WagooMusic

Dr. Know (real name Gary Miller) formed Bad Brains (named after the Ramones track, Bad Brain) in 1979, inspired by both the amateurish rage of the Sex Pistols and the political reggae of Bob Marley. Realising that the lines between punk and reggae were already blurred in the UK, with the likes of the Clash, the Ruts and the Specials morphing the two genres, he set out to replicate that situation in the USA. Recruiting several similarly minded musicians – vocalist Paul D Hudson (going under the stage name H.R., apparently standing for Human Rights), his drummer brother, Earl Hudson, and bassist Darryl Aaron Jenifer, Dr. Know set out to prove his point.

Such diversity in their influences combined with strong musicianship made Bad Brains one of the most popular punk bands on the East Coast; they were well-respected among their peers, and their live performances in tiny clubs throughout their hometown of Washington DC quickly became the stuff of legend, due in part to the relative novelty of an entirely African-American band playing punk rock, but also due to their high-energy performances. Bad Brains’ emphasis on extreme speed – most notably evident in Dr. Know’s machine-gun guitar playing and H.R.’s brutal vocal delivery – is widely regarded as establishing the template for hardcore punk.

H.R. was a muscular and unpredictable stage performer with a very wide vocal range, who often leapt into the audience or onto amplifiers. In 1979, Bad Brains found themselves the subject of an unofficial ban among many venues, clubs and hotels in Washington DC after a riot nearly erupted during one show. In response, Bad Brains recorded the tongue-in-cheek Banned in DC and set their sights on bigger and better gigs. the band subsequently relocated to New York City, where the likes of the Ramones, Television and Patti Smith were setting the punk flag alight.

In 2006, Bad Brains reunited for a few shows at legendary New York club CBGB’s, after the venue was threatened with closure. the shows quickly sold out. with a resurging interest in the band, in early 2007, the original line-up returned to the studio for the first time in over a decade. Under the supervision of producer, and long-time Bad Brains fan Adam Yauch, aka MCA of the Beastie Boys (the Beastie Boys claim to have chosen a name with the initials BB as a homage to Bad Brains), the band recorded and released ‘Build A Nation’, an inspired attempt at returning to the band’s hardcore roots.

Nirvana was one of the bands that have made an indelible name in the music industry. true enough, the band’s front man, Kurt Cobain, has since become one of the icons in the music industry.

Cobain was born on February 20, 1967 in the small town of Hoquaim, 140 kilometers southwest of Seattle. His mom was a cocktail waitress. His dad was an auto mechanic. Cobain soon moved to Aberdeen, a quiet and depressed logging town.

Cobain was very happy in his early childhood. All things started spiraling slowly downwards when his parents divorced. He was seven at the time. Cobain said that he never felt loved or secure after this incident. He became anti-social and increasingly difficult to deal with. He also said that this event fueled a lot of the anguish that are injected into Nirvana’s music.

He was captivated by the Sex Pistols when he was eleven. It was then when he started listening to British bands. This included Joy Division and is said to be where Nirvana directly descends from. the rock star’s iconoclastic attitude did not win him a lot of friends in high school. And he is sometimes picked on by the jocks. Cobain got even at them by spray painting the word, queer, on their trucks. In 1985, Cobain moved to Olympia. It was here when he started forming and reforming several bands. In 1986, Nirvana was born.

Nirvana was composed of Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl. In 1988, Nirvana began playing in shows and started having demo tapes go around. 1989 was the year when they first recorded thir first album Bleach under the independent Seattle label, Sub-Pop.

Nirvana received a lot of recognition in Britain. In 1991, their contract was bout out by Geffen. They were the first non-mainstream band to sign under the mega label. They then released, Nevermind, an album of different, screaming, crunching songs with Smells like Teen Spirit as the carrier single. This boosted Nirvana to the mainstream. the single is the band’s most highly acclaimed and most popular song. Cobain wrote the lyrics of the song, using a seductive hook line to lure the listener in. the album sold 10 million copies and made 550 million US dollars in sales. Cobain said that none of them ever expected anything like what happened to them. It was quick to note that Cobain, a sickly and sensitive guy of 24 years old, was not going to cope well with the lifestyle that he is leading.

Cobain got hooked into heroin in the early 90′s. He was quoted to say that it was as shield against the demands of touring and to stop his pains due to stomach ulcer and an irritated bowel. even while on tour, Cobain continued to write as they were on tour.

There was also an incident when 2 men raped a girl while singing Polly, an anti-rape song that Cobain wrote. This got Cobain terribly distressed as he was worried that his songs were interpreted wrongly. He appealed to fans on notes in the Insecticide liner. But this proved to be ineffective. He was afraid that the band was attracting the wrong type of fans, the type that used to beat him up as a kid.

Courtney Love and Cobain married in February 1992 in Hawaii. Love was already pregnant then. Cobain was later on admitted to the hospital for heroin abuse. Shortly after, their daughter, Francis Bean Cobain was born.

The band released Utero in 1993. It gained the top spots on the music charts. This album was widely acclaimed by the press and also contained what was said to be Cobain’s most passionate works. This contained the songs, All Apologies and Heart Shaped Box along with Scentless Apprentice.

In 1993, the band recorded an unplugged album with MTV. This was the last album that they will record before splitting up. on March 4, 1994, Cobain was rushed to the hospital for downing fifty prescription painkillers with champagne. It was officially called an accident and was not made public even to close friends and associates. Cobain entered a detox program after some convincing from his wife, friends and managers. But Cobain made an escape. on the 5th of April on the same year, Kurt Cobain ended it all.

His body was found by an electrician who was going to install a security system. He walked around the house and saw Cobain’s body as he peered through the windows. He thought t was a mannequin until he saw a splotch of blood by Cobain’s ear. Police found him with a shotgun still pointed at his chin. A suicide note was also found addressed to his wife and his daughter. He was 27 at the time.

Mystery still shrouds the death of Cobain. some say he was murdered by his wife. Others say that it was clearly suicide. A motion for the re-opening of the case is what his loyal fans would like to happen. But it all depends if his wife would allow it.

is anyone from arizona that likes Panic at the disco fall out boy my chemical romance paramore the academy is cobra starship plain white t's ECT.?

im not from arizona but i do love all those bands they are my favorites besides fall out boy and my chemical romance is my favorite

I am from CA and I listen to REAL punk rock. The bands that you listed are wannabe, commercialized, corporate posers. Here's some REAL punk rock:

Sex Pistols
The Ramones
The Clash
The Plasmatics
The Exploited
Crass
Rudimentary Peni
The Business
The Germs
The Adolescents
The Descendants
Black Flag
UK Subs

not from AZ, but love that kinda music.

Check out sertopbands.com for some cool music news.

not in arizona, i dont listen to much punk anymore but if youd like to listen to some real punk check out the actives, the misfits, minor threat (post punk), you should be able to find more just by searching those

none of those bands are punk…..but the only one out of your list i really like is my Chemical romance, am not found of the other bands. oh wait i don't live in arizona anyways…sorry.