Man Is the Bastard 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 punk ...

band based in Claremont, California. The band existed from 1990 to 1997, releasing mostly

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl m ...

splits, extended plays, and albums on obscure labels from around the world. By 1997, the group ended and members all went on to do other projects, such as the

noise Noise is unwanted sound considered unpleasant, loud or disruptive to hearing. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrations through a medium, such as air or water. The difference arise ...

group

Bastard Noise Bastard Noise is an American noise band founded in 1991 by musicians Eric Wood, Henry Barnes, and W. T. Nelson. The project started as a type of sister band to the trio's previous group Man Is The Bastard. While Man Is the Bastard broke-up in l ...

, which originally started out as a Man Is the Bastard side project. They are typically seen as part of the 1990s

powerviolence Powerviolence (sometimes written as power violence) is an extremely dissonant and fast subgenre of hardcore punk which is closely related to thrashcore and grindcore. In contrast with grindcore, which is a "crossover" idiom containing musical ...

movement. Man Is the Bastard has dissolved but its members are involved with a number of other projects. Wood occasionally performs in the

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' ...

area as

. Kenyon and Connel continue to perform in progressive rock acts such as Frank Booth Youth, Bastard Lounge, ControllingHand, Lux Nova Umbra Est, and Umbra Vita. Andy Beattie continues doing vocals. Staying within his hardcore/powerviolence roots, he has performed/screamed in such bands as Controlling Hand, Low Threat Profile, Infest, Dead Language, featuring members from

Iron Lung An iron lung is a type of negative pressure ventilator (NPV), a mechanical respirator which encloses most of a person's body, and varies the air pressure in the enclosed space, to stimulate breathing.Shneerson, Dr. John M., Newmarket Genera ...

, and Cave State. His current band, Dead Mans Life (2018) performs the Los Angeles area. His "solo" band, Institute of Infinite Sorrow, is active.

Style

Musical

Man Is the Bastard (aka Charred Remains) has been described as

(a term that was created by Matt Domino, a member of Eric Wood's previous band Neanderthal),

noise rock Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise music, noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimal music, minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, a ...

, and

sludge metal Sludge metal (also known as sludge or sludge doom) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that originated through combining elements of doom metal and hardcore punk. It is typically harsh and abrasive, often featuring shouted vocals, heavi ...

. The band's "set up" included two bass guitars, as well as dual vocals, performed by Wood and Kenyon. The band is also notable for their extensive use of

, even going as far as creating the noise side-project

, which still actively make releases to this day. This heavy noise influence was brought into the band's sound in part by band member Henry Barnes, who brought his electronics into the band's sound. Barnes made his own electronic instruments from scratch. Man Is the Bastard's recordings are characterized by their thin, raw low

fidelity Fidelity is the quality of faithfulness or loyalty. Its original meaning regarded duty in a broader sense than the related concept of ''fealty''. Both derive from the Latin word ''fidēlis'', meaning "faithful or loyal". In the City of London f ...

production values.

Lyrical

The band's lyrics are often political and dark, with common themes being

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the sa ...

violence Violence is the use of physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy. Other definitions are also used, such as the World Health Organization's definition of violence as "the intentional use of physical force or Power (social and p ...

misanthropy Misanthropy is the general hatred, dislike, distrust or contempt of the human species, human behavior or human nature. A misanthrope or misanthropist is someone who holds such views or feelings. The word's origin is from the Greek words μῖσ ...

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts c ...

police brutality Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, but is not limited to, ...

starvation Starvation is a severe deficiency in caloric energy intake, below the level needed to maintain an organism's life. It is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans, prolonged starvation can cause permanent organ damage and eventually, dea ...

, and depression. Man Is the Bastard's lyrical violence was balanced by their adamant advocacy of progressive ideals. This record of political activism resulted in their most widely available album, 1997’s split LP with death row prisoner

Mumia Abu-Jamal Mumia Abu-Jamal (born Wesley Cook; April 24, 1954) is an American political activist and journalist who was convicted of murder and sentenced to death in 1982 for the 1981 murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner. While on death r ...

Artwork

Artistically most of their releases had a similar design, with their trademark skull on both sides of the words Man Is The Bastard with the release title underneath in quotations. The band's "skull logo" was originally taken from a medical book that Eric Wood was reading. Most of their recordings included simplistic liner notes that briefly explained each track's meanings. When artwork was used, it was typically stark, standing out against a basic layout. In 2012 the band Akron/Family used the skull logo for a t-shirt design, to which Eric Wood accused of plagiarism. The band apologized, and both parties made up in agreement.

Influence

The band is now seen as a critical part of the California powerviolence movement. Spazz bassist and operator of

Slap-a-Ham Records Slap a Ham Records was an independent label from San Francisco owned and operated by Chris Dodge, bassist of the band Spazz as well as others. The label is generally seen as a highly influential entity within the hardcore punk scene in California ...

Chris Dodge has called the group "the most unique band of their day". The

indie folk Indie folk is a music genre that arose in the 1990s among musicians from indie rock scenes influenced by folk music. Indie folk hybridizes the acoustic guitar melodies of traditional folk music with contemporary instrumentation. The genre has its ...

band AJJ reference the group on the track "Do Re and Me" on their 2014 album ''

Christmas Island Christmas Island, officially the Territory of Christmas Island, is an Australian external territory comprising the island of the same name. It is located in the Indian Ocean, around south of Java and Sumatra and around north-west of the ...

''.

Members

Original line-up

*Eric Wood - vocals, bass *Joel Connell - drums *Henry Barnes - guitars, electronics *Aaron Kenyon - vocals, bass *Shawn Connell - guitar on Charred Remains / Pink Turds in Space Split EP.

Later members

*Bill Nelson - electronics *Andrew Beattie - vocals *Isreal Lawrence - vocals, electronics

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Split records

Compilation albums

Compilation appearances

References

External links

Man Is The Bastard - BandToBand.comDiscogs page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Man Is The Bastard Hardcore punk groups from California Musical groups established in 1991 Musical groups disestablished in 1997 American industrial music groups Powerviolence groups 1991 establishments in California American crust and d-beat groups