Deep Wound was an American
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 ...
band formed in 1982 in
Westfield, Massachusetts
Westfield is a city in Hampden County, in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts, United States. Westfield was first settled by Europeans in 1660. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population w ...
.
They released one self-titled 7" and contributed two songs to the compilation LP, ''
Bands That Could Be God'',
both of which are sought after by fans and record collectors alike. The band influenced the Massachusetts hardcore scene and the development of
grindcore.
History
In the early 1980s,
J Mascis
Joseph Donald Mascis Jr. ( ; born December 10, 1965), better known as J Mascis, is an American musician who is the singer, guitarist and main songwriter for the alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. He has also released several albums as a solo art ...
and Deep Wound vocalist Charlie Nakajima lived in
Amherst, Massachusetts, and attended the same high school. In 1982, guitarist
Lou Barlow met
Scott Helland
Scott Helland is an American alternative rock musician, acoustic guitarist, bassist and songwriter. A founding member of the groups Deep Wound, Outpatients, and Frenchy and the Punk. He also performs instrumental music as Guitarmy of One. Helland ...
at the
Oi!
Oi! is a subgenre of punk rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The music and its associated subculture had the goal of bringing together punks, skinheads, and other disaffected working-class youth. The movement was ...
singles bin in a local record shop. Soon after, Scott posted a flier looking for musicians who were influenced by bands such as
Anti-Pasti
Anti-Pasti are a British punk rock band, founded by vocalist Martin Roper and guitarist Dugi Bell in 1978, featuring Kev Nixon on drums and Will Hoon on bass guitar. Later they were joined by a second guitarist, Ollie Hoon. Their first album ...
and
Discharge. Mascis responded to the ad and was driven by his father to Lou Barlow's place in Westfield for an audition. Although the band already had a singer, Mascis convinced them to replace him with Charlie, and Deep Wound's line-up was complete. The band quickly recorded a demo cassette and began to play shows in Boston with local hardcore bands such as
SSD,
The F.U.'s
The F.U.'s are a hardcore punk band from Boston, Massachusetts. They formed in 1981 as a three-piece band, released two records and appeared on the compilation ''This Is Boston, Not L.A.'' before changing their name to Straw Dogs in 1986 to marke ...
,
Jerry's Kids, etc. and often opened for
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 ...
bands playing in Western Massachusetts. Shortly thereafter, the band recorded its self-titled EP, released on Radiobeat Records, and contributed two tracks to Gerard Cosloy's ''Bands That Could Be God'' compilation. Studio recordings of a later session with Gerard singing have apparently been lost. As the band progressed, they began playing faster and faster, eventually developing a blur-type sound that could verge on experimental noise.
Deep Wound disbanded in 1984 with J Mascis and Lou Barlow going on to form
Dinosaur Jr
Dinosaur Jr. is an American rock band formed in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1984, originally simply called Dinosaur until legal issues forced a change in name.
The band was founded by J Mascis (guitar, vocals, primary songwriter), Lou Barlo ...
. Barlow later left Dinosaur Jr. and formed
Sebadoh
Sebadoh () is an American indie rock band formed in 1986 in Northampton, Massachusetts, by Eric Gaffney and Lou Barlow, with multi-instrumentalist Jason Loewenstein completing the line-up in 1989. Barlow co-created Sebadoh as an outlet for hi ...
,
Sentridoh
Louis Knox Barlow (born July 17, 1966) is an American alternative rock musician and songwriter. A founding member of the groups Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh and The Folk Implosion, Barlow is credited with helping to pioneer the lo-fi style of rock mu ...
, and
Folk Implosion
The Folk Implosion is an American band founded in the early 1990s by Lou Barlow and John Davis. It was initially a side-project started by Barlow to explore different territory than that being canvassed with his primary band at the time, Sebadoh. ...
. Scott Helland formed the
Outpatients
A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by healthcare professionals. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, nurse, optometrist, dentist, veterinarian, or other health care ...
,
played bass in Darkside NYC and is now the guitarist for
Frenchy and the Punk
Frenchy and the Punk are a Euro-American Acoustic Alternative post-punk cabaret duo based in New York City. They were listed in the top 25 duos in May 2012 by Yahoo Music Blog's List of the Day. Punk guitarist Scott Helland, originally from the b ...
. Charlie Nakajima later formed
Gobblehoof. J Mascis can often be seen sporting a 'Deep Wound' sweater (knitted by his mother) in Dinosaur Jr. photographs.
In April 2004,
Sonic Youth played a show at John Green Hall on the
Smith College campus in
Northampton, Massachusetts with J Mascis and Sebadoh as the opening acts and the anticipation was that the two would reunite for a few Dinosaur Jr. songs. Unexpectedly though, after J Mascis' set, he returned to the stage on drums and Charlie Nakajima came out to address the crowd. Lou Barlow and Scott Helland soon appeared and the stunned audience witnessed a one-song Deep Wound reunion.
In 2005, British record label
Damaged Goods
Damaged goods or Damaged Goods may refer to:
* Goods that have been damaged, where goods are items that satisfy human wants and provide utility
* A person considered to be less than perfect psychologically, as a result of a traumatic experience ...
released a Discography LP compiling the 1982 demo, self-titled 7" and the tracks from ''Bands That Could Be God''.
In June 2013 Helland joined the members of Dinosaur Jr. to perform the song "Training Ground" at the Governor's Ball in New York City.
Lineup
*
J Mascis
Joseph Donald Mascis Jr. ( ; born December 10, 1965), better known as J Mascis, is an American musician who is the singer, guitarist and main songwriter for the alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. He has also released several albums as a solo art ...
- drums (1982–1984, 2004, 2013)
*
Lou Barlow - guitar (1982–1984, 2004, 2013)
*
Scott Helland
Scott Helland is an American alternative rock musician, acoustic guitarist, bassist and songwriter. A founding member of the groups Deep Wound, Outpatients, and Frenchy and the Punk. He also performs instrumental music as Guitarmy of One. Helland ...
- bass (1982–1984, 2004, 2013)
* Charlie Nakajima - vocals (1982–1984, 2004, 2013)
Discography
EPs
*''Demo'' Cassette (1983, Self-released)
*''Deep Wound'' 7" EP (1983, Radiobeat)
Compilation albums
*''Deep Wound'' LP (1997,
Damaged Goods
Damaged goods or Damaged Goods may refer to:
* Goods that have been damaged, where goods are items that satisfy human wants and provide utility
* A person considered to be less than perfect psychologically, as a result of a traumatic experience ...
)
*''Almost Complete'' CD (2006, Baked Goods)
Compilation appearances
*''Bands That Could Be God'' (1984, Conflict/Radiobeat) - "Time to Stand", "You're False"
References
External links
Scott Helland official siteDamaged Goods RecordsDeep Wound at FLEX!
{{Authority control
Hardcore punk groups from Massachusetts
Musical groups established in 1982
Musical groups disestablished in 1984
1982 establishments in Massachusetts