The Dead Kennedys

DEAD KENNEDYS were one of the most popular and important American hardcore punk bands of the late ’70s/early ’80s. They formed in San Francisco in 1978 when EAST BAY RAY placed an ad in a music paper that vocalist JELLO BIAFRA responded to. They were soon joined by bassist KLAUS FLOURIDE, drummer TED and a second guitarist known to posterity simply as 6025. The latter departed in March 1979, while Ted was replaced at the very end of 1980 by D.H. PELIGRO. After a brief rehearsal period, Dead Kennedys played their first gig at Mabuhay Gardens in July 1978. The “Fab Mab” was a Filipino restaurant in San Francisco's North Beach section that served as a home to punk bands for nearly ten years. It wasn't too long before the band gained a considerable following around San Francisco. Live, DKs were a combination of chaos and theatrics. Their sound could be described as a cross between the Sex Pistols and the Ventures. Dead Kennedys’ early success led them to record their first single, “California Über Alles,” in 1979, a blistering attack on the then Governor of California, Jerry Brown. It was released on their own label in the USA, Alternative Tentacles Records, set up... more...