National Razor
Encyclopedia
National Razor is an American punk rock
band that formed in 1998 in Baltimore
, Maryland
. Influenced by Stiff Little Fingers
, The Clash
, the Ramones
, they experimented with New Wave
and hardcore
. For their early recording career, the band consisted of Erik Sunday (lead vocals, bass guitar), Frank Burgess (lead guitar, occasional lead vocals), Dee Settar (rhythm guitar, occasional lead vocals), and Morphius Records founder David Andler (drums, backing vocals).
.
Settar left the group shortly after the first album, to be replaced by David Israel (lead guitar, backing vocals). Their next release, Friends Don't Invite Cops (2001), included the anti-drug anthem "Do You Wanna Get High Tonight?", widely considered the band's most meaningful contribution to the lexicon of recorded punk music. The release was packaged together with the UK Subs
song "The Revolution's Here", and the two bands performed in the U.S. together on a variety of occasions.
Following performances with many other national acts, including The Casualties
, MDC
, Funeral Dress
, and others, and a brief 2002 tour, internal friction led to Andler's departure. The group continued with Jim Schaffer (formerly of the punk band Trusty
) as his replacement. Burgess left in 2005, to be replaced by Carl Weigel.
Recordings engineered by Charley Jamison in 2003 and 2005 have never been released with the exception of the song "123 Go!" which is supposed to be released on a Ramones compilation.
Prior to Mapleshade's release of Naked Before God and Country, music photographer and art critic Eldon Baldwin summed the band up as "a surly, uncontrived blend of The Ramones, Stiff Little Fingers
, the Beatles
, Johnny Cash
and The Clash
".
The band's politicised lyrics and rebellious attitude influenced the post-2000 resurgence of Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
area bands influenced by early US/UK punk rock.
In 2005, Andler reunited with the band for one show at a weekend festival at Talking Head Club in Baltimore, with Schaffer playing bass for most of the set, and played a second drum kit on some songs. In 2008, Burgess played guitar with the band for one show, shortly after becoming a Baltimore City Firefighter.
Andler still operates Morphius Records in Baltimore. Israel works for NASA
, and is currently working on Internet in Space Technology. Sunday is a high school teacher who founded an experimental school in Baltimore.
The band continues to play in 2009, and is nearing completion of a new album, tentatively titled Four Dollars in Change recorded with Drew Mazurek, who engineered the band's second release.
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band that formed in 1998 in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. Influenced by Stiff Little Fingers
Stiff Little Fingers
Stiff Little Fingers are a punk rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland. They formed in 1977, at the height of the Troubles. They started out as a schoolboy band called Highway Star , doing rock covers, until they discovered punk. They split up after six years and four albums, although they...
, The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
, the Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
, they experimented with New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
and hardcore
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
. For their early recording career, the band consisted of Erik Sunday (lead vocals, bass guitar), Frank Burgess (lead guitar, occasional lead vocals), Dee Settar (rhythm guitar, occasional lead vocals), and Morphius Records founder David Andler (drums, backing vocals).
History
National Razor was a success on the U.S. East Coast from the release of their Finally Death Is Coming debut album in 1999. The album received critical acclaim from publications like Maximum Rock'N'Roll and Hit List, and toured the U.S. with Italian hardcore band Raw PowerRaw Power
Raw Power is the third studio album by American rock band The Stooges. Though not initially commercially successful, Raw Power gained a cult fanbase in the years following its release and, like its predecessor , is generally considered an influential forerunner of punk rock.-Recording history:After...
.
Settar left the group shortly after the first album, to be replaced by David Israel (lead guitar, backing vocals). Their next release, Friends Don't Invite Cops (2001), included the anti-drug anthem "Do You Wanna Get High Tonight?", widely considered the band's most meaningful contribution to the lexicon of recorded punk music. The release was packaged together with the UK Subs
UK Subs
The U.K. Subs are an English punk rock band, among the earliest in the first wave of British punk. Formed in 1976, the mainstay of the band has been vocalist Charlie Harper, originally a singer in Britain's R&B scene. They were also one of the first street punk bands.-Career:The U.K...
song "The Revolution's Here", and the two bands performed in the U.S. together on a variety of occasions.
Following performances with many other national acts, including The Casualties
The Casualties
The Casualties are an American street punk band from New York City, New York, formed in 1990.-Biography:The Casualties members aimed to return to what they viewed as the "golden era" of street punk, embodied by bands such as The Exploited, Charged GBH , which they believed had disappeared by...
, MDC
MDC (band)
MDC is an American hardcore punk band formed in Austin, Texas in 1979. The band were subsequently based in San Francisco, California, and are currently based in Portland, Oregon. MDC originally formed as The Stains before changing their name...
, Funeral Dress
Funeral Dress
Funeral Dress is a street punk band from Belgium who formed in 1985. Their big hits include "I'm in Love with Oi", "Free Beer for the Punx", "Party Political Bullshit", "Party On", "Freedom and Liberty", "Belgium's Burning". The band toured the US several times and is planning a tour in Russia in...
, and others, and a brief 2002 tour, internal friction led to Andler's departure. The group continued with Jim Schaffer (formerly of the punk band Trusty
Trusty
Trusty was a punk band that formed in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1989. The band moved from Little rock to Washington, D.C. in 1992. They disbanded in early 1998.-The Little Rock Years:...
) as his replacement. Burgess left in 2005, to be replaced by Carl Weigel.
Recordings engineered by Charley Jamison in 2003 and 2005 have never been released with the exception of the song "123 Go!" which is supposed to be released on a Ramones compilation.
Prior to Mapleshade's release of Naked Before God and Country, music photographer and art critic Eldon Baldwin summed the band up as "a surly, uncontrived blend of The Ramones, Stiff Little Fingers
Stiff Little Fingers
Stiff Little Fingers are a punk rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland. They formed in 1977, at the height of the Troubles. They started out as a schoolboy band called Highway Star , doing rock covers, until they discovered punk. They split up after six years and four albums, although they...
, the Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
and The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
".
The band's politicised lyrics and rebellious attitude influenced the post-2000 resurgence of Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
area bands influenced by early US/UK punk rock.
In 2005, Andler reunited with the band for one show at a weekend festival at Talking Head Club in Baltimore, with Schaffer playing bass for most of the set, and played a second drum kit on some songs. In 2008, Burgess played guitar with the band for one show, shortly after becoming a Baltimore City Firefighter.
Andler still operates Morphius Records in Baltimore. Israel works for NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
, and is currently working on Internet in Space Technology. Sunday is a high school teacher who founded an experimental school in Baltimore.
The band continues to play in 2009, and is nearing completion of a new album, tentatively titled Four Dollars in Change recorded with Drew Mazurek, who engineered the band's second release.
Members
- Erik Sunday – Bass, lead vocals
- Dave Israel – Guitar, vocals, keyboards
- Jim Schaffer – Drums, vocals
- Carl Weigel – Guitar, vocals
Former members
- Frank Burgess – Guitar, vocals
- David Andler – Drums, vocals
- Dee Settar – Guitar, vocals
Discography
Discography- Finally Death Is Coming (1999, Morphius)
- "Tear Me Down" on Our Voices Must Be Heard compilation (2000, Silent Records)
- Friends Don't Invite Cops – split release with UK SubsUK SubsThe U.K. Subs are an English punk rock band, among the earliest in the first wave of British punk. Formed in 1976, the mainstay of the band has been vocalist Charlie Harper, originally a singer in Britain's R&B scene. They were also one of the first street punk bands.-Career:The U.K...
(2001, VMS/Morphius) - "Do You Wanna Get High Tonight" on Food Not Bombs compilation (2002, Silent Records)
- Naked Before God and Country (2006, Mapleshade Records)
- Unreleased "123 Go!" on Full Breach Kicks Ramones Compilation (Full Breach)