iB::Topic::crass is playing in march?

OBCWillie

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From Brooklyn Vegan

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Steve Ignorant bringing Crass to America (2011 dates)

Crass called it quits in 1984 and left an indelible mark on punk culture today. They self-released all of their LPs, and now frontman Steve Ignorant is preparing to reissue their output, against the wishes of some original members:

"Ex-Berliner: Are the other members of Crass concerned about what this [European] tour and Crass reissues might be doing to their reputation?

Steve Ignorant: Well, some of the members are. There are three members who are totally against these re-releases, and I don't think they've got any idea whatsoever about how important those records are to people. I just don't understand how they can sit there and say, "No, there shouldn't be these releases. The only releases that should be allowed are the original vinyl." Well, a lot of people don't have record players anymore. Or they can download off the computer - well, not everybody's got a computer. I just think... I mean, why shouldn't they be available to people?"

As mentioned in the question above, there was also a tour. Steve Ignorant assembled a new band to play Crass songs (lineup of new band members above, note that Penny Rimbaud is not among them), and they already went on a European tour. Now, Crass, billed offically as "Steve Ignorant's The Last Supper: Crass Songs 1977 - 1984" will visit North America for a tour that will include a NYC show on March 10th, 2011 at Santos Party House "with very special guests". Tickets are on sale. If you consider this Crass, then the Santos show will probably be Crass's first U.S. show in thirty years. They reportedly played NYC in '78 or '79. All current tour dates are below.

Steve Ignorant recently dropped The Rest is Propaganda, a new book writtien with Steve Pottinger that has given way to book talks across the UK. The book is not a history on the band, but an account of "how Stephen Williams became Steve Ignorant".

Penny Rimbaud, who is ok with Steve playing Crass songs and with the reissues, also just released a book. Penny and Steve both recently talked to Vice about their non-Crass-like legal battle with other members.

Full tour dates and some videos are below...

CRASS - 2011 TOUR DATES
Thursday MARCH 10 New York, NY @ Santo's Party House
Friday MARCH 11 Montreal, QC @ Le National
Saturday MARCH 12 Toronto, ON @ The Opera House
Sunday MARCH 13 Chicago, IL @ Logan Square Auditorium
Wednesday MARCH 16 Seattle, WA @ Neumo's
Thursday MARCH 17 San Francisco, CA @ Slim's
Friday MARCH 18 Pomona, CA @ Fox Theater
Tuesday March 22 Austin, TX @ Emo's
Friday March 25 Baltimore, MD @ Sonar

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If you work yourself to death, you're going to wake up in a coffin, and its going to smell like shit because you've been shitting in the coffin all the time, and the coffin is youractual work. So fuck the work, go to punk shows, and live the rock and roll dream! HAHA

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posted on Dec. 01 2010,11:35
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threemosphere
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:0 :0 :0

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Wahka Wahka

posted on Dec. 01 2010,11:38
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Big Jon of Chicago!
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Joined: Sep. 2008

Non-Crass-like legal battle? It's DK all over again... *sigh*

Rimbaud, you're my hero.

I am so very much gonna go to this show. And see if there is going to be any trouble outside afterwards.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and it's not REALLY Crass. Crass themselves say they shall never reform. But they can still transmit that message any way they please.

posted on Dec. 01 2010,11:57
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Big Jon of Chicago!
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Wait. I just got it!

"Crass by name, even worse by nature. Like it or not, they just won't go away..."

^_^

posted on Dec. 01 2010,12:04
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Vaganna
rainbow dickhorns

Joined: Dec. 2008

Considering going.

posted on Dec. 01 2010,12:36
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whoaman
die, die, die

Joined: Mar. 2008

definitely probably gonna go.

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posted on Dec. 01 2010,12:41
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If things go according to plan, I should be apartment hunting in NYC around this time.

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posted on Dec. 01 2010,13:15
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Matt the Knife
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Joined: May 2004

Just gonna come out and say it....I don't like Crass as a band. The whole collective thing is a great concept and I respect them and everything but musically it is not my thing at all. I like their first album ok. There's a small handful of other songs that are okay, but overall, sorry guys and girls...nice concept, nice idea, band honks by and large.

Zounds on the other hand....

Also, I've discussed this with other people before. I really, truly doubt people ACTUALLY like Crass. I'm sure some do and bully for them. But I think most of the people that like Crass say they like Crass because they're SUPPOSED to like Crass. They started the anarcho punk think, crusty anarcho punk is big in the punk scene nowadays, it's like a badge of honor liking Crass. I doubt most of the people that say they like Crass like, listen to them on a regular basis or wake up frequently and go "Ya know what I'm in the mood for? Fucking Crass!" I think most Crass fans do what I do, which is like listen to "Do They Owe Us a Living?" and maybe "They've Got a Bomb" or "Banned from the Roxy" and I'm good.

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posted on Dec. 01 2010,13:19
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greg
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It ain't for revolution, just for the cash!

posted on Dec. 01 2010,15:34
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whoaman
die, die, die

Joined: Mar. 2008

Quote (greg @ Dec. 01 2010,15:34)

It ain't for revolution, just for the cash!

i know, but i still want to see the songs live, so i'm compromising my integrity for a night. or two.

i have heard this "i don't think anyone ACTUALLY likes crass" thing too much. what crass sounds like, the vocals, instrumentation and everything, was what appealed to me about the punk sound when i got into it: sloppy, no heed to the conventions of what music needed to sound like or how it needed to be played and that was demonstrated by the pre-crass penny rimbaud and gee vaucher group Exit. i have never heard their stuff, but they way they played and notated sounds pretty wackily awesome.

bloody revolutions rocks. punk is dead rocks. do they owe us a living rocks. big a, little a rocks. HOW DOES IT FEEEEELLLLLLLL? ? ? ? fucking beg your pardon. reality asylum.

so many more, but i don't have the finger dexterity to type 'em all.

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You got an ego 50 fanzines wide.

Do you want to kill your idols? Well, do step right on up and try!

posted on Dec. 01 2010,15:43
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greg
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Joined: Sep. 2010

Although Crass had some misses along the way. Penis Envy is a perfect record across boards.

posted on Dec. 01 2010,16:23
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Big Jon of Chicago!
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Have A Nice Day. Every second of that song blows me away. From the "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IT'S CHRIST!!" to "THEY'RE JUST A JOKE!! A STUPID FUCKING JOKE!"

The way that song is composed, the spoken-word record review at the beginning, the lyrics. Always the lyrics.

(young Whoaman, I DO have the dexterity for it. And I talk a lot. The CRASS songs I love are as follows)
"White Punks on Hope"
"SECURICOR"
"G's Song"
"Bata Motel"
"Angela Rippon"
"Reject of Society"
"Contaminational Power"
"DARLING"
"End Result"
"Where Next Columbus?"
"Greatest Working Class Rip Off"
"Bertertex Bribe"
"You've Got Big Hands"
"Smash The Mac"

I'll stop there. And I didn't even mention the masterpieces! ^_^

Really, Matt. This is the kind of band where I can go "You know what I need right now? Fucking Crass!" I actually get a lot of people here who say they are not good. Or they're too preachy. Or something like that. I never really saw it as something I was supposed to do... the Punk Union™ never mentioned Crass in my dues. :P

posted on Dec. 01 2010,16:50
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violentgrind
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matt, i'd have to disagree with you pretty emphatically on this one. its true that i don't listen to them that often, but thats because its not exactly easy listening. they are like a film that seems slow and boring and doesn't make sense unless you pay close attention to it.

granted, as greg says, not everything they've done was a hit, but there's enough brilliance in there for their legendary status to be deserved. even just in the music. no they werent technically good musicians, but they constantly progressed as song writers and didn't try to write the same 4-chord song over and over.

i actually havent heard anything off 'feeding' in years, except when the bar above which i live played 'do they owe us a living?' the day i moved in to my apt. but songs off penis envy come up on my ipod pretty often and i always marvel at how beautiful, powerful and above all unique they are. the fact that no other band sounds like crass should speak for itself.

the fact that there was so much more to them than music should count for something too. they probably didn't even consider themselves to be musicians, just used music as the easiest (but not the only) way of spreading their message.

and speaking of zounds, yeah their first single was amazing - put out on crass records, incidentally. but the rest of their discography really pales in comparison. pretty good, but not incredible.

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"Between pushing the envelope alittle too far and constantly having a prudent stick up your ass, i'm choosing the former have fun with the latter."

posted on Dec. 01 2010,17:42
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Matt the Knife
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Joined: May 2004

Upon Konst and Greg's statements I'm now going to re-listen to Penis Envy and the rest of the Crass discog and see if I re-evaluate my opinion of them. It's been a while.

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posted on Dec. 01 2010,18:26
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grimeddie779
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Quote (greg @ Dec. 01 2010,16:23)

Although Crass had some misses along the way. Penis Envy is a perfect record across boards.

This.

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posted on Dec. 01 2010,18:31
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Freshmaker
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Quote (Matt the Knife @ Dec. 01 2010,13:19)

Also, I've discussed this with other people before. I really, truly doubt people ACTUALLY like Crass. I'm sure some do and bully for them. But I think most of the people that like Crass say they like Crass because they're SUPPOSED to like Crass.

For years I've said the same about Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart. I do know a few people who really really really like both of those bands but most people just like the respective mustache and name and can't name any songs.

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"I know I was born and I know that I'll die. The in between is mine" - Eddie Vedder (yeah...that's right...eddie vedder)

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posted on Dec. 01 2010,19:39
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Freshmaker
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Quote (Just Scum @ Dec. 01 2010,10:59)

If this is actually legit can someone please order another ticket for mwah? I got $$$ but no credit card...

Cashman

Can't you walk down to the venue?

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"I know I was born and I know that I'll die. The in between is mine" - Eddie Vedder (yeah...that's right...eddie vedder)

"And who the fuck is Sam Gursky?" - Big Jon from Chicago

posted on Dec. 01 2010,19:41
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threemosphere
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Quote (grimeddie779 @ Dec. 01 2010,18:31)

Quote (greg @ Dec. 01 2010,16:23)

Although Crass had some misses along the way. Penis Envy is a perfect record across boards.

This.

Yup.

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Wahka Wahka

posted on Dec. 01 2010,19:42
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Big Jon of Chicago!
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Matt, do Christ too. I found that album to be amazing. Like 'listen beginning to end and don't pull your eyes from the lyrics for an hour' amazing. The songs are a bit more... involved than Penis Envy, in that they are longer and more lyrically complex with those media snippets between every song.

Christ isn't so much an album, it's more of an experience. Or go Best Before! Greatest Hits albums are go!

posted on Dec. 02 2010,06:37
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violentgrind
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Joined: Dec. 2002

Heard this in a store today. Thought it was some contemporary parody / musical namedropping / joking tribute to Crass, but the ending made me consider that it was actually them. And sure enough, it was!

For some reason I had never heard it before, although heard the name.

If this is not enough to turn your opinion in their favor, I doubt anything else will.

Merry Crassmass indeed!

(Here's also side A to that side B)

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"Between pushing the envelope alittle too far and constantly having a prudent stick up your ass, i'm choosing the former have fun with the latter."

posted on Dec. 18 2010,15:02
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Skanking Revolution
The Man With the Barbed Wire Soul!

Joined: May 2007

crass is a part of my teenage punk memories. back then i did listen to them a lot. there is more to the music than sloppy instrumentation and rough vocals...they had some genius lyrics, and a lot of their best songs are actually well-crafted imo(bloody revolutions, so what)

i don't really care for them anymore, though. not after i saw crass tee shirts at hot topic. fuck.

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posted on Dec. 18 2010,16:01
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IMA tiGrrrLily
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Joined: June 2007

Quote (greg @ Dec. 01 2010,16:23)

Although Crass had some misses along the way. Penis Envy is a perfect record across boards.

beat me to it.
tru fax.

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posted on Dec. 18 2010,18:59
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violentgrind
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Joined: Dec. 2002

Quote (Skanking Revolution @ Dec. 18 2010,16:01)

i don't really care for them anymore, though. not after i saw crass tee shirts at hot topic. fuck.

thats a terrible reason to dislike a band. its almost certain they had nothing to do with this, given that at least until recently they didn't make any merchandise, and even if they did, hot topic probably wouldn't ask them whether or not they can sell it.

also at some point they carried world/inferno stuff as well. should we all give up on inferno too?

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NEW SITE!!!
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"Between pushing the envelope alittle too far and constantly having a prudent stick up your ass, i'm choosing the former have fun with the latter."

posted on Dec. 18 2010,21:36
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