Two police officers trying to prevent hundreds of kids from swimming in the river in the scorching heat. The tales of madness is endless.

By Saturday evening the air was electric with energy.

After countless maddening hours of heatstroke and intoxication the Bad Brains were up next.

This footage is the last few moments of the Bad Brains followed by the sounds of The Ramones.

The camera shakes and soon finds its focus.

For the next 25 minutes The Ramones do what they do best,

Be The Ramones.

Sincerely,

The Blue Uniform Listening Room

*Special thanks to Ross Herman for the contribution of this footage*

Infest '93 - Concert Details

Infest '93 - Concert Details

IN-FEST 93: INDEPENDENT MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL
OVER 40 BANDS TO PLAY. INCLUDING...
RAMONES, VIOLENT FEMMES,
THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS,
MEAT PUPPETS, BAD BRAINS, 
DOUGH BOYS
Nova Mob. Big Drill Car. Didjits. The Smalls, Moxv Fruvous. Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, Furnace Face. Dayglo Abortions. Grim Skunk. Boo.
Red Autumn Fall. Field Day. El Caminos. The Loved One. Superconductor. 8PM. Kreviss. Pigment Vehicle. Samiam. The Rhino’s. The Sidemen. SNFU. Cherubs, hhead. Wedge.
Pietaster. Placebo, Spy Lemon and more...
THOUSANDS OF FREE CAMPSITES WITH  A MULTITUDE OF CRAZY-ASS ACTIVITIES 
IN-FEST ARTS: SUBVERSION OF THE OVERT & BANAL
IN-FEST ‘93 All Ages Show. June 26. The Black Lounge. Doors @ 7:00 p.m.
FeaturIng El Caminos, Mushroom Trail. All Right Reserved and Placebo.
INFEST ‘93 Early Bird and Advance tick Holders FREE!!!
Those without IN-FEST ‘93
TIckets. $6.00 @ the door.

 IN.FEST TIX: $35 until July 29. $45 at the gate. Available at Megatunes. The Record
Store. Skaters. CD Tape Exchange. HMV Southcentre, HMV Sunridge. Recordland. Funky’s
Unlimited Chinook Centre. The Attic. Phoenix Comics.

Call for Volunteers: Send a postcard to IN-FEST93, 24th Ave S.E.
Calgary, Alberta, T26 2P5 or call 403

Infest '93

IN-FEST '93

IN-FEST ‘93

This three day event, IN-FEST ’93 was an ‘Independent Music and Arts Festival’ of notable proportions for Southern Alberta in the early 90’s and even by today’s standards.
Carrying headlining acts such as THE RAMONES & BAD BRAINS, supported by over 40 or more other bands throughout the three day event, this festival should be noted not only in Alberta, but Canadian Music History as well.
As fans and musicians alike flooded the area of High River, in fact the festival population exceeded the population of High River over night. ‘Tent-cities’ went up in a matter of hours, with fire-pits and lawn chairs. The sound of ghetto-blasters and acoustic guitars was everywhere. It was Woodstock for punk rockers.