Anti-Heros
Encyclopedia
Anti-Heros were an American Oi!
/street punk
band formed in 1984 in Atlanta, Georgia
, United States
. They took a hiatus from 1989–1993, but continued to record and play concerts through the early 2000s. Anti-Heros are one of the first and most popular American Oi! bands. The original lineup consisted of Mark Noah (vocals), Mike Jones (bass), Phil Solomon (drums) and Joe Winograd (guitar). The band released two records on Link Records in the late 1980s, That's Right! in 1987 and Don't Tread on Me in 1988. Link manager Mark Brennan never paid the band for the recordings, which the band members paid to produce.
In February 1997, longtime drummer Phil Solomon left and the band brought on Mark McClusky. Later, Don Shumate (AKA El Guapo, formerly of Time Bomb '77) took over percussion duties and Mark Magee (formerly of The Glory and Condemned 84
) replaced Winograd on guitars.
Despite the band's vocal admonishment of racism, their association with such ideals has long been a topic of contention among fans. Their theme song, "Anti-Hero," featured as a standard in their live set, is set to the tune of "Anti-Social," a song by Skrewdriver
, one of the first and most prominent white power skinhead bands (although the song has no racist lyrics). The Anti-Heros stance on racist Skinhead participation in the Atlanta Skinhead scene circa 1987 is addressed in the song "Some Fun" with Mark Noah's lyrics "Now the Nazis are coming around, let's run them out of town!" The Anti-Heros were involved in a lawsuit against New Line Cinema
for using the band's logo in the film American History X
against the band's will (as they did not want to be associated with white supremacists). Following the lawsuit, the logo was removed from all subsequent releases of the film.
Their last studio release, 1999's "Underneath the Underground," was produced by Lars Fredrickson of Rancid
fame.
Noah owns GMM Records. GMM Records released some of Dropkick Murphys
' earliest recordings, as well as bands such as Iron Cross
, Oxymoron
, Agnostic Front
, The Ducky Boys
, The Templars and One Way System
.
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 ....
/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 formed in 1984 in Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. They took a hiatus from 1989–1993, but continued to record and play concerts through the early 2000s. Anti-Heros are one of the first and most popular American Oi! bands. The original lineup consisted of Mark Noah (vocals), Mike Jones (bass), Phil Solomon (drums) and Joe Winograd (guitar). The band released two records on Link Records in the late 1980s, That's Right! in 1987 and Don't Tread on Me in 1988. Link manager Mark Brennan never paid the band for the recordings, which the band members paid to produce.
In February 1997, longtime drummer Phil Solomon left and the band brought on Mark McClusky. Later, Don Shumate (AKA El Guapo, formerly of Time Bomb '77) took over percussion duties and Mark Magee (formerly of The Glory and Condemned 84
Condemned 84
Condemned 84 is a British skinhead Oi! punk band. According to their website, the band was formed in 1980 as Criminal Tendencies, changing in 1983 to Condemned, and in 1984 to Condemned 84...
) replaced Winograd on guitars.
Despite the band's vocal admonishment of racism, their association with such ideals has long been a topic of contention among fans. Their theme song, "Anti-Hero," featured as a standard in their live set, is set to the tune of "Anti-Social," a song by Skrewdriver
Skrewdriver
Skrewdriver was an English punk rock band formed by Ian Stuart Donaldson in Poulton-le-Fylde in 1976. They later evolved into one of the first neo-Nazi rock bands, playing a leading role in the Rock Against Communism movement and becoming known as the most prominent white power skinhead...
, one of the first and most prominent white power skinhead bands (although the song has no racist lyrics). The Anti-Heros stance on racist Skinhead participation in the Atlanta Skinhead scene circa 1987 is addressed in the song "Some Fun" with Mark Noah's lyrics "Now the Nazis are coming around, let's run them out of town!" The Anti-Heros were involved in a lawsuit against New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema, often simply referred to as New Line, is an American film studio. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne as a film distributor, later becoming an independent film studio. It became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996 and was merged with larger sister studio Warner...
for using the band's logo in the film American History X
American History X
American History X is a 1998 American drama film directed by Tony Kaye and starring Edward Norton and Edward Furlong. It was distributed by New Line Cinema....
against the band's will (as they did not want to be associated with white supremacists). Following the lawsuit, the logo was removed from all subsequent releases of the film.
Their last studio release, 1999's "Underneath the Underground," was produced by Lars Fredrickson of Rancid
Rancid (band)
Rancid is an American punk rock band formed in Berkeley, California in 1991. Founded by Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, both of whom previously played in the ska punk band Operation Ivy, Rancid is credited—along with Green Day and The Offspring—for reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the...
fame.
Noah owns GMM Records. GMM Records released some of Dropkick Murphys
Dropkick Murphys
Dropkick Murphys are an Irish-American punk rock band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. The band was initially signed to independent punk record label Hellcat Records, releasing five albums for the label, and making a name for themselves locally through constant playing and yearly St....
' earliest recordings, as well as bands such as Iron Cross
Iron Cross (band)
Iron Cross is a hardcore/Oi! band from Baltimore, Maryland and Washington D.C..They play a rough form of streetpunk, and is the first band in the United States to adopt the skinhead look and the Oi! musical style...
, Oxymoron
Oxymoron (band)
Oxymoron is a German Oi!/streetpunk band formed in 1992. The band was founded by Sucker and his cousin Björn , along with two friends, Martin and Filzlaus .-Career:...
, Agnostic Front
Agnostic Front
Agnostic Front is an American hardcore band. The band began playing hardcore similar to their contemporaries, and were thrust to the forefront of the burgeoning New York hardcore scene in the mid-1980s with their widely regarded 1984 classic Victim in Pain before evolving to incorporate thrash...
, The Ducky Boys
The Ducky Boys
The Ducky Boys are a street punk band from Boston, Massachusetts. Since forming in 1995 in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston, the band has spanned over ten years with two tenures that have led to four full-length albums and over 50 songs. The band derives its name from the name of an Irish...
, The Templars and One Way System
One Way System
One Way System is a street punk band formed in the Fleetwood area of Lancashire, England in 1979.-Career:One Way System had an initial line-up of Craig Halliday , Gavin Whyte , Tez Mcdonald and Gaz Buckley...
.
Discography
- That's Right! on LINK Records -1987
- Don't Tread On Me on LINK Records -1988
- Election Day 7" on GMM Records - 1992
- That's Right!/Don't Tread On Me multi-CD on GMM Records - 1994
- Murder One mini-CD on GMM Records - 1995
- American Pie CD and LP on Taang! RecordsTaang! RecordsTaang! Records is an American independent record label founded by Curtis Casella in Boston, Massachusetts which is currently based in San Diego...
- 1996 - Live on a Five 5" on Headache Records - 1997
- Truck Stop Toilet split 7" with Blanks 77 on Radical Records - 1997
- Anti-Heros vs. Dropkick MurphysDropkick MurphysDropkick Murphys are an Irish-American punk rock band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. The band was initially signed to independent punk record label Hellcat Records, releasing five albums for the label, and making a name for themselves locally through constant playing and yearly St....
split on TKO Records - 1998 - Underneath the Underground on GMM Records - 1999
- 1000 Nights of Chaos LIVE on Taang! RecordsTaang! RecordsTaang! Records is an American independent record label founded by Curtis Casella in Boston, Massachusetts which is currently based in San Diego...
- 2000
Compilation appearances
- U.S. of Oi!, Volume 1 on LINK Records
- U.S. of Oi!, Volume 2 on GMM Records
- Oi! That's What I Call Music! on LINK Records
- Oi! Glorious Oi! on LINK Records
- Drunk and Disorderly on Step-1 Records
- Backstreets of American Oi! on Sta-Prest Records.
- Punk Uprisings Volume 2
- Skins and Pins on GMM Records
- Punch Drunk on TKO Recordsl