[Photos: Malcolm Riviera]
Forty years ago yesterday Artificial Peace played the Wilson Center. Here, at the dawn of harDCore, lines are being defined, the players literally helping create a sub-genre of punk in the moment. The set has miraculously been brought back to life in a fine new reissue project, Live At The Wilson Center, June 25, 1982, out now via Alona's Dream Records.
The recording itself is surprisingly clear. It's got that you had to be there-quality, sure, but it's also nearly as vital as any of the few studio sessions by Artificial Peace themselves. Kicking off with Flex Your Head track "Outside Looking In", the four-piece launch things into the skies instantly. The band catch fire at the drop of a hat, and 40 years later, a listener sort of marvels at how tight a bunch of Bethesda kids could sound. Sure, the scene was DIY, but that didn't necessarily mean that everyone could make this sort of thing work. These guys did make it work.
"Suburban Wasteland" gets a workout here, as does "This Means War", from the band's studio session recorded less than a year prior to this 1982 gig. Another highlight here is the heavy "The Future", while the grinding "Think for Yourself" retains a metallic fury that's still inspiring four decades later. Vocalist Steve Polcari, guitarist Pete Murray, and drummer Mike Manos would form Marginal Man soon after, with bassist Rob Moss joining Government Issue. There's a tightness here that seems to prefigure the concise power of Marginal Man, sure, and the attitude here is in spirit with that of G.I., so the whole recording has a familiarity that makes this an essential listen for anyone who wants to recall the era, or discover it for the first time.
For more details on Assault and Battery, the band before Artificial Peace with Polcari, Manos, and Moss, my review of that reissue is here. For more details on Rob Moss, here is an interview I did with the musician and novelist a couple of years ago, and here's my review of his recent solo album (and another is on the way soon).
Live At The Wilson Center, June 25, 1982 by Articial Peace is out now via Alona's Dream Records. Out on vinyl, CD, and digital, the release is also available in a deluxe edition with a book of photos by scene chronicler Malcolm Riviera, and reminiscences by members of the bands from the era, and fans of the scene in D.C. back then.