Jon Cougar Concentration Camp

Jon Cougar Concentration Camp (JCCC) is an influential and now-defunct punk rock band from the San Diego, California area. They have released several albums, including the 1996 Melon (BYO Records) produced by the legendary Blag Dahlia, and the 1999 No More Room in Hell (Recess Records) which was effectively an album of unreleased demos.

Jon Cougar Concentration Camp was formed in January 1994 in San Diego, California by Chris Fields, Clint Graham, Travis Spatter, and Travis Milligan. “There were a lot of people coming and going back then. We were just the four people that happened to be jamming together that night we came up with the name,” said Chris Fields, speaking of the punk house he dwelled in at the time. They played their first show at The Casbah on January 31st, 1994. Less than two months later they released their first 7” EP on their own label. JCCC toured up and down the West Coast over the next 6 months. Word of the band traveled fast and before they knew it they were releasing their first full length album. They juggled drummers over the following year, and when asked to tour the entire US, Dave Swain came in to replace Clint and Travis. JCCC were a three piece when they signed to BYO Records.

During a break between tours and recording in 1996, Chris joined The Queers to support their album Don't Back Down. Chris jumped between The Queers and JCCC for a year before bringing fellow JCCC member Dave Swain into The Queers as well. Fields said, “I felt bad putting JCCC on hold all the time and leaving Dave hangin.” For a while, both Chris and Dave played in both bands. JCCC even went out in support of the Queers on a US tour, and filled in for them in Italy. During the recording of JCCC’s Melon the band brought in punk rock legend Blag Dahlia (Dwarves) to produce the album. Blag was impressed by Chris’s talent and asked him to join the Dwarves. After being overwhelmed by all three bands, Chris left the Queers and ended Jon Cougar Concentration Camp in 1999. He played in the Dwarves over the next three years and still has close ties with them. Dave is still with The Queers.

From 2000 to 2006, JCCC occasionally played shows in San Diego with the original members.

As of 2006-10-31, Chris' newest project is called End Of Power and he is also going back out with The Dwarves. Dave Swain is also currently touring with The Queers.

ee also

*You Call This Music?! Volume 1
*BYO Records
*Recess Records
*Mutant Pop Records