Indecision
Encyclopedia
Indecision was a hardcore
band which was started in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn in 1993 and officially disbanded in the summer of 2000 though they still play shows occasionally.
The band members—guitarist Justin Brannan
drummer Pat Flynn, bassist Steve Bago and vocalist Tom Sheehan (who was replaced by Artie Phillie in 1998) -- met while attending the Catholic Xaverian High School
in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn
. The band added second guitarist Rachel Rosen after having met her while performing live on her infamous WNYU radio show, Crucial Chaos, in 1996.
Initially Indecision played mostly in local clubs. Over time, a lot of the venues in their neighborhood closed down, which prompted them to take a larger step and lead to the bands integration into the New York City hardcore
scene. In the early days, the band would often show up to gigs all in one car, with their equipment tied to the roof with Bungee cords.
Justin Brannan recounts these early days in the liner notes to A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall:
The band was first noticed for its insane live shows at The Wetlands Preserve
. Indecision, being a relatively new band at the time, would often open up the Sunday matinees. After they had finished their set, the club would quickly empty out. This only added to their mystique and quickly built a cult following.
Inspired by bands like Black Flag
, Indecision embarked on voracious trailblazing tours, and it became their trademark usually spending a solid 9 to 10 months a year on the road. They were dubbed "The Working Man's Band" for their affinity to tour cities and countries that other bands wouldn't dare.
Indecision was the first American band to play in Croatia (Zagreb) after the Croatian War of Independence ended in 1995
Indecision also showed its appreciation for its home Brooklyn
as well as New York City
-- which they regularly labeled "Gotham City
" on merchandise --.
The former Indecision-members Justin
and Rachel are now in the hardcore band Most Precious Blood on Trustkill Records
.
to Thailand
, where Indecision remains one of the most popular underground American bands to this day.
In 1996 they signed with WreckAge/Exit Records family and would release 3 albums with the label over the next 3 years: "Unorthodox", "Most Precious Blood" and "To Live and Die in New York City", all of which showed off their slightly metal-tinged brand of thought-provoking hardcore (which managed to express anger and injustice without being hateful).
The album featured an eerily prophetic manipulated photo of the Manhattan skyline, including the World Trade Center
, completely engulfed in flames. Post-September 11 the album cover was banned in many places.
The song "Purgatory" features an audio sample about the Union Carbide
tragedy in Bhopal, India
. In December 1984, a gas leak at a Union Carbide India Limited plant in Bhopal, India, results in tragic loss of life in what is known as the Bhopal disaster
, when up to 20,000 people lost their lives.
on M.I.A. Records (and on Overcome Records in Europe). This, arguably their most highly acclaimed album, would be their last.
The lyrical content was notably more socio-political with songs questioning the government and health care and conspiracy theories in regard to AIDS and cancer research. It was the first album recorded with full songs with singer Artie...formerly of the band Milhouse. Tom Sheehan was singer previous and now for MOst Precious Blood
in front of a handful of people at an indoor skate park with Flatline and Racial Abuse the band was stopped at the Austria
n border on their way to Zagreb
. The members were strip searched and held for hours, while the van was disassembled by the customs officials. Another incident happened on the last day of a tour in Quebec in 1999, when they had all their money and merchandise seized.
A follow-up to "Release The Cure" was in the works and tentatively entitled "The Curse" but the band broke up before anything was recorded.
while on tour with Kill Your Idols
on June 7, 2000.
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...
band which was started in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn in 1993 and officially disbanded in the summer of 2000 though they still play shows occasionally.
History
From the band:Formed in 1993 in Brooklyn, NY, disbanded summer 2000 in El Paso, TX. Notorious for their tireless work ethic, Indecision toured the world until exhaustion, literally. They released three full length albums, as well as countless 7"s and EPs. Took pages from Sick Of It All, Agnostic Front and the Cro-Mags as well as the West coast sounds of Unbroken, Undertow and Outspoken and created a sound of their own. Indecision is revered for their uncompromising integrity. Inspired some, hated by many but ultimately respected by all.
The band members—guitarist Justin Brannan
Justin Lee Brannan
Justin Lee Napoli Brannan is an Italian-American artist/musician, social entrepreneur, fundraiser and community activist/organizer from Brooklyn, New York. He is the founding member of Indecision and Most Precious Blood, two well-known New York City hardcore bands. Both bands were known for their...
drummer Pat Flynn, bassist Steve Bago and vocalist Tom Sheehan (who was replaced by Artie Phillie in 1998) -- met while attending the Catholic Xaverian High School
Xaverian High School
Xaverian High School is a private, college-preparatory school located in Brooklyn, New York The school was founded in 1957 by the Xaverian Brothers. The school is a member of the Catholic High School Athletic Association . Xaverian is governed by a president and board of trustees...
in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. The band added second guitarist Rachel Rosen after having met her while performing live on her infamous WNYU radio show, Crucial Chaos, in 1996.
Initially Indecision played mostly in local clubs. Over time, a lot of the venues in their neighborhood closed down, which prompted them to take a larger step and lead to the bands integration into the New York City hardcore
New York hardcore
New York hardcore refers to hardcore punk and metalcore music created in New York City and to the subculture associated with that music. New York hardcore grew out of the hardcore scene established in Washington, D.C., by bands such as Bad Brains and Minor Threat. Hardcore '81 is an album by the...
scene. In the early days, the band would often show up to gigs all in one car, with their equipment tied to the roof with Bungee cords.
Justin Brannan recounts these early days in the liner notes to A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall:
Fort Hamilton High School Auditorium in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York. The infamous "Battle of the Bands". Our first show as Indecision. Also playing was Out of Line, Confusion and Purge. Indecision had a different drummer, two guitarists and two bass players at the time. What the fuck were we thinking? We used to tie Bago's bass cabinet to the roof of his car with fishing rope and drive to the shows like a caravan. 5 U.S. tours, 2 European tours, almost 300 shows and 5 years later - here we are. Indecision in late 1998. [...]
The band was first noticed for its insane live shows at The Wetlands Preserve
The Wetlands Preserve
The Wetlands Preserve was a live music venue in Tribeca, New York City, that closed in 2001. The club was located on Hudson and Laight Streets, near the Holland Tunnel...
. Indecision, being a relatively new band at the time, would often open up the Sunday matinees. After they had finished their set, the club would quickly empty out. This only added to their mystique and quickly built a cult following.
Touring
Relentless recording and touring kept the band relevant long after many of their contemporaries faded away.Inspired by bands like Black Flag
Black Flag (band)
Black Flag was an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band...
, Indecision embarked on voracious trailblazing tours, and it became their trademark usually spending a solid 9 to 10 months a year on the road. They were dubbed "The Working Man's Band" for their affinity to tour cities and countries that other bands wouldn't dare.
Indecision was the first American band to play in Croatia (Zagreb) after the Croatian War of Independence ended in 1995
Indecision also showed its appreciation for its home Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
as well as New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
-- which they regularly labeled "Gotham City
Gotham City
Gotham City is a fictional U.S. city appearing in DC Comics, best known as the home of Batman. Batman's place of residence was first identified as Gotham City in Batman #4 . Gotham City is strongly inspired by Trenton, Ontario's history, location, atmosphere, and various architectural styles...
" on merchandise --.
The former Indecision-members Justin
Justin Lee Brannan
Justin Lee Napoli Brannan is an Italian-American artist/musician, social entrepreneur, fundraiser and community activist/organizer from Brooklyn, New York. He is the founding member of Indecision and Most Precious Blood, two well-known New York City hardcore bands. Both bands were known for their...
and Rachel are now in the hardcore band Most Precious Blood on Trustkill Records
Trustkill Records
Trustkill Records was an American record label that started as a hardcore punk fanzine in April 1993. It started releasing hardcore, metal and rock records and merchandise in 1994...
.
Records and labels
The band released their first recording in 1993 on a 7-inch released by R.P.P., a then small Belgian hardcore label. Over the next 7 years, Indecision would tally over a dozen 7-inch singles on a number of different labels, including many limited color vinyl and special edition covers. The band got known on a very grassroots word-of-mouth level from New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, where Indecision remains one of the most popular underground American bands to this day.
In 1996 they signed with WreckAge/Exit Records family and would release 3 albums with the label over the next 3 years: "Unorthodox", "Most Precious Blood" and "To Live and Die in New York City", all of which showed off their slightly metal-tinged brand of thought-provoking hardcore (which managed to express anger and injustice without being hateful).
To Live and Die in New York City
In 1998, "To Live and Die in New York City" was their first album to feature the polarizing Artie Phillie on vocals (whom the band befriended and poached from noise-crust-punk labelmates, Milhouse), but the album retained the straight-ahead style that their other releases possessed.The album featured an eerily prophetic manipulated photo of the Manhattan skyline, including the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
, completely engulfed in flames. Post-September 11 the album cover was banned in many places.
The song "Purgatory" features an audio sample about the Union Carbide
Union Carbide
Union Carbide Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company. It currently employs more than 2,400 people. Union Carbide primarily produces chemicals and polymers that undergo one or more further conversions by customers before reaching consumers. Some are high-volume...
tragedy in Bhopal, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. In December 1984, a gas leak at a Union Carbide India Limited plant in Bhopal, India, results in tragic loss of life in what is known as the Bhopal disaster
Bhopal disaster
The Bhopal disaster also known as Bhopal Gas Tragedy was a gas leak incident in India, considered one of the world's worst industrial catastrophes. It occurred on the night of December 2–3, 1984 at the Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India...
, when up to 20,000 people lost their lives.
Release the Cure
In 1999 they tried their luck at another label, putting out Release the CureRelease the Cure
Release the Cure was the fourth and final full-length album released by Brooklyn hardcore band Indecision. The album was produced by Roger Miret of Agnostic Front and released on M.I.A...
on M.I.A. Records (and on Overcome Records in Europe). This, arguably their most highly acclaimed album, would be their last.
The lyrical content was notably more socio-political with songs questioning the government and health care and conspiracy theories in regard to AIDS and cancer research. It was the first album recorded with full songs with singer Artie...formerly of the band Milhouse. Tom Sheehan was singer previous and now for MOst Precious Blood
Controversy
Indecision was notoriously outspoken - most notably when it came to theories on religion, namely Catholicism, and its non-place in the hard-core scene. Most of their album covers, artwork and merchandise was somehow controversial and in some way painfully irreverent to the devout and deistic. The band always claimed it wasn't done maliciously or hatefully, but to "stir-up a dialogue and inspire free-thought and discussion about religion and its archaic rules."Touring disasters: The "Indecision Curse"
The bands tour stories have become legendary. During their first European tour in 1997, after having played a show in WelsWels
Wels is the second largest city of the state of Upper Austria, located in the north of Austria, on the Traun River near Linz. It is not part of its surrounding Wels County , but a so-called Statutarstadt . However, Wels is the county seat of Wels-Land.- Geography :Wels is located in the...
in front of a handful of people at an indoor skate park with Flatline and Racial Abuse the band was stopped at the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n border on their way to Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
. The members were strip searched and held for hours, while the van was disassembled by the customs officials. Another incident happened on the last day of a tour in Quebec in 1999, when they had all their money and merchandise seized.
A follow-up to "Release The Cure" was in the works and tentatively entitled "The Curse" but the band broke up before anything was recorded.
The breakup
Indecision disbanded after a show in El Paso, TexasEl Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
while on tour with Kill Your Idols
Kill Your Idols
Kill Your Idols was a hardcore punk band from Long Island/New York City, New York. The band was active from 1995 through 2007. They were signed to SideOneDummy Records....
on June 7, 2000.
Full length
- Unorthodox
- Most Precious Blood
- A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall
- To Live and Die in New York City
- Release the CureRelease the CureRelease the Cure was the fourth and final full-length album released by Brooklyn hardcore band Indecision. The album was produced by Roger Miret of Agnostic Front and released on M.I.A...
EPs
- Indecision
- Believe
- SamaritanSamaritanThe Samaritans are an ethnoreligious group of the Levant. Religiously, they are the adherents to Samaritanism, an Abrahamic religion closely related to Judaism...
- Campaign for Complete Musikal Destruction
- To Starve and Steal in New York City (UK)
- To Starve and Steal in New York City (Japan)
Split records
- Youth Crew 1995 (7" "Split with Shutdown)
- 7" Split with Sons of AbrahamSons of Abraham (band)Sons of Abraham were a five piece Jewish Straight edge hardcore band from Long Island, New York. They released one demo, a split EP with Indecision, and CD/LP titled Termites In His Smile. They disbanded in 1998, as guitarists Justin Beck and Todd Weinstock decided to pursue their other band,...
- 7" Split with Sons of AbrahamSons of Abraham (band)Sons of Abraham were a five piece Jewish Straight edge hardcore band from Long Island, New York. They released one demo, a split EP with Indecision, and CD/LP titled Termites In His Smile. They disbanded in 1998, as guitarists Justin Beck and Todd Weinstock decided to pursue their other band,...
- 7" Split with Indifference
- Smash Tradition (7" Split with Knuckledust)
- Fall of Every Man (10" Split with Shai HuludShai Hulud (band)Shai Hulud is an American hardcore punk band with progressive metal influences, originally formed in Pompano Beach, Florida, the band later moved up to Poughkeepsie, New York....
)
Contributions to compilations
- Harder they come, Harder they fall
- East Coast Assault
- From the Ground up
- All about friends
- Definitely not the Majors
- New Yorks Hardest
- Incompatible CD-ROM Zine
- Losing Face
- N.Y. Catheter Crew
- Punk Rock Jukebox