The Pinkerton Thugs are a punk band from Kennebunk,

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

History

The band has been together since July 1994 under a number of different names but officially became the Pinkerton Thugs in March 1996 (taking their name from the infamous

Pinkerton National Detective Agency Pinkerton is a private security guard and detective agency established around 1850 in the United States by Scottish-born cooper Allan Pinkerton and Chicago attorney Edward Rucker as the North-Western Police Agency, which later became Pinkerton ...

). The band, which initially consisted of drummer/vocalist Paul Russo, guitarist/vocalist

Micah Smaldone Micah Smaldone (born 1978) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist based in Maine. He was a member of several New England area bands, and is best known for the solo music made under his given name, Micah Blue Smaldone. Career Smaldone wa ...

and bassist James Whitten drew influence from punk bands such as

Sham 69 Sham 69 are an English punk rock band that formed in Hersham in Surrey in 1975. They were one of the most successful punk bands in the United Kingdom, achieving five top 20 singles, including "If the Kids Are United" and "Hurry Up Harry". The ...

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 ...

Conflict Conflict may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Conflict'' (1921 film), an American silent film directed by Stuart Paton * ''Conflict'' (1936 film), an American boxing film starring John Wayne * ''Conflict'' (1937 film) ...

, and

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 way of life, and a resistance movement. Crass popularised the anarcho-punk movement of the punk s ...

as well as

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He has inspired ...

's political ballads. They were known for their spirited live performances as well as their radical

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not neces ...

political views. Attempting to put their ideas to action, members of the band formed a now-defunct collective called the Anarchist Liberty Union which set out to distribute anarchist literature for free and establish better communication between activists. During most of the band's existence, Paul Russo was also a member of Boston band The Unseen, whom the Thugs often played shows with. Their recorded debut was a 7-inch E.P. titled "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit Of Shit" that was self-released on the band's own Police Records in the U.S. in August 1996 and re-released by Nefer Records in Canada in 1997. In addition to that record, The Pinkerton Thugs released two full albums ("The Pain and The Pinkerton Thugs" on V.M.L. Records in 1997 and "End Of an Era" on

Go Kart Records Go-Kart Records is an independent record label specializing in punk rock located in New York City that was most active from 1995 to 2005. It also has a European division in Mannheim, Germany. History In its May 1999 issue, ''Guitar World'' m ...

in 2000) a split 7-inch record with

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 ...

on Police Records, and a 7-inch on

titled "The Times." The band's later recordings saw Paul Russo playing both drums and additional guitars on the songs he composed and sang, while Tommy "Von" Gatton, who joined the band in 1998, played drums live. Shortly after the recording of "End Of An Era" in early 1999 Smaldone left the band, and Paul Russo became the band's sole lead vocalist. The band played a handful of live gigs with Scott from The Unseen and Bill Brown of Crash and Burn filling in on lead guitar before James Lynch of

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 ...

joined as a permanent member. He only played one show with the band before he left to join the

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 ...

Break-up and subsequent projects

Pinkerton Thugs played its last show in February 2000 at the Karma Club in Boston, Massachusetts. ''End of an Era'' was released posthumously in June 2000, some 18 months after it was recorded. The band officially disbanded in October of that year, announcing their break-up via their website. Following the band's demise Micah Smaldone and Tommy Von formed a hardcore band called Cops and Robbers which broke up in 2001. Smaldone has subsequently released numerous solo albums under his full name Micah Blue Smaldone and played guitar with Out Cold, the Shods, The Racketeers, and Fire on Fire. Tommy Von went on to play in Cut the Shit, The Prowl, and Il Mostro. Paul Russo continued to play with The Unseen before leaving in 2003 and writing and recording his own music under a number of names including Paul and The Strings, The Strings, and Americana Romantic. He also played guitar with Boston punk band The Vigilantes from mid-2000 until their breakup in early 2002. James Lynch has continued to play with Dropkick Murphys since 2000.

Reunion

The Pinkerton Thugs officially reunited in 2008 and remained active until 2012. Busy with their other projects, neither Micah Blue Smaldone nor James Lynch were available to participate in the reunion, so Mike "Rufio" Kadomiya joined the band as second guitarist. It was announced in December 2011 that The Pinkerton Thugs had signed with Jailhouse Records and were writing songs for their first, full length of new material since ''End Of An Era''. James Whitten, Tom Gatton, and Mike Kadomiya all left the band in early 2012. Paul Russo recruited Johnny Noise, Tommy Collins, and Vlad Wormwood as their replacements for a U.S. tour in the summer of 2012. A second split 7-inch with

, recorded before Gatton and Kadomiya left the band, was released in August 2012. The band has been inactive since.

Discography

Studio albums

*''The Pain and the Pinkerton Thugs'' CD/LP (1997), V.M.L. Records, reissued in 2012 by Jailhouse Records *''End of an Era'' CD (2000), Go-Kart Records, reissued in 2017 by State Line Records

EPs

*''Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Shit'' 7-inch (1996), Police/Nefer Records *''Another Day, Another Story'' split 7-inch with

(1998), Police Records *''The Times'' 7-inch (1999), A-F/Go-Kart Records *''45'' split 7-inch with the Ducky Boys (2012), Jailhouse Records

History

Break-up and subsequent projects

Reunion

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

See also

References

External links