The Bruisers were a punk band that pioneered the
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
streetpunk/
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 ...
movement, formed in
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on the Piscataqua River bordering the state of Maine, Portsmou ...
in 1988. The original lineup included:
Al Barr
Alexander Barr (born January 21, 1968) is an American musician. He has been the lead singer of the Dropkick Murphys since 1998. He was also a founder and lead singer for The Bruisers, which he helped form in 1988 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Hi ...
(
vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
, now the lead singer of the
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
band
Dropkick Murphys
Dropkick Murphys are an American Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. Singer and bassist Ken Casey has been the band's only constant member. Other current members include drummer Matt Kelly (1997– ), singer Al Barr (199 ...
), Scotty Davies (
bass), Jeff Morris (
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
) and Rodger Shosa (
drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...
s). Morris is now a guitarist and lead vocalist for
Death & Taxes, and a former guitarist for
Mark Lind & the Unloved. Former guitarist Rick Wimert died 1995.
The first band members were
skinhead
A skinhead is a member of a subculture which originated among working class youths in London, England, in the 1960s and soon spread to other parts of the United Kingdom, with a second working class skinhead movement emerging worldwide in th ...
s (although not
white power skinhead
White power skinheads, also known as racist skinheads and neo-Nazi skinheads, are members of a neo-Nazi, white supremacist and antisemitic offshoot of the skinhead subculture. Many of them are affiliated with white nationalist organizations and ...
s). After a few years and lineup changes, the band and their style changed slightly. By 1996, Al Barr was the only remaining original member of The Bruisers. One notable release by the band was a 7" split with Barr's future band
Dropkick Murphys
Dropkick Murphys are an American Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. Singer and bassist Ken Casey has been the band's only constant member. Other current members include drummer Matt Kelly (1997– ), singer Al Barr (199 ...
in 1997. After 10 years, the band broke up in 1998. The Bruisers had a reunion concert on September 14, 2005 at The Roxy in Boston. The bill included local acts
The Ducky Boys
The Ducky Boys are a street punk band from Boston. Since forming in 1995 in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston, the band has released six full-length albums and over 80 songs. The band's name is derived from the name of an Irish street gan ...
and
Tommy & The Terrors
Tommy may refer to:
People
* Tommy (given name)
* Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''Tommy'' (1931 film), a Soviet drama film
* ''Tommy'' (1975 fil ...
, as well as
The Casualties
The Casualties are an American hardcore punk band from New York City, founded by vocalist Jorge Herrera, Hank (guitar), Colin Wolf (vocals), Mark Yoshitomi (bass) and Yureesh Hooker (drums) in 1990. In July 2017, it was announced on the band's F ...
from
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
.
Bruisers (Al Barr of Dropkick Murphys) reunion show details , Punknews.org
/ref> The Bruisers played a second reunion show on August 31, 2012 headlining the first night of the 2000 Tons of TNT Fest at the Webster Theater in Hartford, CT.
Former members
* Al Barr
Alexander Barr (born January 21, 1968) is an American musician. He has been the lead singer of the Dropkick Murphys since 1998. He was also a founder and lead singer for The Bruisers, which he helped form in 1988 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Hi ...
– vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
(1988–1998, 2005)
* Jeff Morris – guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
(1988–1996, 2005)
* Scotty Davies – bass (1988–1990)
* Rodger Shosa – drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...
s (1988–1989)
* Dan Connors – drums (1989–1997, 2005)
* Crash – guitar (1989–1990)
*Rick Wimert – guitar (1990–1995)
* Todd Seely – bass (1990–1991), guitar (1996–1997)
* Keith "Ritchie" Richards – bass (1991–1996, guitar (1997–1998, 2005)
* Robert Garceau – guitar (1995–1996)
* Scott Vierra – guitar (1996–1998, 2005)
* Johnny Rioux
Johnny Rioux is a musician primarily known for playing in and working with many punk rock bands. He was initially based in Boston, MA but is now based in Texas. Rioux is most known for his tenure as bass guitarist with the Street Dogs with who ...
– bass (1996–1998)
* John Dicicco – drums (1997–1998)
* Mike Savitkas – bass (2005)
Discography
Albums
* '' Cruisin' for a Bruisin''' (1993)
* '' Up in Flames'' (1996)
EPs/singles
* ''Intimidation
Intimidation is to "make timid or make fearful"; or to induce fear. This includes intentional behaviors of forcing another person to experience general discomfort such as humiliation, embarrassment, inferiority, limited freedom, etc and the victi ...
'' (1989)
* ''Independence Day
An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Man ...
'' (1990)
* ''American Night
''American Night'' is a 2021 neo-noir film. It is the feature-length debut of director Alessio Della Valle who also wrote the screenplay.
Plot
Andy Warhol's famous "Untitled from Marilyn Monroe, Pink Marilyn" painting arrives in New York City t ...
'' (1991)
* ''Gates of Hell
''The Gates of Hell'' (french: La Porte de l'Enfer) is a monumental bronze sculptural group work by French artist Auguste Rodin that depicts a scene from the ''Inferno'', the first section of Dante Alighieri's ''Divine Comedy''. It stands at ...
'' (1994)
* '' Clobberin' Time'' (1995)
* ''Mad Parade/Bruisers
Mad, mad, or MAD may refer to:
Geography
* Mad (village), a village in the Dunajská Streda District of Slovakia
* Mád, a village in Hungary
* Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport, by IATA airport code
* Mad River (disambiguation), several r ...
'' (1995)
* '' Still Standing Up'' (1997)
* ''The Bruisers/Charge 69
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (1998)
* '' Molotov'' (1997)
* '' Bruisers/Randumbs'' (1998)
* '' The Bruisers/Dropkick Murphys'' (1998)
Compilation albums
* '' Society's Fools'' (1996)
* '' Anything You Want It's All Right Here...: The Authorized Bruisers 1988–1994'' (1998)
* '' One Law For Them...Another One For Us'' (1999)
* ''In The Pit - Live And Rare
IN, In or in may refer to:
Places
* India (country code IN)
* Indiana, United States (postal code IN)
* Ingolstadt, Germany (license plate code IN)
* In, Russia, a town in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast
Businesses and organizations
* Indepen ...
(2000)
* '' Better Days'' (2000)
* '' Singles Collection 1989–1997'' (2004)
References
Rock music groups from New Hampshire
American punk rock groups
Street punk groups
{{US-punk-band-stub