Though Seattle may not be recognized as a hardcore/punk hub to rival D.C. or L.A., the city’s breeding grounds were at least fertile enough to give the world Brotherhood. The band was formed by guitarist Greg Anderson in 1987 after stints as a vocalist in various other local outfits. After a bit of personnel shifting, Anderson congealed the lineup around bassist Nate Mendel, vocalist Ron Guardipee, and drummer Victor Hart in 1988 for a string of recordings that proved to be hugely influential in the hardcore scene. Brotherhood were straight edge with a staunch stance against homophobia, racism, and sexism, a rarity especially in their divisive scene, and their intense, confrontational shows made their politics well known. Like any great band that can play faster than you can run, they only lasted another year, and disbanded in 1989.
Members of Brotherhood went on to do other things that are perfect to mention in the second paragraph of this article before I transition to the whole point of this history lesson. Mendel did well as a bassist for the stars — he plucked them strings for Foo Fighters, Sunny Day Real Estate, and The Fire Theft, as well as getting his very own SIGNATURE FENDER P-BASS. Anderson kind of just twiddled his thumbs, sat around, worked on his solo albums, and in his spare time started Southern Lord Records, Goatsnake, and motherfuckin’ SUNN O))). Pretty damn good afterparty for a hardcore band.
This September, Southern Lord will release a thorough, remastered collection of every 7-inch and demo the band recorded. Till Death is getting a deluxe LP and digital package; no confirmed release date yet, but pre-orders should be up soon. Whet your appetite with the title track below:
• Brotherhood: https://www.facebook.com/pages/BROTHERHOOD/222802281064924
• Southern Lord: https://www.southernlord.com
More about: Brotherhood
