State of Alert (often abbreviated to S.O.A.) 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 p ...

group formed in Washington, D.C. in October 1980, and active till July 1981. S.O.A. was fronted by

Henry Rollins Henry Lawrence Garfield (born February 13, 1961), known professionally as Henry Rollins, is an American singer, writer, spoken word artist, actor, and presenter. After performing in the short-lived hardcore punk band State of Alert in 1980, Rol ...

, then using his original surname Garfield.

History

S.O.A. was formed in October 1980, after the members of a previous group, the Extorts, lost their vocalist Lyle Preslar and hired Rollins, then known by his birth name Henry Garfield.Cogan, p. 306 The original lineup consisted of Rollins (vocals), Michael Hampton (guitar), Wendel Blow (bass) and Simon Jacobsen (drums). During December 1980 and January 1981, the group recorded the 10-song 7" EP ''

No Policy ''No Policy'' is the debut studio EP by the American hardcore punk band State of Alert, the first band to be fronted by Henry Rollins.Cogan, p. 306 Consisting of eight tracks, it was recorded at Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, Virginia, produc ...

'' at Inner Ear Studios in

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county ...

, produced by Skip Groff and engineered by Inner Ear owner Don Zientara. It was released on

Dischord Records Dischord Records is a Washington, D.C.-based independent record label specializing in punk rock. The label is co-owned by Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson, who founded Dischord in 1980 to release '' Minor Disturbance'' by their band The Teen Idles ...

in March 1981, as the label's second release. ''No Policy'' was financed by Rollins, as Dischord was tied up in releasing

Minor Threat Minor Threat was an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1980 in Washington, D.C. by vocalist Ian MacKaye and drummer Jeff Nelson (musician), Jeff Nelson. MacKaye and Nelson had played in several other bands together, and recruited bassist Br ...

's debut EP. Circa April 1981, drummer Jacobsen was replaced by Ivor Hanson. At the time, Hanson's father was a top admiral in the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

and his family shared living quarters with the vice president in the Naval Observatory. The band held their practices there and had to be let in by

Secret Service A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. Fo ...

agents. S.O.A. played a total of nine concerts in and around the eastern United States. Among them: * 1980-12-06 - Washington, D.C. ''(the first show)'' * 1980-12-13 - 1929 Calvert St., Washington, D.C. * 1980-12-17 - Unheard Music Festival, D.C. Space, 7th & Enw., Washington, D.C. * 1980-12-18 - Unheard Music Festival, D.C. Space, 7th & Enw., Washington, D.C. * 1981-01-10 - The 9:30 Club, 930 F Street NW, Washington, D.C. * 1981-04-04 - The Wilson Center, Washington, D.C. * 1981-07-10 - Philadelphia ''(the last show)'' Rollins later described their performances: "All of them were 11 to 14 minutes in duration because the songs were all like 40 seconds... and the rest of the time we were going, 'Are you ready? Are you ready?' Those gigs were poorly played songs in between 'Are you readys?"Azerrad, p. 27 Three S.O.A. songs ("I Hate the Kids", UK Subs cover "Disease" and Boyce and Hart cover " Stepping Stone Party") were posthumously included on the influential Dischord compilation '' Flex Your Head'', issued in January 1982. ''No Policy'' was later included, in its entirety, on the Dischord compilations ''Four Old 7"s on a 12"'' (1984) and ''Dischord 1981: The Year in Seven Inches'' (1995). In 2014, Dischord issued a 7" EP of early demos, titled ''First Demo 12/29/80''.

Legacy and other projects

Today, S.O.A. is remembered primarily as Rollins' first band – before he joined Black Flag and then founded

Rollins Band Rollins Band was an American rock band formed in Van Nuys, California. The band was active from 1987 to 2006 and was led by former Black Flag vocalist Henry Rollins. They are best known for the songs "Low Self Opinion" and " Liar", which both ...

– but also as an example of early "DC hardcore" and an influence on other bands such as Detroit's Negative Approach and New York City's

Agnostic Front Agnostic Front is an American hardcore punk band from New York City. Founded in 1980, the band is considered an important influence on the New York hardcore scene, as well as a pioneer of the crossover thrash genre. History First era (1980–19 ...

. Hampton and Hanson went on to form the Faith in 1981 with

Alec MacKaye Alec MacKaye (born 1966) is an American singer and musician best known as a member of the DC hardcore bands Untouchables, The Faith, and Ignition. In the mid-1990s Alec joined the band The Warmers as a vocalist and guitarist. ''Mondo James Dean ...

(brother of Ian MacKaye),Blush, 138 and then Embrace with Ian MacKaye in 1985. In 1986, Hampton joined

One Last Wish One Last Wish was a short-lived post-hardcore band from Washington, D.C. It was formed in May 1986 by members of Rites of Spring, and split up in January 1987. Amidst the breakup of Rites of Spring in 1986, three of its four members – Picciott ...

with Guy Picciotto (

Fugazi Fugazi (; ) is an American post-hardcore band that formed in Washington, D.C., in 1986. The band consists of guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally, and drummer Brendan Canty. They are noted for their sty ...

, Rites of Spring) and Brendan Canty (Deadline, Fugazi, Rites of Spring)., and also played in the Snakes. Moving to

indie rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produ ...

, Hampton joined forces again with Hanson to form

Manifesto A manifesto is a published declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party or government. A manifesto usually accepts a previously published opinion or public consensus or promotes a ...

in 1988, and later played with members of

Ivy ''Hedera'', commonly called ivy (plural ivies), is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to western, central and southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern Africa and ...

in Paco. Blow went on to play in

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia es ...

and Lethal Intent.

Band members

Former members * Henry Garfield − lead vocals (1980−1981) * Michael Hampton − guitar (1980−1981) * Wendel Blow − bass (1980−1981) * Simon Jacobsen − drums (1980−1981) * Ivor Hanson − drums (1981)

Discography

EPs

* ''

'' 7" (1981, Dischord) * ''First Demo 12/29/80'' 7" (2014, Dischord)

Compilation appearances

*"I Hate the Kids", "Disease" and " Stepping Stone Party" on '' Flex Your Head'' (1982, Dischord) *complete ''No Policy'' on ''Four Old 7"s on a 12"'' (1984, Dischord) *complete ''No Policy'' on ''Dischord 1981: The Year in Seven Inches'' (1995, Dischord) *"Public Defender" on '' 20 Years Of Dischord (1980 - 2000)'' box set (2002, Dischord)

References

External links

State of Alert at Dischord Records
{{Authority control Hardcore punk groups from Washington, D.C. Straight edge groups Musical groups established in 1980 Musical groups disestablished in 1981 Dischord Records artists