Savage Republic (originally named Africa Corps) is an American,

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

-based

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...

band, formed in the early 1980s. The group reformed in 2002 and remains active with a different lineup. They are known for lengthy songs with an emphasis on percussion and droning guitars.

History

The band was originally named Africa Corps, and was formed by

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

students Bruce Licher (guitar) and Mark Erskine (drums/percussion).Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , pp. 490-491 They were joined by Philip Drucker (aka Jackson Del Rey), Robert Loveless, and Jeff Long.Enthal, Andrea & Robbins, Ira
Savage Republic
, ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference to ...

''. Retrieved March 22, 2013 Shortly before the release of debut album ''Tragic Figures'' in 1982 (on Licher's own Independent Project label) they changed their name to Savage Republic.Unterberger, Richie
Savage Republic Biography
,

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

. Retrieved March 22, 2013 Licher was also responsible for the group's sleeve designs, which were hand-letterpressed and numbered by him. In early 1983, they issued a single, "Film Noir", backed with a version of "O Andonis" by Greek composer

Mikis Theodorakis Michail "Mikis" Theodorakis ( el, Μιχαήλ "Μίκης" Θεοδωράκης ; 29 July 1925 – 2 September 2021) was a Greek composer and lyricist credited with over 1,000 works. He Film score, scored for the films ''Zorba the Greek (film) ...

(from the

Costa-Gavras Costa-Gavras (short for Konstantinos Gavras; el, Κωνσταντίνος Γαβράς; born 12 February 1933) is a Greek-French film director, screenwriter, and producer who lives and works in France. He is known for films with political and s ...

film '' Z''), which garnered international attention. The group split up towards the end of 1983 with a second album partially completed; Loveless and Drucker completed it and it was released as an album (''Jedda by the Sea'') by their side project 17 Pygmies. ''Tragic Figures'' was issued in Europe in 1984 on the

Sordide Sentimental Sordide Sentimental is a French record label, founded in 1978 by Jean-Pierre Turmel and Yves Von Bontee, notable for its releases of early works by Joy Division, Throbbing Gristle, Psychic TV and others. Artists * Monte Cazazza * Davie Allan & ...

label. A 7" EP of material recorded in 1981, ''

Tragic Figure ''Tragic Figure'' is an EP by the American post-punk band Savage Republic, released in 1984 by Independent Project Records. It was later appended to reissues of the band's debut album ''Tragic Figures''. Track listing Personnel Adapted from ...

'', was also issued that year. The band returned in 1985 with the album ''Ceremonial'', followed in 1986 with the ''Trudge'' EP. A live double album was released in 1987.

Brad Laner Brad Laner (born November 6, 1966 in Los Angeles, California) is an American musician and record producer best known for his work with the shoegaze band Medicine, which he founded and led. Prior to Medicine, he was involved in avant-improv ban ...

joined prior to the 1988 album ''Jamahiriya Democratique et Populaire de Sauvage'', and a further studio album (''Customs'') was released prior to the band splitting up in 1990. Licher continued to run his label, and received a

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

nomination for the artwork for

For Against For Against is an American post-punk/dream pop band from Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. Despite numerous lineup shuffles and some periods of dormancy, the band has produced material steadily since 1984. History Something of an anomaly in Midw ...

's debut album. He formed Scenic in the mid-1990s, a group that also featured Loveless and former Shiva Burlesque member James Brenner. Laner went on to form

Medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...

. Savage Republic reformed in 2002 with original member Licher and members from the mid-1980s including Greg Grunke, Thom Fuhrmann and Ethan Port, although Licher left after a first tour. The remaining members recorded the album ''1938'', released by

Neurot Recordings Neurot Recordings is an American independent record label founded by members of avant-garde metal band Neurosis in 1999. Gradually expanding, it has showcased a variety of artists including a number of sludge metal, post-rock, and noise bands. ...

in 2007.

Musical style

The band's music has been called

industrial Industrial may refer to: Industry * Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry * Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems * Industrial city, a city dominate ...

, with

's Richie Unterberger describing it as music that "grafted tribal percussion, industrial drones, and raga-like guitar lines together". Unusual percussion was a large part of their sound, incorporating oil cans and metal pipes. ''

'' described the debut album as "a combination of industrial drone with deep machine-like swaths of dragging bass, Halloween horror-movie screams and some of the most delightfully tribal and tropical percussion found on disc". When the band reformed in 1985 they incorporated more Arabic influences. Later work also incorporated Greek influences. The band's music was described in ''Music USA: The Rough Guide'' as "hypnotic post-modern raga-rock instrumentals" and "clattering noise-rock jams".Unterberger, Richie (1999) ''Music USA: The Rough Guide'', Rough Guides, , p. 402

Discography

Studio albums

Singles and EPs

Live albums

Compilation albums

Home videos

References

External links

Official Savage Republic website

{{Authority control Musical groups from Los Angeles Punk rock groups from California American industrial rock musical groups American post-punk music groups Musical groups established in 1982 Musical groups disestablished in 1989 Musical groups reestablished in 2004 1982 establishments in California