Isocracy was an American punk rock band from the

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and E ...

-area, formed in 1986. The band was one of the key bands in the MRR/

Gilman Street Gilman Street () is a street in Central, Hong Kong. The street starts north at Connaught Road Central, crosses Des Voeux Road Central and continued as a dead-end pathway leading to several shops at the Centre. The street used to end at Queen ...

project.

John Kiffmeyer John Kiffmeyer (born July 11, 1969), known professionally as Al Sobrante, is an American cinematographer and retired musician and songwriter. He is best known as the first drummer for the punk rock band Green Day. His stage name is a reference to ...

(a.k.a. Al Sobrante), who later went on to play for Green Day, was the drummer for the band. The other members were Lenny Johnson (guitar), Martin Brohm (bass) and Jason Beebout (vocals), who went on to form

Samiam Samiam (pronounced "sam-I-am") is an American punk rock band from Berkeley, California, active since 1988. History Samiam was formed in late 1988 after the breakup of the Gilman club mainstay Isocracy. Their first show was in January 1989 wit ...

History

The group recorded a 10-song 7″ EP titled ''

Bedtime for Isocracy ''Bedtime for Isocracy'' is the only studio E.P. by the American punk rock band Isocracy. It was released on 7-inch vinyl in January 1988 through Lookout! Records with the catalog number LK 005. The title is a parody of the Dead Kennedys' final s ...

'', released in 1988 through

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 ...

(L005). The band was later featured on the Lookout! Records' compilation, ''

The Thing That Ate Floyd ''The Thing That Ate Floyd'' is a compilation album released in December 1988 by Lookout! Records as a double LP, and in 2002 as a double CD. The album is a compilation of bands from the 924 Gilman St. punk rock scene. It includes bands such as ...

''. Additionally, Isocracy's EP tracks were re-released on (L293) ''Punk Rock 7″s Volume 1''. During their active years from 1986 through 1988, Isocracy was known for their wild performances where anything could happen. According to the book written about the Gilman St. Project, Isocracy was one of the main bands who brought a new sense of positive anarchy to the

punk scene The punk subculture includes a diverse and widely known array of ideologies, fashion, and other forms of expression, visual art, dance, literature, and film. Largely characterised by anti-establishment views, the promotion of individual freedom ...

. During this time in the mid-1980s

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 ...

was the dominant musical style in the scene. Isocracy's live shows included playing in laundromats and covering the audience with garbage and shredded paper. In this regard, Isocracy bridged hardcore punk with

performance art Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...

. Green Day benefited from Sobrante's contacts he had made in the scene prior to their formation. Isocracy is featured in the Green Day-funded 2017 documentary '' Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punk''.

Discography

Releases

* ''

'' (EP) -

(1988)

Compilation appearances

* "Fuck This" on ''Lethal Noise, Vol. 2'' - David Hayes self-released cassette (1987) * "Confederate Flags" and "Z.B.H.R." on ''

Turn It Around! ''Turn It Around!'' is a punk rock compilation album by ''Maximumrocknroll''. Originally released as two 7-inch records in October 1987, it served as a benefit to raise money for the Berkeley, California DIY punk scene (known as the Gilman Stree ...

'' -

Maximumrocknroll ''Maximumrocknroll'', often written as ''Maximum Rocknroll'' and usually abbreviated as ''MRR'', is a not-for-profit monthly zine of punk subculture. Based in San Francisco, ''MRR'' focuses on punk rock and hardcore music, and primarily featu ...

(1987) * "Happy Now" on ''

'' - Lookout (1988)

References

External links

924 Gilman Street

Lookout Records.

(L293) review on interpunk.com
Musical groups established in 1986 Musical groups from Berkeley, California Punk rock groups from California Musical groups disestablished in 1988 Musical quartets 1986 establishments in California {{US-punk-band-stub