WHAT IF there was an alternative history of punk rock in early Reagan-era America? A more nuanced version than the sundry hardcore tales in circulation today? An unheard, eclectic, less nihilistic version? Funkier, more percussive and more global in its ambitions?
Well, everything seemed possible in 1981. For many of us, punk rock was a state of mind – not just a sound. From the spring of ‘80 to the fall of ’81, a slew of influential rock and pop albums came out that would tear open the ears and light radiant fires in proto-hipster imaginations: albums like Peter Gabriel’s 3rd “Melt” (which included the song Biko), Talking Heads Remain In Light, The Clash’s Sandinista!, Byrne and Eno’s My Life in the Bush of Ghosts and King Crimson’s Discipline – all of which embraced sounds from around the world in their avant-pop/rock/funk/dub/punk/ afrobeat/hip-hop/gamelan mélange. Ambitious, ballsy albums that smashed and stole ideas from with a punk fervor – but showed that it was OK to have a political consciousness, too.
“I'm fascinated by musicians who don't completely understand their territory; that's when you do your best work." - Brian Eno
Energized by this mix and more (with a love of jazz, art rock and global folk musics) - that spring, the “cult collective” Stick Against Stone began rehearsals on a dirt floor basement in a Pittsburgh row house. Named for the earliest form of caveman rhythm; this “horns and percussion” outfit was founded on both the ideals of punk (independent, DIY music making for the masses with no rules attached) and African drumming (small, repetitive rhythmic parts that fit together to form a collective whole). The result? Stick Against Stone was truly ‘rebel music’ – mashing up the political with the percussive and making it up as they went along.
With an eye on alternative & post-punk music movements happening in downtown New York (with no wave) and in the UK (e.g. - art school punks dabbling in dub, funk and noise), the group would go on to open shows for UK reggae legends Steel Pulse, play at CBGBs with punk legends Bad Brains, cross the country in a yellow school bus to open shows for punk icons Dead Kennedys, Minutemen, MDC, and Poison Idea. Like their band members, trips to the recording studio came and went, but no proper album was ever released. Living and working in 4 US cities (Pittsburgh, Brooklyn, Eugene and San Francisco) before hanging it up in 1990 – the group was at most a historical footnote, and at least - just another unknown '80s band.
Until April 2008, when former SAS soundman Will Kreth decided to produce and direct GET IT ALL OUT - an as yet unreleased documentary about both the band and their late, charismatic lead singer – John Creighton (who died from a heart defect in 1985). Tracking down and interviewing former members of the band across the US, the Stick Against Stone “story” started to take shape – with founding drummer Richard Vitale expressing an interest in playing the music live again in the 21st Century.
By the spring of 2010 – the film needed a third act, and producer Kreth began working with Vitale to pull together a new version of Stick Against Stone in Brooklyn, NY. Sadly, Vitale would die that summer of a brain seizure, and left wondering what to do – Kreth decided to carry on – with the creation of the Stick Against Stone Orchestra – a new, expanded ensemble of New York musicians and former members playing the earliest of the band's songs. By the summer 2011, the new SASO had played two concerts in New York City and by January 2013 – the album – also titled GET IT ALL OUT – was released to positive reviews in the US, Canada and the UK – and celebrated with a live concert at Joe's Pub in NYC.
As the Stick Against Stone story continues to be told (with 2 album of archival material – 2010's The Index of Directions and 2012's Live at Danny's Pub rounding out the catalog), the focus on their diverse sound and hefty songbook will manifest itself again with the spring 2014 release of The Oregon Bootleg Tapes – LIVE - an unauthorized 1985 recording of the band in Eugene, Oregon. Captured at the height of their last vibrant incarnation, it's the sound of a band on fire. Had they recorded an album of these songs at that time – who knows what path the story might have taken?
But rather than dwell on the “what if's” - we choose to look forward. Many of themes of SAS's lyrics are just as relevant today as they were 30 years ago. Songs like Leonard (about American Indian political prisoner Leonard Peltier and the history of US/indigenous wars), The Private Sector (the perils of corporate deregulation), Something's Wrong (pollution, toxic waste, the permanent war economy), Who Are They? (state-sponsored surveillance, power-mad leaders), Rhetoric (the frantic pace of modern life), and Wasted Lives (a plea against alienation) all resonate with and reflect back the world as we still know it.
Production on the documentary GET IT ALL OUT continues, and viewed as a whole – the albums and live shows are clearly a part of the development process. Through it all, our unwavering goal remains to show the world the beauty and diversity of the Stick Against Stone songbook. It's a goal powered by Richard Vitale's wish that this music – all of it - be played LIVE – and by the message within John Creighton's lyric from the song Index of Directions:
“I Choose to Build”
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