U.S. Chaos
Encyclopedia
U.S. Chaos are an American
punk rock
band from New Jersey
, formed in 1981. They were one of the first American bands to play in an Oi!
/street punk
style.
The band was originally based in Passaic and Bergen counties, New Jersey
. Their first release was We've Got the Weapons, a vinyl EP released in 1983. The production of the EP, with recording and printing by Ross Eliss, cost them $5,000, which was unheard of in the American punk scene at that time. Their second release was the single "Kill The Killers" b/w "Suicide".
This was later re-mastered by Marty Munsch
, from the first pressing disk plates, and re-released by Punk Rock Records
as a limited, co-release on punk-core in 1996.
U.S. Chaos' approach was to play music with lyrics that had an ironic
as well as satirical
, overzealous pro-American stance. They often played recordings of military marches, air-raid sirens and polyphonic
sound assaults before going on stage.
, with many bands changing their sounds or leaving the scene altogether.
became the band's manager during this period. This led to several more releases and a few movie appearances. From 1996 to 1997, the lineup was: Skolsky on vocals, Gary on guitar, Gibson on bass and Glenn 'Spikey' Mayer on drums. Mayer was later replaced by Eddie Enzyme (who had played in Fahrenheit 451 and The Undead
). The band continued to play and release new material into 2007, the year Gary died.
Prior to his death, Gary had recommended Buddy Vern (Backseat Driver, Cherry 13, Crash Street Kids and 25 Pills) to fill his place. Vern had recently declined a longtime membership, and was replaced by Reitmeyer's younger sister Rene Wasted, who is also an active founding member of Blanks 77
. U.S. Chaos had resumed their normal performance schedule as of September 15, 2007. The current lineup is Gibson on bass, Skolski on vocals, Mayer on drums and Wasted on guitar.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
punk rock
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...
band from New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, formed in 1981. They were one of the first American bands to play in an 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 ....
/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...
style.
The band was originally based in Passaic and Bergen counties, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Their first release was We've Got the Weapons, a vinyl EP released in 1983. The production of the EP, with recording and printing by Ross Eliss, cost them $5,000, which was unheard of in the American punk scene at that time. Their second release was the single "Kill The Killers" b/w "Suicide".
This was later re-mastered by Marty Munsch
Marty Munsch
Marty Munsch is an American music producer. He was born in Union County, New Jersey, and raised in the towns of Franklin Lakes and Wyckoff in Bergen County, New Jersey...
, from the first pressing disk plates, and re-released by Punk Rock Records
Punk Rock Records
Punk Rock Records is a record company founded in 1983. The record company released material by various punk groups U.S. Chaos, Violent Society, Dysfunctional Youth, NY Relx, The Decepticons, The Suspects, DDSM's, Above All Hope, The Stun Gunz and The Guilloteens and Pazz Kluger....
as a limited, co-release on punk-core in 1996.
U.S. Chaos' approach was to play music with lyrics that had an ironic
Irony
Irony is a rhetorical device, literary technique, or situation in which there is a sharp incongruity or discordance that goes beyond the simple and evident intention of words or actions...
as well as satirical
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
, overzealous pro-American stance. They often played recordings of military marches, air-raid sirens and polyphonic
Polyphony
In music, polyphony is a texture consisting of two or more independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords ....
sound assaults before going on stage.
Career
U.S. Chaos wrote songs and rehearsed in a basement for months before they played their first concert. In 1981, when their singer English Ron quit, Jack Gibson asked Alan "Skully" Skolski if he wanted to be in a punk band. Skolski knew of U.S. Chaos, but had never seen them play. He listened to a few songs that they had recorded on a portable tape deck a few weeks earlier, and thought they were good. At first he declined, but he eventually auditioned and then joined the band. In the winter of 1982-1983, U.S. Chaos rehearsed and wrote several songs. In March 1983, the band performed for the first time at a party at Aldo's Hideaway in Lyndhurst, NJ. The lineup at this time was: Skolski on vocals, Gibson on bass, Gene on drums, Gary on guitar and Brian Daley (HC), also playing "blazing" rhythm guitar.1985 through 1987
Gary's departure from U.S. Chaos meant that the only original member of the band was Skolski. The band changed their name to The Chosen Few and wrote new material. This change coincided with the end of the first wave of US hardcore punkHardcore 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...
, with many bands changing their sounds or leaving the scene altogether.
1990s and later
In 1992, U.S. Chaos reunited to perform at a party. The band continued this tradition every year until 1995, when they fully brought U.S. Chaos out of hiatus. Marty MunschMarty Munsch
Marty Munsch is an American music producer. He was born in Union County, New Jersey, and raised in the towns of Franklin Lakes and Wyckoff in Bergen County, New Jersey...
became the band's manager during this period. This led to several more releases and a few movie appearances. From 1996 to 1997, the lineup was: Skolsky on vocals, Gary on guitar, Gibson on bass and Glenn 'Spikey' Mayer on drums. Mayer was later replaced by Eddie Enzyme (who had played in Fahrenheit 451 and The Undead
The Undead
The Undead is a horror punk band formed in 1980 in New Milford, New Jersey by Bobby Steele , Chris "Jack" Natz , and Patrick Blanck . Bobby had just been fired from his previous band, The Misfits, when forming The Undead.They released their first EP 9 Toes Later in 1982...
). The band continued to play and release new material into 2007, the year Gary died.
Prior to his death, Gary had recommended Buddy Vern (Backseat Driver, Cherry 13, Crash Street Kids and 25 Pills) to fill his place. Vern had recently declined a longtime membership, and was replaced by Reitmeyer's younger sister Rene Wasted, who is also an active founding member of Blanks 77
Blanks 77
Blanks 77 is an American street punk band active from 1990–2001, and again from 2004 onward. Originally based in Hillside, New Jersey, they are currently located in Denville....
. U.S. Chaos had resumed their normal performance schedule as of September 15, 2007. The current lineup is Gibson on bass, Skolski on vocals, Mayer on drums and Wasted on guitar.
Discography
- Stopping Evolution Dead In It's Tracks" Single CD, songs "For Being Young", "Panties" B/w "Stormtrooper" (Punk Rock Records, 2010) Producer, M. Munsch
- We've Got the Weapons EPExtended playAn 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...
(1983) - "Eye For An Eye / Don't Wanna Live" 7" (self-released, 1984 - later reissued by Punkrockrecords / Punkcore Records)
- Complete Chaos LP (1996)
- You Can't Hear a Picture LP (Punkrockrecords/Razorwire E.U., 1997)
- We Are Your Enemy - splitSplit albumA split album is a music album which includes tracks by two or more separate artists. There have been singles and EPs released in the same nature, which can be referred to as split singles and split EPs respectively...
7" single with Portland, Oregon'sPortland, OregonPortland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
Statch and the Rapes, Remixed and Mastered by Marty MunschMarty MunschMarty Munsch is an American music producer. He was born in Union County, New Jersey, and raised in the towns of Franklin Lakes and Wyckoff in Bergen County, New Jersey...
Rel. 1999, Punkrockrecords.
Compilation appearances
- Stinkbox Records Compilation LP (1996)
- Pins and Skins CDLP (1996)
- Punk Dwellings: New York's Finest Vol. 1CD - songs "For Being You" and "Last Call For Alcohol" (Dwell, 1996)
- No More Heroes: A Tribute To The Stranglers song "Shut Up" (Elevator Music, 1998)
- Broken Bones And Power Chords Vol. 1: New York's Finest CD songs "For Being You" and "Last Call For Alcohol" (Crosscheck, 2005)
- A Marty Munsch Production EP (Punkrockrecords SG-63593, 2010, UPC: 846017048228)
Filmography
- A Current Affair - Fox Network television show (1985), Unknown clip, murder case in Washington DC area.
- Pariah - movie soundtrack, U.S. Chaos 1983, 45 Single, Don't wanna live (suicide), 2001, movie, soundtrack, inclusion, (1996)
- Punk's Not Dead - movie soundtrack inclusion (2006)-(Susan Dyner)
- All Grown Up The Movie- A documentary movie soundtrack, full inclusion, lengthy interview (2006) - (Andrea Witting)
- Love and Bullets - movie soundtrack inclusion (1999)-(Matthew Brown)
Members
- 1982 Gary guitar, Brian "HC" Daley guitar, Jack bass, Glenn "Spikey" Mayer drums, English Ron vocals
- 1982 Gary guitar, Brian "HC" Daley guitar, Jack Gibson bass, Gene drums, Allan "Skully" Skolsky vocals
- 1983 Gary guitar, Brian "HC" Daley guitar, Jack Gibson bass, Glenn "Spikey" Mayer drums, Allan "Skully" Skolsky vocals
- 1984 Gary guitar, Jack Gibson bass, Glenn "Spikey" Mayer drums, Allan "Skully" Skolsky vocals
- 1984 Gary guitar, Brian "HC" Daley guitar, Jack Gibson bass, Glenn "Spikey" Mayer drums, Allan "Skully" Skolsky vocals
- 1984-85 Steve "Hot Shot" guitar, Jack Gibson bass, Glenn "Spikey" Mayer drums, Allan "Skully" Skolsky vocals.
- 1985 Gary guitar, Steve "Hot Shot" guitar, Jack Gibson bass, Eddie Enzyme drums, Allan "Skully" Skolsky vocals.
- 1986 Gary guitar, Mark Beer guitar, Jack Gibson bass, Eddie Enzyme drums, Allan "Skully" Skolsky vocals.
- 1986 Gary guitar, Mark Beer guitar, Jack Gibson Bass, Jade drums, Allan "Skully" Skolsky vocals.
- 1987 Mark Beer guitar, Gary guitar, Tim Taylor bass, Jade drums, Allan "Skully" Skolsky vocals.
U.S. Chaos Reunited
- 1996 - Allan "Skully" Skolsky vocals, Gary guitar, Brian Daley guitar, Jack Gibson Bass, Glenn "Spikey" Mayer drums.
- 1997 - Allan "Skully" Skolsky vocals, Gary guitar, Jack Gibson bass, Eddie Enzyme drums.
- 2007–present Allan "Skully" Skolsky vocals, Rene Wasted guitar, Jack Gibson bass, Glenn "Spikey" Mayer, Eddie Enzyme on drums.
Others
- Freddy L. - manager during first incarnation
- Marty MunschMarty MunschMarty Munsch is an American music producer. He was born in Union County, New Jersey, and raised in the towns of Franklin Lakes and Wyckoff in Bergen County, New Jersey...
- Band manager from 1995 to present. - Matthew Brown, drummer for Dysfunctional Youth, filled in on drums while drummer Eddie Enzyme recovered from a work injury.