Like all of the Go-Go dynasties, and so many of the top artists in the DC area today, what we can offer you from our little corner of The Record Industry--essential as it is--isn't going to reflect the full impact of Backyard Band.
Toward the end of the last century, Go-Go was in trouble. New York money and celebrity had helped make a few hits, but watered down the real sound. At the same time, Go-Go had been scapegoated and cracked down on for the horrors common to every city. So in addition to trying to turn an opera into a jingle, Go-Go was also under pressure to be nice, and clean. With the local scene on life support, it was mainstream success or bust. The music was running away from the communities it grew out of, and it got lost.
Much as Chuck Brown is often credited with the 20th Century birth of Go-Go, and rode atop its pyramid of performers in those days, Backyard Band--along with established families like Rare Essence and Junkyard--had the biggest roles in the music’s 21st Century re-birth, the birth of The Crank, and have been at the forefront ever since.
The Crank can be raw and assaultive. It doesn’t much care about what’s on the radio, or even what dance you’re doing. It does not apologize for what it is or where it comes from. And the best part is, it’s once again unstoppable.
Toward the end of the last century, Go-Go was in trouble. New York money and celebrity had helped make a few hits, but watered down the real sound. At the same time, Go-Go had been scapegoated and cracked down on for the horrors common to every city. So in addition to trying to turn an opera into a jingle, Go-Go was also under pressure to be nice, and clean. With the local scene on life support, it was mainstream success or bust. The music was running away from the communities it grew out of, and it got lost.
Much as Chuck Brown is often credited with the 20th Century birth of Go-Go, and rode atop its pyramid of performers in those days, Backyard Band--along with established families like Rare Essence and Junkyard--had the biggest roles in the music’s 21st Century re-birth, the birth of The Crank, and have been at the forefront ever since.
The Crank can be raw and assaultive. It doesn’t much care about what’s on the radio, or even what dance you’re doing. It does not apologize for what it is or where it comes from. And the best part is, it’s once again unstoppable.
