Total Chaos
Encyclopedia
Total Chaos is an American
street punk
band from Pomona Valley
, California
, formed in 1989. Lead vocalist
Rob Chaos is also co-owner of SOS Records
with Ezzat Soliman, owner of the Showcase Theater, having released albums by classic Punk
and Oi!
bands like The Exploited
, Vice Squad
, Sham 69
, Conflict
, The Adicts
and Abrasive Wheels
among others. With help of Jay Lee from the band Resist and Exist, the band started organizations such as United Valley Punks, Orange County Peace Punks and Alternative Gathering Collective. Together, they held such social events as Food Not Bombs
, helped open the Los Angeles Anarchist Center and supported the Big Mountain Indian Reservation.
Nightmares in 1992. In 1993 the band recorded their debut album We Are the Punx, We Are the Future, shortly after Gary Doom leave the band, being replaced by Ronald McMurder, a tour in Mexico with the Mexican
band Yaps was booked, having most of the venues sold out.
Epitaph Records decided to sign the band to release the 1994 album Pledge of Defiance. To support the release, a tour was booked with The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
. After the end of the tour, a second album for Epitaph Records was created in 1995, Patriotic Shock, adding Germ as second guitarist, once again the band did a tour for the release, this time with Battalion of Saints
, due to the strong message against racism and socio-political subjects, the band faced racist and nationalist organizations at the shows and the ban of the album in Japan
. In the summer of the same year Total Chaos visited Europe
for the first time, with a new lead guitar player, Shawn Smash, playing in Germany
for the Chaos Days
festival, well known for the often violent environment.
In 1996, Rob Chaos, Joe E. Bastard and Shawn Smash recruited Suzy Homewrecker on drums to record a new album titled Anthems From the Alleyway, this album distinguishes from the previous because of the 70s punk rock influenced sound. By 1997, the band lost contact with Epitaph Records
while recording demos for the upcoming album, mainly because of the drug rehab of label founder Brett Gurewitz
and poor communication with the label president Andy Kalukin, for this reasons the band decided to leave Epitaph Records.
By early 1998 Total Chaos disbanded, although by September the group reformed without Homewrecker, who was stealing the band's T-shirts and selling them at a discounted price and keeping the profits herself. Total Chaos asked Traci Michaels to fill in for one show, which was the reunion show at the Showcase Theatre. They continued to search for drummers and found Danny Boy Virus and then band signed with Cleopatra Records
to release the In God We Kill in 1999 and the compilation Early Years 89-93 with the early demos
and LPs, getting back on tour with Blanks77 and a Japan
ese tour in 2000, shortly after the band recorded Punk Invasion, released on Reject Records in 2001, with Todd Trash playing bass and Danny Boy Virus on drums.
In 2002 the band was invited to the Warped Tour
, with bands like The Casualties
, Pistol Grip
, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Anti-Flag
and Bad Religion
among others. After the end of the tour, original drummer Gearbox returned with the band, and with the new bassist Charlie, ex-member Life's Halt, the band released Freedom Kills with SOS Records
, and toured with The Adicts
, The Exploited
and Conflict
.
On October 14, 2003, the band was appointed to play in Montreal
with The Exploited, but due to legal issues, both bands were retained in the U.S.
border. One of the reasons was because The Exploited lied to the Canadian
Customs
, saying it was a road trip, and they were not a band, being caught when an employee showed a photo of Wattie on stage performing with the band. Total Chaos entrance was denied due to criminal records of some members, although Rob chaos stated: "It should be against the law to pry into someone's past and dig up something they'd done 15 years ago". After the cancellation of the show, some fans decided to cause riots and disorder, some cars and shops were damaged, as well as a few police officers injured and an undisclosed amount of people were arrested. The events were widely covered by the media.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
street punk
Street punk
Street punk is a working class-based genre of punk rock which took shape in the early 1980s, partly as a rebellion against the perceived artistic pretensions of the first wave of British punk. Street punk emerged from the Oi! style, performed by bands such as Sham 69, Angelic Upstarts, Cockney...
band from Pomona Valley
Pomona Valley
The Pomona Valley, located between the San Gabriel Valley and Cucamonga Valley in Southern California, straddles the border between Los Angeles County and San Bernardino County. Back on March 1, 1893 the California Assembly voted 54-14 for a new county to form in the region, San Antonio County,...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, formed in 1989. Lead vocalist
Lead vocalist
The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
Rob Chaos is also co-owner of SOS Records
SOS Records
SOS Records is a California-based punk-rock record label.- Bands :*4 Past Midnight*Abrasive Wheels*The Adicts*The Agitators*Bad Manners*Bang Sugar Bang*Blitz*Broken Bones*Conflict*DBD*The Diffs*Drongos for Europe*Exploited*Final Conflict...
with Ezzat Soliman, owner of the Showcase Theater, having released albums by classic Punk
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...
and Oi!
Oi!
Oi! is a working class subgenre of punk rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The music and its associated subculture had the goal of bringing together punks, skinheads and other working-class youths ....
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...
, Vice Squad
Vice Squad
Vice Squad is a punk band formed in 1978 in Bristol, England. The band formed from two other local punk bands, The Contingent and TV Brakes. Songwriter and vocalist Beki Bondage was a founding member and is currently with the band, although there was a period of time when the band had a different...
, Sham 69
Sham 69
Sham 69 is an English punk band that formed in Hersham in 1976.Although not as commercially successful as many of their contemporaries, albeit with a greater number of chart entries, Sham 69 has been a huge musical and lyrical influence on the Oi! and streetpunk genres. The band allegedly derived...
, Conflict
Conflict (band)
Conflict is an English anarcho-punk band originally based around Eltham in South London. Formed in 1981, the band's original line up consisted of: Colin Jerwood , Francisco 'Paco' Carreno , Big John , Steve , Pauline , Paul aka 'Nihilistic Nobody' . Their first release was the EP "The House That...
, The Adicts
The Adicts
The Adicts are an English punk band from Ipswich, Suffolk, England. One of the more popular punk rock bands in the 1980s, they were often in the indie charts at that time. Their song "Viva La Revolution" was featured in the video game Tony Hawk's Underground. It was also featured in a commercial...
and Abrasive Wheels
Abrasive Wheels
Abrasive Wheels were a punk rock band of the late 1970s/early 1980s. They hailed from Leeds, England and were seldom out of the Independent charts between 1980 and 1984 when the band split. The band were Shonna Rzonca - vocals, Dave Ryan - guitar, Harry Harrison - bass, Nev Nevison - drums...
among others. With help of Jay Lee from the band Resist and Exist, the band started organizations such as United Valley Punks, Orange County Peace Punks and Alternative Gathering Collective. Together, they held such social events as Food Not Bombs
Food Not Bombs
Food Not Bombs is a loose-knit group of independent collectives, serving free vegan and vegetarian food to others. Food Not Bombs' ideology is that myriad corporate and government priorities are skewed to allow hunger to persist in the midst of abundance...
, helped open the Los Angeles Anarchist Center and supported the Big Mountain Indian Reservation.
History
Formed in 1989, the first Total Chaos line up consisted of vocalist Rob Chaos, guitarist Gary Doom, bassist Joe E. Bastard and drummer Gearbox, in 1991 the band recorded their first demo titled Punk Invasion, followed by the 7" EPExtended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Nightmares in 1992. In 1993 the band recorded their debut album We Are the Punx, We Are the Future, shortly after Gary Doom leave the band, being replaced by Ronald McMurder, a tour in Mexico with the Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
band Yaps was booked, having most of the venues sold out.
Epitaph Records decided to sign the band to release the 1994 album Pledge of Defiance. To support the release, a tour was booked with The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are an American ska punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1983. Since the band's inception, lead vocalist Dicky Barrett, bassist Joe Gittleman, tenor saxophonist Tim "Johnny Vegas" Burton and dancer Ben Carr have remained constant members...
. After the end of the tour, a second album for Epitaph Records was created in 1995, Patriotic Shock, adding Germ as second guitarist, once again the band did a tour for the release, this time with Battalion of Saints
Battalion of Saints
Battalion of Saints is a hardcore punk rock band from San Diego, California that was founded in 1980. They went through numerous lineups until breaking up in 1985. Singer George Anthony reformed the band in 1995 with Terry "Tezz" Roberts Battalion of Saints is a hardcore punk rock band from San...
, due to the strong message against racism and socio-political subjects, the band faced racist and nationalist organizations at the shows and the ban of the album in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. In the summer of the same year Total Chaos visited Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
for the first time, with a new lead guitar player, Shawn Smash, playing in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
for the Chaos Days
Chaos Days
Chaos Days was an annual punk manifestation, often violent, held in Hanover, Germany starting in 1982 and reviving in the mid-1990s....
festival, well known for the often violent environment.
In 1996, Rob Chaos, Joe E. Bastard and Shawn Smash recruited Suzy Homewrecker on drums to record a new album titled Anthems From the Alleyway, this album distinguishes from the previous because of the 70s punk rock influenced sound. By 1997, the band lost contact with Epitaph Records
Epitaph Records
Epitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The label was originally "just a logo and a P.O. box" created in the 1980s for the purpose of selling Bad Religion records, but has evolved into a large independent record...
while recording demos for the upcoming album, mainly because of the drug rehab of label founder Brett Gurewitz
Brett Gurewitz
Brett W. Gurewitz , nicknamed Mr. Brett, is the guitarist and a songwriter of Bad Religion. He is also the owner of the music label Epitaph Records and sister-labels ANTI-, Burning Heart Records, Fat Possum Records, and Hellcat Records...
and poor communication with the label president Andy Kalukin, for this reasons the band decided to leave Epitaph Records.
Cleopatra Records
Cleopatra Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label.- History :Founded in 1992 by Brian Perera, it specializes in gothic rock, hard rock, heavy metal and reissues of out-of-print music...
to release the In God We Kill in 1999 and the compilation Early Years 89-93 with the early demos
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
and LPs, getting back on tour with Blanks77 and a Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese tour in 2000, shortly after the band recorded Punk Invasion, released on Reject Records in 2001, with Todd Trash playing bass and Danny Boy Virus on drums.
In 2002 the band was invited to the Warped Tour
Warped Tour
The Warped Tour is a touring music and extreme sports festival. The tour is held in venues such as parking lots or fields upon which the stages and other structures are erected. The BMX/skateboarding shoe manufacturer Vans, among others, has sponsored the tour every year since 1995, and it is...
, with bands like 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...
, Pistol Grip
Pistol Grip
Pistol Grip is a street punk band, formed in Walnut, California in 1997.-Discography:* Sounds of the Street Vol. 1 , Urgent Music* The Shots from the Kalico Rose , BYO Records...
, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Anti-Flag
Anti-Flag
Anti-Flag is a punk rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the United States, formed in 1988. The band is well known for its outspoken political views. Much of the band's lyrics have focused on fervent anti-war activism, criticism of United States foreign policy, corporatism, U.S. wealth...
and Bad Religion
Bad Religion
Bad Religion is a punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles in 1979. Their current line-up consists of Greg Graffin , Brett Gurewitz , Jay Bentley , Greg Hetson , Brian Baker and Brooks Wackerman . Gurewitz is also the founder of the label Epitaph Records, which has released almost all of the...
among others. After the end of the tour, original drummer Gearbox returned with the band, and with the new bassist Charlie, ex-member Life's Halt, the band released Freedom Kills with SOS Records
SOS Records
SOS Records is a California-based punk-rock record label.- Bands :*4 Past Midnight*Abrasive Wheels*The Adicts*The Agitators*Bad Manners*Bang Sugar Bang*Blitz*Broken Bones*Conflict*DBD*The Diffs*Drongos for Europe*Exploited*Final Conflict...
, and toured with The Adicts
The Adicts
The Adicts are an English punk band from Ipswich, Suffolk, England. One of the more popular punk rock bands in the 1980s, they were often in the indie charts at that time. Their song "Viva La Revolution" was featured in the video game Tony Hawk's Underground. It was also featured in a commercial...
, 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...
and Conflict
Conflict (band)
Conflict is an English anarcho-punk band originally based around Eltham in South London. Formed in 1981, the band's original line up consisted of: Colin Jerwood , Francisco 'Paco' Carreno , Big John , Steve , Pauline , Paul aka 'Nihilistic Nobody' . Their first release was the EP "The House That...
.
On October 14, 2003, the band was appointed to play in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
with The Exploited, but due to legal issues, both bands were retained in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
border. One of the reasons was because The Exploited lied to the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Customs
Customs
Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting and safeguarding customs duties and for controlling the flow of goods including animals, transports, personal effects and hazardous items in and out of a country...
, saying it was a road trip, and they were not a band, being caught when an employee showed a photo of Wattie on stage performing with the band. Total Chaos entrance was denied due to criminal records of some members, although Rob chaos stated: "It should be against the law to pry into someone's past and dig up something they'd done 15 years ago". After the cancellation of the show, some fans decided to cause riots and disorder, some cars and shops were damaged, as well as a few police officers injured and an undisclosed amount of people were arrested. The events were widely covered by the media.
Studio albums
- Battered And Smashed – 2011, Concrete Jungle Records
- Avoid All Sides – 2008, Punk Core RecordsPunk Core RecordsPunk 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...
- Freedom Kills – 2003, SOS RecordsSOS RecordsSOS Records is a California-based punk-rock record label.- Bands :*4 Past Midnight*Abrasive Wheels*The Adicts*The Agitators*Bad Manners*Bang Sugar Bang*Blitz*Broken Bones*Conflict*DBD*The Diffs*Drongos for Europe*Exploited*Final Conflict...
. - Punk Invasion – 2001, SOS RecordsSOS RecordsSOS Records is a California-based punk-rock record label.- Bands :*4 Past Midnight*Abrasive Wheels*The Adicts*The Agitators*Bad Manners*Bang Sugar Bang*Blitz*Broken Bones*Conflict*DBD*The Diffs*Drongos for Europe*Exploited*Final Conflict...
. - In God We Kill – 1999, Cleopatra RecordsCleopatra RecordsCleopatra Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label.- History :Founded in 1992 by Brian Perera, it specializes in gothic rock, hard rock, heavy metal and reissues of out-of-print music...
. - Anthems From the Alleyway – 1996, Epitaph RecordsEpitaph RecordsEpitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The label was originally "just a logo and a P.O. box" created in the 1980s for the purpose of selling Bad Religion records, but has evolved into a large independent record...
. - Patriotic Shock – 1995, Epitaph RecordsEpitaph RecordsEpitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The label was originally "just a logo and a P.O. box" created in the 1980s for the purpose of selling Bad Religion records, but has evolved into a large independent record...
. - Pledge of Defiance – 1994, Epitaph RecordsEpitaph RecordsEpitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The label was originally "just a logo and a P.O. box" created in the 1980s for the purpose of selling Bad Religion records, but has evolved into a large independent record...
. - We Are the Punx, We Are the Future – 1993, self-releasedSelf-publishingSelf-publishing is the publication of any book or other media by the author of the work, without the involvement of an established third-party publisher. The author is responsible and in control of entire process including design , formats, price, distribution, marketing & PR...
.
EPs
- D. U. I: Drunk Unemployed Incarcerated – 2002, Reject Records.
- Nightmares – 1992, self-releasedSelf-publishingSelf-publishing is the publication of any book or other media by the author of the work, without the involvement of an established third-party publisher. The author is responsible and in control of entire process including design , formats, price, distribution, marketing & PR...
. - Punk Invasion (Demo) – 1991, self-releasedSelf-publishingSelf-publishing is the publication of any book or other media by the author of the work, without the involvement of an established third-party publisher. The author is responsible and in control of entire process including design , formats, price, distribution, marketing & PR...
.
Compilations
- 17 Years of Chaos – 2007, SOS RecordsSOS RecordsSOS Records is a California-based punk-rock record label.- Bands :*4 Past Midnight*Abrasive Wheels*The Adicts*The Agitators*Bad Manners*Bang Sugar Bang*Blitz*Broken Bones*Conflict*DBD*The Diffs*Drongos for Europe*Exploited*Final Conflict...
. - The Feedback Continues 1990-1992 – 2007, Gutter Shock.
- Years of Chaos – 2006, I Used to Fuck People Like You In Prison.
- Early Years 89-93 – 2006, Cleopatra RecordsCleopatra RecordsCleopatra Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label.- History :Founded in 1992 by Brian Perera, it specializes in gothic rock, hard rock, heavy metal and reissues of out-of-print music...
.
Various artists compilation appearances
- I Killed Punk Rock – 2006, Bouncing Betty.
- Dirty Punk Records Sampler – 2006, Dirty Punk Records.
- Punk And Disorderly – 2003, Cleopatra RecordsCleopatra RecordsCleopatra Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label.- History :Founded in 1992 by Brian Perera, it specializes in gothic rock, hard rock, heavy metal and reissues of out-of-print music...
. - A Punk Tribute to Metallica – 2001, Cleopatra RecordsCleopatra RecordsCleopatra Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label.- History :Founded in 1992 by Brian Perera, it specializes in gothic rock, hard rock, heavy metal and reissues of out-of-print music...
. - Smells Like Bleach: A Punk Tribute to NirvanaSmells Like Bleach: A Punk Tribute to NirvanaSmells Like Bleach: A Punk Tribute To Nirvana is a tribute album by various artists to the American grunge band Nirvana, released in 2001.The album's title came from the amalgamation of Nirvana's signature song "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and their debut album Bleach...
– 2000, Cleopatra RecordsCleopatra RecordsCleopatra Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label.- History :Founded in 1992 by Brian Perera, it specializes in gothic rock, hard rock, heavy metal and reissues of out-of-print music...
. - Never Mind The Sex Pistols, Here's The Tribute – 2000, Radical Records.
- Punk-O-Rama Vol. 1Punk-O-Rama Vol. 1Punk-O-Rama is a compilation album released by Epitaph Records on November 18, 1994. Featuring twelve bands from the label's roster, the album was the first installment in the Punk-O-Rama series which continued until 2005.-Track listing:...
– 1994, Epitaph RecordsEpitaph RecordsEpitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The label was originally "just a logo and a P.O. box" created in the 1980s for the purpose of selling Bad Religion records, but has evolved into a large independent record...
.
External links
- Total Chaos at MySpace