Total Chaos (band)

Infobox Musical artist
Name = Total Chaos

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Img_capt = Total Chaos live in Frankfurt
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Background = group_or_band
Origin = Pomona Valley, California, United States
Genre = Street punk
Hardcore punk
Years_active = 1989 – Present
Label = Punk Core, Epitaph, People Like You, SOS, Cleopatra
Associated_acts = Raven's Moreland, The Hitchcock Blondes, Broken Needle, Smash 77, Endless Struggle
URL = [http://www.totalchaospunx.com www.totalchaospunx.com]
Current_members = Rob Chaos – Lead Vocals
Shawn Smash – Guitar, Vocals
DeDe Gearhardt – Bass
Steve Gearbox – Drums
Past_members = Gary Doom – Guitar
Ronald McMurder – Guitar
Germ – Guitar
Foffle – Guitar
Suzy Homewrecker – Drums
Traci Michaels – Drums
Danny Boy Virus – Drums
Joe E. Bastard – Bass
Charlie Brenes – Bass
Todd Trash – Bass

Total Chaos is an American street punk band from Pomona Valley, California, formed in 1989. Lead vocalist Rob Chaos is also co-owner of SOS Records with Ezzat Soliman, owner of the Showcase Theater, having released albums by classic Punk and Oi! bands like The Exploited, Vice Squad, Sham 69, Conflict, The Addicts and Abrasive Wheels among others. [cite web |title=Interview with Rob Chaos|url=http://www.slugmag.com/article.php?id=392&PHPSESSID=ad47a97a61b27dc48aba3b4d71f14ce4 |accessdate=2008-07-13 |publisher=SLUG Magazine] With help of Jay Lee from the band Resist and Exist, the band started organizations such as United Valley Punks, Orange County Peace Punks and Alternative Gathering Collective. Together, they held such social events as Food Not Bombs, helped open the Los Angeles Anarchist Center and supported the Big Mountain Indian Reservation.cite web |title=Band history |url=http://www.totalchaospunx.com/pags/history.htm |accessdate=2008-07-13 |publisher=Total Chaos' official website]

History

Formed in 1989, the first Total Chaos line up consisted of vocalist Rob Chaos, guitarist Gary Doom, bassist Joe E. Bastard and drummer Gearbox, in 1991 the band recorded their first demo titled "Punk Invasion", followed by the 7" EP "Nightmares" in 1992. In 1993 the band recorded their debut album "We Are the Punx, We Are the Future", shortly after Gary Doom leave the band, being replaced by Ronald McMurder, a tour in Mexico with the Mexican band Yaps was booked, having most of the venues sold out.

Epitaph Records decided to sign the band to release the 1994 album "Pledge of Defiance", to support the release, a tour was booked with The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. After the end of the tour, a second album for Epitaph Records was created in 1995, "Patriotic Shock", adding Germ as second guitarist, once again the band did a tour for the release, this time with Battalion of Saints, due to the strong message against racism and socio-political subjects, the band faced racist and nationalist organizations at the shows and the ban of the album in Japan. In the summer of the same year Total Chaos visited Europe for the first time, with a new lead guitar player, Shawn Smash, playing in Germany for the Chaos Days festival, well known for the often violent environment. [cite web |title=Chaos Days Festival |url=http://www.spunk.org/texts/actions/sp001257.txt |accessdate=2008-07-13 |publisher=Spunk Library] [cite web |title=Chaos Days Festival |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CEEDC113CF935A3575BC0A963958260 |accessdate=2008-07-13 |publisher=The New York Times]

In 1996, Rob Chaos, Joe E. Bastard and Shawn Smash recruited Suzy Homewrecker on drums to record a new album titled "Anthems From the Alleyway", this album distinguishes from the previous because of the 70s punk rock influenced sound. By 1997, the band lost contact with Epitaph Records while recording demos for the upcoming album, mainly because of the drug rehab of label founder Brett Gurewitz and poor communication with the label president Andy Kalukin, for this reasons the band decided to leave Epitaph Records.

By early 1998 Total Chaos disbanded, although by September the group reformed without Homewrecker, who was stealing the band's T-shirts and selling them at a discounted price and keeping the profits herself, [cite web |title=Total Chaos |url=http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=TOTAL|CHAOS&sql=11:fxfuxqwgldae~T1 |accessdate=2008-07-17 |publisher=Allmusic] being replaced with Traci Michaels, the band signed with Cleopatra Records to release the "In God We Kill" in 1999, and the compilation "Early Years 89-93" with the early demos and LPs, getting back on tour with Blanks77 and a Japanese tour in 2000, shortly after the band recorded "Punk Invasion", released in Reject Records in 2001, with Todd Trash playing bass and Danny Boy Virus on drums.

In 2002 the band was invited to the Warped Tour, with bands like The Casualties, Pistol Grip, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Anti-Flag and Bad Religion among others. After the end of the tour, original drummer Gearbox returned with the band, and with the new bassist Charlie, ex-member Life's Halt, the band released "Freedom Kills" with SOS Records, and toured with The Adicts, The Exploited and Conflict.

In October 14, 2003, the band was appointed to play in Montreal with The Exploited, but due to legal issues, both bands were retained in the U.S. border. One of the reasons was because The Exploited lied to the Canadian Customs, saying it was a road trip, and they were not a band, being caught when an employee showed a photo of Wattie at stage performing with the band. Total Chaos entrance was denied due to criminal records of some members, although Rob chaos stated: "It should be against the law to pry into someone's past and dig up something they'd done 15 years ago". [cite news
last = Lejtenyi
first = Patrick
title = Bounced at the border
publisher = Montreal Mirror
url = http://www.montrealmirror.com/ARCHIVES/2003/102303/news2.html
accessdate = 2008-08-17] After the cancellation of the show, some fans decided to cause riots and disorder, some cars and shops were damaged, as well as a few police officers injured and an undisclosed amount of people were arrested. The events were widely covered by the media. [cite news
last = McKinley
first = Jesse
title =Divining the Wellspring of Rage That Incited Montreal Punk Riot
publisher = The New York Times
url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A05EFDD103EF933A15753C1A9659C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all
accessdate = 2008-08-17] [cite web |title=Concert-goers riot after show canceled |url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/americas/10/15/concert.riot.ap/ |accessdate=2008-08-17 |publisher=CNN] [cite web |title=Punk fans riot in Montreal |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3196666.stm |accessdate=2008-08-17 |publisher=BBC]

Discography

tudio albums

*"Avoid All Sides" – 2008, Punk Core Records / [http://www.peoplelikeyou.de I Used To Fuck People Like You In Prison] .
*"Freedom Kills" – 2003, SOS Records.
*"Punk Invasion" – 2001, SOS Records.
*"In God We Kill" – 1999, Cleopatra Records.
*"Anthems From the Alleyway" – 1996, Epitaph Records.
*"Patriotic Shock" – 1995, Epitaph Records.
*"Pledge of Defiance" – 1994, Epitaph Records.
*"We Are the Punx, We Are the Future" – 1993, self-released.

EPs

*"D. U. I: Drunk Unemployed Incarcerated" – 2002, Reject Records.
*"Nightmares" – 1992, self-released.
*"Punk Invasion" (Demo) – 1991, self-released.

Compilations

*"17 Years of Chaos" – 2007, SOS Records.
*"The Feedback Continues 1990-1992" – 2007, [http://www.guttershock.com/label.html Gutter Shock] .
*"Years of Chaos" – 2006, I Used to Fuck People Like You In Prison.
*"Early Years 89-93" – 2006, Cleopatra Records.

Various artists compilation appearances

*"I Killed Punk Rock" – 2006, Bouncing Betty.
*"Dirty Punk Records Sampler" – 2006, Dirty Punk Records.
*"Punk And Disorderly" – 2003, Cleopatra Records.
*"A Punk Tribute to Metallica" – 2001, Cleopatra Records.
*"" – 2000, Cleopatra Records.
*"Never Mind The Sex Pistols, Here's The Tribute" – 2000, Radical Records.
*"Punk-O-Rama Vol. 1" – 1994, Epitaph Records.

External Links

* [http://www.totalchaospunx.com Official website]
* [http://www.myspace.com/totalchaospunx Total Chaos] at MySpace

References