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The Proletariat was
formed in Southeastern Massachusetts (smack dab between Boston & Cape
Cod) early in 1980 when Frank Michaels (aka DeMello), Peter Bevilacqua
& Richard Brown (who were all friends at Apponequet High School in
Lakeville, MA during the late 70's) decided to start a band. Richard &
Peter grew up together in Assonet and went to grammar & middle school
together. Frank moved from New Bedford to the Freetown area in 1972 and
eventually met them for the first time in High School. At the germination
of The Proletariat, Peter & Frank were attending Southeastern Massachusetts
University (now Umass Dartmouth) and Richard was at a nearby community
college (BCC). Fueled by their exposure to bands such as the Sex Pistols,
The Buzzcocks, The Jam, The Clash, PIL, Dead Boys, Richard Hell &
The Voidoids, Ramones. New York Dolls, Joy Division, & Gang Of Four
(and realizing that it didn't take any special skill to be in a band................thanks
Sid Vicious!), they eventually gravitated towards music. Tired of the
pompous bands of the 70's with their elaborate stage shows they gravitated
towards sparse presentation.....preferring to let the music and lyrics
stand on their own. Exposure to different political ideas in college and
living during the Carter/Regan years also greatly shaped their thoughts,
political ideals and desire to focus on this subject matter. And although
all were from normal middle class backgrounds, their activism leaned towards
the left (attracted to the idealism of some of those philosophies................eventually
realizing the naiveté of those systems). Peter & Rick were
the first to get the bug to start a band. After trying out a few guitarists
with little success they started their campaign to convince their friend
Frank to join (who was coming to most of the practices anyway). High
schooler Tommy McKnight was later added on the recommendation of Peter's
cousin Patrick Norton.
The
band played together almost five years. From
2/14/81- 7/1/85 they played 115 shows with 124 different bands.
During that
time they played with many of the best punk bands of this era (Black Flag,
Circle Jerks, Bad Brains, Misfits, Flipper, Crucifix, Minor Threat, Dead
Kennedy's, Gang Green, Mission Of Burma, The Effigies, Stiff Little Fingers,
Angry Samoans, Husker Du, Jerry's Kids, Channel 3, SSD, Jody Fosters Army,
Negative Approach, The Freeze, The F.U.'s, Volcano Suns, Etc.), young
upcoming punk bands (Deep Wound, Sorry & Neutral Nation), punk pioneers
(Richard Hell & the Voidoids, Johnny Thunders, Dead Boys & G.G.
Allin) and other distinguished bands (Native Tongue, Dangerous Birds,
Del Fuegos, 007, Plan 9, The Lyres, Boys Life, Prime Movers, Alien Sex
Fiend, The Neats & Wild Kingdom). While not a hardcore band they often
played on the same bills..........admiring their youthful energy &
bonded in their rebelliousness. They made their mark by combining various
styles into a unique sound while floating their political ideals above
the din. Not wanting to preach they rarely forced these beliefs on people
& kept the lyrics fairly cryptic and sparse to leave the thoughts
open for some interpretation. Since their demise other bands have tried
to emulate their sound but they still remain highly original and difficult
to duplicate. Late in 1984 Tom & Rick left the band for other responsibilities
& pursuits..............................the band performed only two
shows without them with a new singer (Laurel Bowman) & drummer (Steve
Welch) , but the chemistry wasn't the same and they disbanded shortly
thereafter. They left behind various recorded works including the rare
Distortion Cassette, tracks on the This is Boston, Not LA
LP & Unsafe at any Speed EP, 2 full length LP's - Soma Holiday
(named after the drug used to control society in Aldous Huxley's Brave
New World) & Indifference (inspired by the photography
of David
Henry of the homeless in Boston), Marketplace 45 released
in conjunction with Indifference and various artists compilations like
the Peace comp. In 1997 Taang!
released all the recorded works of the band (including some previously
unrecorded) on the Voodoo Economics and other American Tragedies
45 song, double CD.
In
1995 3 of the 4 members (all except Tom McKnight) formed the group Churn.
After recording and releasing a 5 song CD Heated
Couplings in the Sun, and playing for 2 1/2 years, the
band disbanded after continued lineup problems.
True
to their roots they ended as they started................believing that
it was better to burn out than to rust.....................................
By D.H.C. (2002)
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