(Young) Pioneers (alternately stylized as Young Pioneers or The (Young) Pioneers) was an American folk punk band from Richmond, Virginia, active from 1993 to 1999. Composed of members of such influential bands as

Born Against Born Against was an American hardcore punk band from New York active between 1989 and 1993. In addition to their radical leftist politics, the group espoused a DIY punk message and challenged what they perceived as being a problem within the p ...

, Avail and

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists Ted Leo and the Pharmacists (sometimes written Ted Leo/Pharmacists, Ted Leo + Pharmacists, or TL/Rx) are an American rock band formed in 1999 in Washington, D.C. They have released six full-length studio albums and have toured internationally. ...

, they released two albums and numerous singles on

Vermiform Vermiform (ˈvərməˌfôrm) describes something shaped like a worm. The expression is often employed in biology and anatomy to describe usually soft body parts or animals that are more or less tubular or cylindrical. The word root is Latin, ''ve ...

and

Lookout! Records Lookout Records (stylized as Lookout! Records) was an independent record label, initially based in Laytonville, California and later in Berkeley, California, Berkeley, focusing on punk rock. Established in 1987, the label is best known for having ...

. An overtly political band, their lyrics ranged from "superfluous nods to radical heroes like George Jackson and Carlos the Jackal" to "describ ngthe relationship between struggling individuals and the machinery of oppressive politics".

History

The band was formed by three former members of the

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier p ...

group

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

and

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

ist Adam Nathanson (also ex-

Life's Blood Life's Blood was an American hardcore punk band formed by four first-year college students in New York City in 1987. It consisted of Adam Nathanson on guitars, Neil Burke on bass, John Kriksciun on drums, and Combined Effort all ages shows pr ...

), drummer Brooks Headley (also ex-

Universal Order of Armageddon Universal Order of Armageddon was an American hardcore band, active from 1992 to 1994 and reformed in 2010. History The band formed in September 1992. By early 1993, after quickly gaining a small but devoted following, they recorded and toured ...

) and harmonica player Neil Burke (also ex-Life's Blood). Burke's tenure was brief, and his departure after the group's debut EP on

Vermiform Records Vermiform Records was an American independent record label that specialized in releasing punk rock music from 1990 until 2002. Vermiform released 58 albums and relocated many times, being headquartered in New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Rhode Isl ...

was followed by Avail singer

Tim Barry Tim Barry is an American musician and the lead singer of the Richmond, Virginia-based punk rock band Avail. In addition to performing with Avail, he was the bass guitarist in the Richmond-based folk punk band (Young) Pioneers from 1994 ...

joining on

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

in 1994. Barry was replaced in 1995 by bassist Marty Key, known as Marty Violence, shortly before the group signed to

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

-based punk rock label

. Headley left the group in 1997 and was briefly replaced by Jonathan Fuller (of Sleepytime Trio) and more permanently by Fred LaPier, who played with the group through their final years. After several tours with bands such as

At the Drive-In At the Drive-In was an American post-hardcore band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 1994. The band's most recent line-up consisted of Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals), Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, vocals), Paul Hinojos (bass), Tony Hajjar (dru ...

, Avail, Peechees,

Karp Karp may refer to: Places * Karp, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-east Poland * Karp, Lublin Voivodeship, in east Poland People * Karp (surname) * Karp Khachvankyan (1923–1998), Armenian actor and director Other uses * KARP-FM, a radio s ...

and

The Locust The Locust was an American hardcore punk band from San Diego, California, known for their mix of grindcore aggression and new wave experimentation. The band has been noted for their use of insect costumes when performing live. History Prio ...

, they disbanded in February 1999. Nathanson and Key continued to perform music together under the name Teargas Rock with drummer Randy Davis (of The Great Unraveling), although the group did not release any major releases and is currently on hiatus. Key plays with

and operates a record shop in Richmond, Steady Sounds. Headley performed in

Wrangler Brutes The Wrangler Brutes were an American hardcore punk band formed in 2003 in Los Angeles, California. History Wrangler Brutes were formed around vocalist Sam McPheeters (ex-Born Against, Men's Recovery Project), drummer Brooks Headley (ex-Born A ...

and Skull Control, Fuller in

Denali Denali (; also known as Mount McKinley, its former official name) is the highest mountain peak in North America, with a summit elevation of above sea level. With a topographic prominence of and a topographic isolation of , Denali is the th ...

and

Engine Down Engine Down was an American rock band from Richmond, Virginia, active from 1996 to 2005. They were a part of the Washington, D.C. area post-hardcore movement, along with bands like The Dismemberment Plan, Q and Not U, and Faraquet. The lineu ...

, and Burke in Men's Recovery Project, while Barry remained in Avail and became active as a solo artist.

Band members

* Adam Nathanson – vocals, guitar, harmonica, keyboards (1993–1999) *

– bass, vocals (1994–1995) *Marty Key – bass, guitar, drums, vocals, keyboards (1995–1999) * Neil Burke – harmonica (1993–1994) * Brooks Headley – drums, vocals (1993–1997) *Jonathan Fuller – drums (1997) *Fred LaPier – drums (1997–1999)

Discography

;Albums *''First Virginia Volunteers'' LP/CD (1995,

) *''Free the Young Pioneers Now!'' LP/CD (1998,

) ;Compilations *''Crime Wave'' 10"/CD (1996, Vermiform Records) ;Singles *''Young Pioneers'' 7"(1993, Vermiform Records) *''We March!'' 7" (1995, Vermiform Records) *''Employeers Blacklist'' 7" (1995, Whirled Records/Irony Recordings) *''V.M.Live Series Presents..'' 7" (1996, V.M.Live Recordings) *''On Trial'' 7" (1997, Lookout! Records) ;Split releases *Split with

The Van Pelt The Van Pelt is an American indie rock band from New York City that were active from 1993 to 1997, and have reformed briefly several times since then. The band formed in 1993 at New York University, with Chris Leo (formerly of Native Nod and br ...

7" (1995, Whirled Records) *''The Fall of Richmond'' split with Avail 7" (1997, Lookout! Records) *Split with Drunk 7" (1997, What Else? Records) ;Compilation appearances *''The Last Great Thing You Did'' compilation (1997,

) *''Forward Till Death'' compilation (1999,

)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Young Pioneers 1993 establishments in Virginia 1999 disestablishments in Virginia Folk punk groups Punk rock groups from Virginia Music of Richmond, Virginia Musical groups disestablished in 1999 Musical groups established in 1993