The Proletariat are a punk rock band from

Southeastern Massachusetts Southeastern Massachusetts consists of those portions of Massachusetts located along Buzzards Bay, including the cities of New Bedford and Fall River and their respective suburbs. Despite the location of Cape Cod and the islands to its south, ...

, whose heyday was during the 1980s, when they were active in the early Boston hardcore scene, sharing the bill with many of the best punk and

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 ...

acts of the time,"The Proletariat: Show List"
''Official Website of the Proletariat and Churn''. Archived fro

on October 12, 2016. despite their recorded output having a decidedly non-hardcore aesthetic; the Proletariat show more strongly the musical influences of early British

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad music genre, genre of Punk Music, punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde s ...

bands such as

Wire Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample diameter 40 mm A wire is a flexible strand of metal. Wire is c ...

and the Gang of FourShirley, David (November 1996). Churn, ''Heated Couplings in the Sun'', review. '' Option''.Anderson, Rick
"''Voodoo Economics and Other American Tragedies'': AllMusic Review by Rick Anderson"
''

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

''. Retrieved April 23, 2016.Carnes, Aaron (October 25, 2016)
"The Return of Boston Hardcore Anomaly, The Proletariat"
(interview). ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character t ...

''. Retrieved July 10, 2021. in their fractured guitar sound and Marxist-themed lyrics.Scott, Tim (September 4, 2016)
"How The Proletariat Became One Of the Most Incendiary Bands in Reagan’s America"
(interview). ''

''. Retrieved July 10, 2021. Millman, Joyce (August 24, 1982). "Cellars by starlight - The dictatorship of the Proletariat". ''

The Boston Phoenix ''The Phoenix'' (stylized as ''The Phœnix'') was the name of several alternative weekly periodicals published in the United States of America by Phoenix Media/Communications Group of Boston, Massachusetts, including the ''Portland Phoenix'' a ...

''.''Suburban Voice'' (ca. 2000). "The Proletariat: ''Voodoo Economics and Other American Tragedies'' (Taang! Dbl CD)" (review). ''

Suburban Voice ''Suburban Voice'' is a punk zine published by Al Quint.''Maximumrocknroll'' (June 30, 2010)"Blog of the Week: Suburban Voice and Sonic Overload" ''Maximumrocknroll ''Maximumrocknroll'', often written as ''Maximum Rocknroll'' and usually abbr ...

'' (43)."The Proletariat: Lyrics"
''The Proletariat'' (official website). Retrieved February 20, 2017.

History

Early years (1980-mid-1982)

Formed in early 1980, the Proletariat started as a

cover band A cover band (or covers band) is a band that plays songs recorded by someone else, sometimes mimicking the original as accurately as possible, and sometimes re-interpreting or changing the original. These remade songs are known as cover songs. ...

playing at hardcore punk shows in the Boston area,Sheena (September 1982)
"The Proletariat: From Each According to His Ability"
'' Boston Rock'' (32). Archived fro
the original
on November 7, 2016.
''Official Website of the Proletariat and Churn''. Archived fro

on January 23, 2017. just as the local scene was breaking. Belligerent British-sounding American

singer 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 withou ...

Richard Brown fronted the group with two friends, both former classmates of his at

Apponequet Regional High School Apponequet Regional High School (informally known as Apponequet or ARHS), located at 100 Howland Road in Lakeville, Massachusetts opened September 21, 1959. Apponequet serves secondary academic education students from the towns of Freetown, and L ...

: guitarist Frank Michaels and bassist Peter Bevilacqua. The three had enrolled at

Southeastern Massachusetts University The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (UMass Dartmouth or UMassD) is a public research university in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. It is the southernmost campus of the University of Massachusetts system. Formerly Southeastern Massachusetts U ...

together, where they studied history, finance, and industrial relations, respectively, but, after exposure to

left-wing politics Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soc ...

, and despite having no previous musical experience, all dropped out of college during their senior year to form a punk band, which Brown would name the Proletariat. In wanting to align themselves with the

working class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colo ...

, Brown took work as a delivery truck driver, and Bevilacqua as a supermarket clerk; Michaels, for his part, devoted himself to managing the band. Brown initially played snare drum standing up while he sang, until the slightly younger high-schooler Tom McKnight, who worked as a gas station attendant, completed the band as their drummer in September 1980, occasionally accompanied by Brown on

cowbell A cowbell (or cow bell) is a bell worn around the neck of free-roaming livestock so herders can keep track of an animal via the sound of the bell when the animal is grazing out of view in hilly landscapes or vast plains. Although they are t ...

.Foley, Ryan
"The Proletariat"
''The Music Museum of New England''. Retrieved October 11, 2016. After a few months of practicing at Brown's parental home in Assonet, the group played their first gig on February 14, 1981 at the Lafayette Club in

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...

. By mid-1981, after playing a few shows in Southeastern Massachusetts, doing mostly Sex Pistols covers, the Proletariat evolved a new sound that melded the straight-ahead sound of early records by

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 w ...

with more angular rhythms, and

agitprop Agitprop (; from rus, агитпроп, r=agitpróp, portmanteau of ''agitatsiya'', "agitation" and ''propaganda'', " propaganda") refers to an intentional, vigorous promulgation of ideas. The term originated in Soviet Russia where it referred ...

political rhetoric under the influence of the Gang of Four. They grew into a sound unlike other Boston punk or hardcore bands, characterized by drums holding an almost militaristic steadiness while guitars alternated between jarring upstrokes and overdriven chords.. ''Kill from the Heart''. Archived from on May 5, 2016. People drew comparisons of the band's music to that of the anarchist group

Crass Crass were an English art collective and punk rock band formed in Epping, Essex in 1977, who promoted anarchism as a political ideology, a lifestylism, way of life, and a resistance movement. Crass popularised the anarcho-punk movement of the ...

and

group the Fall, bands that the Proletariat's members only listened to after fans tipped them off to it. Between November 1981 and March 1982, they recorded material at Boston's Radiobeat Studios with producers Jimmy Dufour and

Lou Giordano Lou Giordano (born c. 1957) is a record producer and recording engineer who co-founded Radiobeat Studios. He worked at Fort Apache Studios when it was located in Boston, and was a partner in the production company Prodco, which had close ties with ...

, and brought a couple of songs as

reels A reel is an object around which a length of another material (usually long and flexible) is wound for storage (usually hose are wound around a reel). Generally a reel has a cylindrical core (known as a '' spool'') with flanges around the ends ...

for airplay on local radio, making some stations' top-ten lists. In July 1982, after the group gained national exposure via the hardcore punk audience on '' This is Boston, Not L.A.'', a compilation of bands from the local scene just released in May of that year by

Newbury Comics Newbury Comics is an American comic book and music retailer based in New England. Newbury Comics began as a comic book vendor on Newbury Street in Boston. The company was founded in 1978 by Massachusetts Institute of Technology students John B ...

Modern Method Records Modern Method Records was a record label that helped to document the Boston hardcore scene in the early 1980s. Modern Method was an offshoot of the Newbury Comics music retailer and also the '' Boston Rock'' magazine. The label was located at 268 ...

label, they self-released a limited edition seven-song cassette EP called ''

Distortion In signal processing, distortion is the alteration of the original shape (or other characteristic) of a signal. In communications and electronics it means the alteration of the waveform of an information-bearing signal, such as an audio signa ...

'', which received positive response from local critics and DJs. In the late summer of 1982, the band would appear on ''

Unsafe at Any Speed ''Unsafe at Any Speed: The Designed-In Dangers of the American Automobile'' is a non-fiction book by consumer advocate Ralph Nader, first published in 1965. Its central theme is that car manufacturers resisted the introduction of safety features ( ...

'', the six-song follow-up compilation EP to ''This is Boston, Not L.A.''

Repute and ''Soma Holiday'' (late 1982–1983)

As a live band the Proletariat were making a name for themselves after becoming finalists in the 1982 Rock 'n' Roll Rumble competition hosted by Boston commercial radio station WBCN, and haranguing the oppressive management of Boston's

Paradise Rock Club The Paradise Rock Club (formerly known as the Paradise Theater) is a 933-capacity music venue in Boston, Massachusetts. Due to its relatively small size, it appeals to top local alternative rock performers as well as American and British bands vi ...

. Because of their proximity to

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...

, they gigged more frequently in Providence and Pawtucket, where they had a devoted following. The group also received monetary contributions from benefactors who wanted to support the Proletariat's music and politics. Four songs from the Proletariat's earlier demo tape surfaced on vinyl along with 14 more songs to comprise the band's first LP, '' Soma Holiday'', hailed by rock critic Robert Christgau as "the hardcore debut of 1983", even as Christgau noted their sound was not hardcore per se. Named for the drug in

Aldous Huxley Aldous Leonard Huxley (26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963) was an English writer and philosopher. He wrote nearly 50 books, both novels and non-fiction works, as well as wide-ranging essays, narratives, and poems. Born into the prominent Huxle ...

's ''

Brave New World ''Brave New World'' is a dystopian novel by English author Aldous Huxley, written in 1931 and published in 1932. Largely set in a futuristic World State, whose citizens are environmentally engineered into an intelligence-based social hiera ...

'', the album demonstrates the band's

art punk Art punk is a subgenre of punk rock in which artists go beyond the genre's rudimentary garage rock and are considered more sophisticated than their peers. These groups still generated punk's aesthetic of being simple, offensive, and free-spiri ...

roots, with lyrics examining social issues from Brown's distant Marxist perspective, critiquing capitalism without embracing determinist revolutionary dogma. The band's members were themselves members of the working class, most of whom had dropped out of college to drive trucks and labor elsewhere. In the 1983 '' Boston Rock'' magazine's year-end poll, the Proletariat placed first as best local band, second for best record, and fourth as best national band. Milano, Brett (March 6, 1984). "Review music – Proletariat's highly skilled labor". ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

''.

Breakup and ''Indifference'' (1984-85)

In 1984, the Proletariat returned to Radiobeat Studios to record another album with Dufour and Giordano, assisted by

Josiah McElheny Josiah McElheny (1966, Boston) is an artist and sculptor, primarily known for his work with glass blowing and assemblages of glass and mirrored glassed objects (see Glass art). He is a 2006 recipient of the MacArthur Fellows Program. He liv ...

. An early version of "An Uneasy Peace", a song composed for the upcoming album, brought the band international attention via its inclusion on the '' P.E.A.C.E.'' compilation, a hardcore punk collection released on Dave Dictor's R Radical Records label that included more well known bands like the

Dead Kennedys Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run. Dead Kennedys' lyrics were usually political in nature, satirizing p ...

, Crass, and MDC. On June 30, 1984, the Proletariat performed what would be their final show with their original lineup at Chet's Last Call in Boston, sharing the bill with the

Volcano Suns Volcano Suns was an American alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts formed by Mission of Burma drummer Peter Prescott in 1984.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 559 History The band was founded i ...

and fellow Radiobeat labelmates Sorry. Later that year, before their second album was completed, Brown quit the band, as did McKnight who was studying engineering at Bristol Community College. The two would be replaced by female singer Laurel Ann Bowman and drummer Steve Welch; both of whom performed on recordings of two songs for the new album."Laurel Ann Bowman"
(obituary). ''Whittier-Porter Funeral Home''. Retrieved March 4, 2016. This lineup was short-lived, and the Proletariat disbanded shortly after performing a pair of shows on July 1, 1985 with Italian band

Raw Power ''Raw Power'' is the third studio album by American rock band the Stooges (credited as Iggy and the Stooges), released on February 7, 1973 by Columbia Records. The album departed from the "groove-ridden, feel-based songs" of the band's first two ...

and the local act Rash of Stabbings, at the Living Room rock club in Providence, Rhode Island. The band's new recordings were released as the album '' Indifference'' and its

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

titled "

Marketplace A marketplace or market place is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a '' souk'' (from the Arabic), ' ...

" on

Homestead Records Homestead Records was a Long Island, New York-based sublabel of music distributor Dutch East India Trading that operated from 1983 to 1996. The label was known for not paying its artists and not spending any money on promotion. History The l ...

in 1985. Both the album and single showed another side of the band, including layered melodies and featuring a guest appearance by Roger Miller of

Mission of Burma Mission of Burma was an American post-punk band from Boston, Massachusetts. The group formed in 1979 with Roger Miller on guitar, Clint Conley on bass, Peter Prescott on drums, and Martin Swope contributing audiotape manipulation and acting a ...

playing piano on an updated version of "An Uneasy Peace", as well as Laurel Bowman's soft-toned voice in sharp contrast with Brown's staccato pronouncements.

Churn and reissued discography (1995-1998)

In early 1995, after ten years of not playing together, Brown, Bevilacqua, and Michaels, with new drummer Jack Prascovics, formed a new band called Churn.Caito, Michael (March 24, 1995). "Rare Air – Churn: Live at Club Babyhead, Providence, RI 3/18/95". '' The Providence Phoenix''.''Suburban Voice'' (ca. 1995). "Churn: ''Heated Couplings in the Sun'' (Earmark, EP)" (review). ''

'' (39)."Official Home Page of Churn"
''Official Website of the Proletariat and Churn''. Archived fro

on November 7, 2016. By mid-1996, McKnight joined them to replace a previous drummer, with the result that all the original members of the Proletariat got reunited in Churn, Milano, Brett (July 18, 1996)
"New grooves - Reunion (almost)"
''

''. Archived fro
the original
on May 16, 2017. albeit for a short time. In 1997, after continued lineup problems, the group broke up, having only released a five-song CD titled ''Heated Couplings in the Sun'' in 1995.
''Official Website of the Proletariat and Churn''. Archived fro

on October 2, 2016. In 1998, all of the Proletariat's recorded material, including four previously unreleased tracks, was compiled on ''Voodoo Economics and Other American Tragedies'', a double CD collection released on

Taang! Records Taang! Records is an independent record label with a roster of hardcore punk, punk rock, Oi!, power pop, ska, indie rock, psychedelic, and ambient artists and bands founded by Curtis Casella in Boston, Massachusetts in 1983. History Taang ...

Reformation (2016-present)

After a three-decade hiatus, the Proletariat reformed for a series of shows in the fall of 2016.Marotta, Michael (August 12, 2016)
"Anti-Indifference: Hardcore punk band The Proletariat return after three-decade hiatus"
''Vanyaland''. Retrieved August 20, 2016.Jones, AJ "Phink" (August 19, 2016)
"The Proletariat Reform and Announce First Reunion Shows"
''ThePunkSite''. Retrieved August 20, 2016.Sperry-Fromm, Rob (September 8, 2016)
"The Proletariat reissuing debut, going on reunion tour; Gang Green playing shows too"
'' BrooklynVegan''. Retrieved September 15, 2016. Original members Richard Brown, Peter Bevilacqua and Tom McKnight were joined by guitarist Don Sanders, Milano, Brett (October 28, 2016)
"Return of the working-man band"
'' Boston Herald''. Archived fro
the original
on October 29, 2016. former member of the Providence early hardcore punk band Idle Rich. The band's return was accompanied by the vinyl reissue, on

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

-based label Ss Records, of their 1983 debut album, ''Soma Holiday''. In the spring of 2017, the Proletariat performed a handful of shows in the United States and Canada, including an appearance on March 25 at the fifth edition of Bleak Outlook, the annual citywide weekend music festival of Tacoma, Washington.Jones, AJ "Phink" (September 13, 2016)
"The Proletariat Confirm Further Reunion Tour Dates"
''ThePunkSite''. Retrieved September 15, 2016.Jones, AJ "Phink" (January 28, 2017)
"The Proletariat Confirm US Spring Tour"
''ThePunkSite''. Retrieved February 1, 2017. Recently, the band have confirmed tour dates, including a festival appearance in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

, Pennsylvania, for the second half of 2017.Navarre Allen, Stevie (July 11, 2017)
"The Proletariat announce PA shows, new EP and LP in the works"
''Punknews''. Retrieved July 14, 2017. Also, they have announced the recording of a new EP in August, and a new studio album in the works for early 2018.

Discography

Besides the Proletariat's official output, there are recordings of three live performances they did on ''Metrowave'', a show that ran on Sunday nights from 9pm to midnight on Emerson College's FM radio station,

WERS WERS (88.9 FM) is one of Emerson College's two radio stations (the other being campus station WECB), located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Programming features over 20 different styles of music and news, including live performances and ...

. At least two of those radio sessions, broadcast on December 6, 1981 and 29 May 1983, respectively, have made the rounds in

tape trading Tape trading is an unofficial method of distribution of musical or video content through the postal system, which was prominent in the 1980s and 1990s. Although most commonly used to distribute and publicize limited-release musical demo tapes i ...

circles and on the Internet. "It's More Than Soil", one of the four previously unreleased songs featured on the ''Voodoo Economics and Other American Tragedies'' anthology, was taken from one of the WERS sessions.The Proletariat (1998), ''Voodoo Economics and Other American Tragedies''.

. #TAANG! 127. Liner notes. Studio albums * '' Soma Holiday'' (1983, Non-U/Radiobeat). * '' Indifference'' (1985,

Homestead Homestead may refer to: *Homestead (buildings), a farmhouse and its adjacent outbuildings; by extension, it can mean any small cluster of houses * Homestead (unit), a unit of measurement equal to 160 acres *Homestead principle, a legal concept t ...

). * ''Move'' (2019, Boss Tuneage). EPs * ''

'' (1982, Non-U). * ''The Murder of Alton Sterling'' (2018,

Bridge Nine Bridge 9 Records is an American hardcore punk record label located outside Boston, Massachusetts. Bridge Nine is owned by Chris Wrenn of Salem, Massachusetts, who began the label in 1995 and produced its first release in 1996. The label is name ...

). Singles * " Marketplace"/"Death of a Hedon" (1985, Homestead). Compilations The 2CD compilation ''Voodoo Economics and Other American Tragedies'' (1998,

Taang! Taang! Records is an independent record label with a roster of hardcore punk, punk rock, Oi!, power pop, ska, indie rock, psychedelic, and ambient artists and bands founded by Curtis Casella in Boston, Massachusetts in 1983. History Taang ...

) contains all their recorded work, including the previously unreleased tracks "Ten Years", "Abstain", "Choice", and "It's More Than Soil" (live in studio). Compilation appearances * "Options", "Religion Is the Opium of the Masses", and "Allegiance", on '' This Is Boston, Not L.A.'' (1982, Modern Method). * "Voodoo Economics", on ''

'' (EP 1982, Modern Method). * "An Uneasy Peace" (early version), on the '' International P.E.A.C.E. Benefit Compilation'' (1984, R Radical). * "No Lesser of Evils", on ''All for One... One for All: A Benefit for Roger Miret'' (1995, Grand Theft Audio). * "Abstain", on ''Suburban Voice: 15th Anniversary Compilation'' (1998,

Notes

References

Works cited

* * *

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...

). Articles * Scott, Tim (September 4, 2016)
"How The Proletariat Became One Of the Most Incendiary Bands in Reagan’s America"
(interview). ''

''. * Sheppard, Oliver (October 5, 2016)
"An interview with The Proletariat on their "Soma Holiday" reissue"
''Cvlt Nation''. * Carnes, Aaron (October 25, 2016)
"The Return of Boston Hardcore Anomaly, The Proletariat"
(interview). ''

''. * Milano, Brett (October 28, 2016)
"Return of the working-man band"
'' Boston Herald''. Archived fro
the original
on October 29, 2016. * Foster, John (May 31, 2019)
"Trump-Era Agitprop"
''Souciant''. Retrieved October 16, 2019. * Mann, Jackson Albert (August 24, 2019)
"Proletarian Punk: An Interview with the Proletariat's Richard Brown"
(interview). ''

Boston Hassle Boston Hassle is a website that highlights underground and experimental music and arts in the greater Boston area. Its goal is to showcase underrepresented genres and artists. Boston Hassle is a volunteer non-profit organization. History Create ...

''. Downloads * Bat29 (September 27, 2015)
"Proletariat - WERS, Boston 1981 + 1983"
''Noise Addiction II''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Proletariat Musical groups from Boston Hardcore punk groups from Massachusetts American post-punk music groups American noise rock music groups American art rock groups Musical groups established in 1980 Musical groups disestablished in 1985 Musical groups reestablished in 2016 Homestead Records artists American Marxists Political music groups