The Virus
Encyclopedia
The Virus was a street punk band from Philadelphia, United States. Now defunct, their former singer Mike Virus went on to perform in the band Cheap Sex
. Fat Dave now plays guitar in the Lancaster, PA punk band TiGHT FiTS! Fat Dave and Jarrod were in a band called Bomb Squadron Right before The Virus was formed.
The Virus formed in February 1998, with Mike Virus on vocals, Chris on lead guitar, Fat Dave on guitar, Jarrod on drums, and Geoff on bass. The band played their first show a month later. During the band's first six months, they performed several concerts, including one in Philadelphia with the band Special Duties
, and another at the now-closed Coney Island High in New York City.
In July 1998, they recorded two songs for a split CD with New York band The Manix (with members of The Devotchkas
and The Casualties
). Only 130 copies of the CD were made, and they sold out quickly. Shortly thereafter, original bass player Geoff was asked to leave the band. After trying out several bass players, it was decided that Fat Dave’s longtime friend Paul would join.
In February 1999, the band recorded five songs for their first 7", called Global Crisis, and for the Punx Unite 2 compilation on Charged Records. The 7" sold out fairly quickly, and they started getting a lot more gig offers. In May, lead guitar player Chris and the band had a falling out, with Chris leaving the band. The band continued to perform regularly all over the east coast United States as a quartet.
In September, the band added a new member, Mike Authority of local Philadelphia band, No Authority. In March 2000, the band recorded 12 songs for their first full-length CD/LP, Still Fighting For A Future, on Charged Records. After the album was recorded, singer Mike Virus left the band and Paul took over vocals. The band then recruited Tim from the Jersey band The Oi! Scouts.
In June, the band left for a six-week USA tour with The Casualties, Endless Struggle, Antidote and Funeral Dress. After returning from the tour, Tim informed the band that the road life wasn’t for him, but he agreed to help out until the band replaced him. In December the band brought in Josh, who was a fan of the band. In March 2001, the band recorded four new songs for a limited picture disc
7" to be released on Charged Records. Punk Core Records
bought the rights to release the picture disc from Charged Records, and released the 7" in October 2001, along with a Singles & Rarities CD .
In June 2000, the band played the Promote Chaos festival in Atlanta, Georgia
alongside bands like: Anti-Nowhere League
, The Crack, and Peter and the Test Tube Babies
. A month later they went to Morecambe
, England to play at the Holidays In The Sun festival alongside bands like The Exploited
, The Partisans, GBH, UK Subs, Resistance 77, Threats and Cock Sparrer
.
Late August saw the band on a short East Coast US tour with Antidote from Holland. After the tour, the band took five months off to write and record their second 12-song CD/LP titled Nowhere To Hide on Punk Core Records. During those five months, Fat Dave left the band. In February 2002, the band recorded their second full-length album. Drew joined the band on bass, and Josh moved to guitar On February 15, the band played in Philadelphia with Slaughter & The Dogs
.
After that, they were back to playing regular weekend gigs all over the American east coast. In April, the Nowhere To Hide CD & LP was released. In July, the band again played at the Holidays In The Sun festival in England. They then went on a short west coast US tour with The Riffs from Portland. Then the band played the HITS fest in Asbury Park, New Jersey
in early September. A highlight of the festival for the band was having Wattie Buchan of the Exploited join the band onstage to sing The Exploited song I Believe In Anarchy. The band returned to California at the end of the year to play three concerts in Hollywood, Pomona
and San Diego
with the Riffs & The Voids.
By 2004, Paul had left the band and Jasper took over vocal duties. Soon after, The Virus ceased touring and disbanded completely. Paul went on to play in bands such as Nighttime Dealers, which also featured Fat Dave. Paul also formed the band Kamikaze Zero who also disbanded. Paul now owns and operates 717 Tattoo which is located outside of Harrisburg. Jasper went on to form the post-punk
band The Hunt. In 2002, Mike Virus formed the band Cheap Sex
, who disbanded in 2007. And later he formd the band Evacuate
.
Cheap Sex
Cheap Sex was an American street punk band formed in December 2002, based in San Diego, California. Besides releasing three albums, the band participated in some compilations, including the Pure Punk Rock DVD, released by Punk Core Records, also featuring Action, The Casualties, Blood or Whiskey,...
. Fat Dave now plays guitar in the Lancaster, PA punk band TiGHT FiTS! Fat Dave and Jarrod were in a band called Bomb Squadron Right before The Virus was formed.
The Virus formed in February 1998, with Mike Virus on vocals, Chris on lead guitar, Fat Dave on guitar, Jarrod on drums, and Geoff on bass. The band played their first show a month later. During the band's first six months, they performed several concerts, including one in Philadelphia with the band Special Duties
Special Duties
-History:Special Duties was created in October 1977 by schoolfellows Steve Green , Steve Norris and Nigel Baker. They were punks at school, but the idea of forming their own band came when they saw The Adverts in Colchester. The fact that the three schoolboys couldn't play and didn't own any...
, and another at the now-closed Coney Island High in New York City.
In July 1998, they recorded two songs for a split CD with New York band The Manix (with members of The Devotchkas
The Devotchkas
The Devotchkas were a four-piece American street punk band from Long Island, NY. Their name was derived from the popular film and novel A Clockwork Orange. Devotchka in Nadsat means "girl", which is itself derived from the Russian word of the same meaning.An all-girl group, the band was formed by...
and 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...
). Only 130 copies of the CD were made, and they sold out quickly. Shortly thereafter, original bass player Geoff was asked to leave the band. After trying out several bass players, it was decided that Fat Dave’s longtime friend Paul would join.
In February 1999, the band recorded five songs for their first 7", called Global Crisis, and for the Punx Unite 2 compilation on Charged Records. The 7" sold out fairly quickly, and they started getting a lot more gig offers. In May, lead guitar player Chris and the band had a falling out, with Chris leaving the band. The band continued to perform regularly all over the east coast United States as a quartet.
In September, the band added a new member, Mike Authority of local Philadelphia band, No Authority. In March 2000, the band recorded 12 songs for their first full-length CD/LP, Still Fighting For A Future, on Charged Records. After the album was recorded, singer Mike Virus left the band and Paul took over vocals. The band then recruited Tim from the Jersey band The Oi! Scouts.
In June, the band left for a six-week USA tour with The Casualties, Endless Struggle, Antidote and Funeral Dress. After returning from the tour, Tim informed the band that the road life wasn’t for him, but he agreed to help out until the band replaced him. In December the band brought in Josh, who was a fan of the band. In March 2001, the band recorded four new songs for a limited picture disc
Picture disc
Picture discs are gramophone records that show images on their playing surface, rather than being of plain black or coloured vinyl.-Development:...
7" to be released on Charged Records. Punk Core Records
Punk Core Records
Punk Core Records is an inactive record label founded in 1989 by Dave Amcher, alias Dave Punk Core. The label is based on Long Island, New York.Punk Core originally started out a punk zine/distro in the late 80's, but became a record label in the mid 90's...
bought the rights to release the picture disc from Charged Records, and released the 7" in October 2001, along with a Singles & Rarities CD .
In June 2000, the band played the Promote Chaos festival in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
alongside bands like: Anti-Nowhere League
Anti-Nowhere League
Anti-Nowhere League is an English punk band, formed in 1980 by lead singer Animal , guitarist Magoo , Tony "Bones" Shaw on drums and Chris "Baggy" Elvy on bass.-Early days:...
, The Crack, and Peter and the Test Tube Babies
Peter and the Test Tube Babies
Peter and the Test Tube Babies are a punk rock band that was formed in the small town of Peacehaven, England in 1978 by Del Strangefish and Peter Bywaters. Due to their humorous tongue-in-cheek lyrics, they have been considered part of the Punk Pathetique subgenre...
. A month later they went to Morecambe
Morecambe
Morecambe is a resort town and civil parish within the City of Lancaster in Lancashire, England. As of 2001 it has a resident population of 38,917. It faces into Morecambe Bay...
, England to play at the Holidays In The Sun festival alongside bands like The Exploited
The Exploited
The Exploited are a Scottish punk band from the second wave of UK punk, formed in 1979. Originally a street punk band, they transformed into a faster hardcore punk band with a heavy political influence. From about 1987 on they changed into a crossover thrash band...
, The Partisans, GBH, UK Subs, Resistance 77, Threats and Cock Sparrer
Cock Sparrer
Cock Sparrer are a punk rock band formed in 1972 in the East End of London, England. Although they never enjoyed much commercial success, they are considered one of the most influential streetpunk bands, helping pave the way for the late-1970s punk scene and the Oi! subgenre...
.
Late August saw the band on a short East Coast US tour with Antidote from Holland. After the tour, the band took five months off to write and record their second 12-song CD/LP titled Nowhere To Hide on Punk Core Records. During those five months, Fat Dave left the band. In February 2002, the band recorded their second full-length album. Drew joined the band on bass, and Josh moved to guitar On February 15, the band played in Philadelphia with Slaughter & The Dogs
Slaughter & The Dogs
Slaughter & The Dogs is an English punk rock band that formed in the late 1970s in Manchester, England. They were one of the first UK punk bands to sign for a major label, Decca Records.-Career:...
.
After that, they were back to playing regular weekend gigs all over the American east coast. In April, the Nowhere To Hide CD & LP was released. In July, the band again played at the Holidays In The Sun festival in England. They then went on a short west coast US tour with The Riffs from Portland. Then the band played the HITS fest in Asbury Park, New Jersey
Asbury Park, New Jersey
Asbury Park is a city in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, located on the Jersey Shore and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 16,116. The city is known for its rich musical history, including its association with...
in early September. A highlight of the festival for the band was having Wattie Buchan of the Exploited join the band onstage to sing The Exploited song I Believe In Anarchy. The band returned to California at the end of the year to play three concerts in Hollywood, Pomona
Pomona, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Pomona had a population of 149,058, a slight decline from the 2000 census population. The population density was 6,491.2 people per square mile...
and San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
with the Riffs & The Voids.
By 2004, Paul had left the band and Jasper took over vocal duties. Soon after, The Virus ceased touring and disbanded completely. Paul went on to play in bands such as Nighttime Dealers, which also featured Fat Dave. Paul also formed the band Kamikaze Zero who also disbanded. Paul now owns and operates 717 Tattoo which is located outside of Harrisburg. Jasper went on to form the post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
band The Hunt. In 2002, Mike Virus formed the band Cheap Sex
Cheap Sex
Cheap Sex was an American street punk band formed in December 2002, based in San Diego, California. Besides releasing three albums, the band participated in some compilations, including the Pure Punk Rock DVD, released by Punk Core Records, also featuring Action, The Casualties, Blood or Whiskey,...
, who disbanded in 2007. And later he formd the band Evacuate
Evacuate (band)
Evacuate is a Street Punk band formed in 2008 by Mike Virus former member of The Virus and Cheap Sex. The band also includes Karlos former member of The Lab Rats, Kevin , Tony and John ....
.
Discography
- Global Crisis 7" - 1999 on Charged RecordsCharged RecordsCharged Records is a street punk record label that was formed by Jake of The Casualties in 1998. The label has released albums from Antidote, The Casualties, The Agrestix, and The Virus, among others.-Notable artists:* The Casualties* The Virus...
- Still Fighting for a Future - released 2000 on Charged RecordsCharged RecordsCharged Records is a street punk record label that was formed by Jake of The Casualties in 1998. The label has released albums from Antidote, The Casualties, The Agrestix, and The Virus, among others.-Notable artists:* The Casualties* The Virus...
- Singles and Rarities - released 2001 on Punkcore Records
- Nowhere to Hide - released 2002 on Punkcore Records
- Benefits of War 7" - 2003 on Dirty Punk Records
Original members
- Mike Virus - Vocals
- Chris Expulsion - Lead guitar
- Fat Dave - Rhythm guitar
- Geoff - Bass
- Jarrod - Drums
Other members
- Paul - Bass, Vocals
- Jasper - Vocals
- Tim - Bass
- Josh - Bass, Rhythm guitar
- Drew - Bass
- Mark Liberty - Bass
- Mike Authority - Lead guitar
- John - Drums
External links
- [ Allmusic]
- Picture
