Kraut was a New York City punk rock/

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 punk ...

band formed in 1981. The original members were Davy Gunner (vocals),

Doug Holland Douglas William Paul Lozito (born March 7, 1962 in New York City), known as Doug Holland, is an American musician who played guitar and wrote songs for New York Hardcore Punk bands Kraut and Cro-Mags. He was a bartender and manager at the A7 club ...

(guitar/vocals) Don Cowan (bass/vocals), and Johnny Feedback (drums/vocals).

History

Kraut's first performance was opening for

The Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...

Bonds International Casino Bond International Casino (sometimes called "Bond's") was a nightclub and music venue located on the east side of Broadway between 44th Street (Manhattan), 44th and 45th Streets near Times Square, New York City. The venue operated as the Internat ...

in New York on June 11, 1981. Their debut single, "Kill for Cash", and second single, "Unemployed", were both released in 1981 on the band's own Cabbage Records label. While recording their debut album, ''An Adjustment to Society'' (produced by Ryk Oakley), they opened for

the Professionals A professional is someone who is skilled in a profession. Professional or professionals may also refer to: * Professional sports Music *The Professionals (band), a British punk rock band formed in 1979 * ''The Professionals'' (The Professionals ...

The Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or (Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kanaa ...

in Boston. Former

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...

guitarist

Steve Jones Steve or Steven Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Steve Jones (English presenter) (born 1945), English musician, disk jockey, television presenter, and voice-over artist *Steve Jones (musician) (born 1955), English rock and roll guita ...

became friends with Kraut and recorded extra guitar tracks for three tracks on the album: "Kill for Cash", "Sell Out" and "Onward". The album was again self-released, distributed by

Faulty Products I.R.S. Records was an American record label founded by Miles Copeland III, Jay Boberg, and Carl Grasso in 1979. I.R.S. produced some of the most popular bands of the 1980s, and was particularly known for issuing records by college rock, new wave ...

. A video clip for "All Twisted" appeared in rotation on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

, making Kraut the first independent band to be played on the station. The band released a mini-album, ''Whetting the Scythe'', in 1984, and toured the U.S. By the mid-1980s, Kraut had added second guitarist Christopher Smith from

Battalion of Saints Battalion of Saints was an American hardcore punk band from San Diego, California, that was founded in 1980. The band went through numerous lineup changes before touring the United States and Canada from 1984–1985 with George Anthony, Chris ...

, and developed a more

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

sound. Guitarist Holland went on to play for

New York hardcore New York hardcore (also known as NYHC) is both the hardcore punk music created in New York City and the subculture and lifestyle (sociology), lifestyle associated with that music. New York hardcore grew out of the hardcore scene established in Wa ...

band the

Cro-Mags Cro-Mags are an American hardcore punk band from New York City. The band, which has a strong cult following, has released six studio albums, with the first two considered the most influential. With a Hare Krishna background, they were among th ...

. A Kraut reunion show with all four original members took place in 2002 at

CBGB CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in Manhattan's East Village. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for '' Country'', '' BlueGrass'', and '' Blues'', Kri ...

during the '' New York Thrash'' reunion, yielding the ''Live at CBGB's'' album.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''An Adjustment to Society'' (1982, Cabbage Records/

) * ''Whetting the Scythe'' (1984, Cabbage Records/

Enigma Records Enigma Records (also known as Enigma Entertainment Corporation) was a popular rock and alternative American record label in the 1980s. History Enigma Records launched as a division of Greenworld Distribution, an independent music importer/dis ...

)

Singles

* "Kill for Cash" 7" (1981, Cabbage Records) * "Unemployed" 7" (1981, Cabbage Records)

Live albums

* ''Night of Rage'' (1989,

New Red Archives New Red Archives is an independent record label based in California's San Francisco Bay Area, mainly home to punk rock bands. Started in 1987, the label began by releasing punk and hardcore punk records on coloured vinyl. Starting in summer 1990 a ...

) * ''Live at CBGB's'' (2004, New Red Archives)

Compilation albums

*''The Movie'' (1990, New Red Archives) *''Complete Studio Recordings 1981–1986'' (1995, New Red Archives)

Compilation appearances

* "Getaway" and "Last Chance" on '' New York Thrash'' (1982, ROIR) * "Onwards" on ''Son of Oi!'' LP (1983, Syndicate Records) * "Pyramids" on ''Something to Believe In'' LP (1983,

BYO Records Better Youth Organization Records (BYO) is a Los Angeles, California based independent punk rock record label created by Shawn and Mark Stern, two of the three brothers of the California punk rock band Youth Brigade (the third being Adam Stern w ...

) * "Don't Believe (Live)" on ''Bang Zoom No. 3'' tape (1983, Bang Zoom) * "Flossing With an E String" on ''Flipside Vinyl Fanzine'' LP (1984, Gasatanka Records) * "Juvenile Justice" on '' Enigma Variations'' (1985,

) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kraut Hardcore punk groups from New York (state) Heavy metal musical groups from New York (state) Enigma Records artists