Soul
Brains, Bad Brains, Human Rights, Dr. Know, Ric Ocasek &
Madonna
By Tom Minarchick, Photo by Patrick Haley
Very few bands elicit the kind of universal respect that the
Bad Brains and it’s vocalist HR do. Over the last 20 years,
the Bad Brains’ influence has spread through hardcore,
punk, rock, metal, hip-hop, reggae, techno and just about any
hybrid of these styles you could think of like no other band
before or since. Last year saw the release of a tribute album,
“Never Give In,” with a diverse group of musicians
paying tribute including Willhaven, Snapcase, Sepultura and
Moby. Their influence keeps going firsthand, as well as second
and third hand from bands like RHCP, Fugazi, Rage Against the
Machine. These bands have been influenced by Bad Brains and
continue to influence other generations. The people who were
around in the early days seem to prefer the ‘78 to ‘81
years of the band, while the younger generation, still loves
the early stuff, but loves the later stuff just as much as their
elders like the older stuff. And, it just keeps on going in
a circular path according to HR, “Some of the groups we’ve
influenced over the years have become real popular, like Fishbone,
Sonic Youth, Beasties, Red Hot Chili Peppers...the list goes
on and on. In these times groups like EPMD, Cypress Hill, Snoopy
D, Dr. Dre, Monika and Janet Jackson, all those groups have
a big influence on us too. Like when a teacher has a pupil at
the same time the pupil can be your mentor and you’re pickin
up on their grooves.”
Over the years, the band has split, while HR and his brother/drummer
Earl did their Human Rights project and Dr. Know, while bassist
Daryll reformed with different singers and drummers. The band
last reformed with the original members in 1995 for God of Love.
A series of disasters ensued, including an alleged assault on
longtime Bad Brains manager Anthony Countey, and HR being arrested
for assaulting a crowd member with a microphone stand. The band
once again split for what seemed to be the last time. Fortunately
it wasn’t. Over a year ago the original members of the
Bad Brains re-formed under the name “Soul Brains,”
due to the fact that the Bad Brains ex-manager owns the name.
The band says they want to “Move away from the negativity
associated with the name.” Regardless of what you call
them, they’re still the Brains. They’ve spent the
last year recording new songs and playing them on tour along
with classic Bad Brains songs. I recently had the pleasure of
speaking with HR and got the history straight from the source.
The Bad Brains story starts way back in 1978, when the Brains
started playing a jazz fusion kind of thing under the name Mind
Power. “We’ve been musicians our whole lives, and
the first time we started playing music was in the church and
in school. Later on we hooked up in Jr. High & High School
when we were over there in SE Maryland. We used to do little
concert performances over at Central High. We used to have a
little group called Mind Power and we had Strength, 30th Century
Man, Parliament, you know. So we tried a few different things.
We were functioning on a more funky, disco, rock type little
groove, and later on we got to do some research with some hardcore.”
Later, Daryll’s friend Sid, loaned him some punk records
and things started to change. “That was around 1978-79.
We got a chance to go to a concert in Baltimore, Maryland and
got a chance to see this band called the Ramones (laughs). They
were real fun. A lot of their grooves was more like on a rock
time like 12-12 and 16 time, which is kinda fast. What we would
do is play their music on the turntable, and we’d jack
the speed up from 33rpm to 78rpm, and then we’d all start
jumpin’ up and down pogoing. That’s kinda how it came
together. We heard those tempos, and we’d go into our rehearsal
studio & try to match it with the same agility but to put
a little more of our universal personification on it with a
healthy message. We always thought we could offer the solution
to a lot of the improvements that were needed in modern rock
and reggae music.”
After a recording they did with Don Zientara (Fugazi, etc.)
at his home studio that was only recently released as Black
Dots, the Brains went on to record the ROIR cassette. Everyone
from MCA of the Beastie Boys to Henry Rollins and Flea cite
this album as the definitive hardcore punk album. “We went
over to NYU and we were doing some recording with a friend of
ours named Patrick. He came to us and said, ‘You know there’s
some talk in town about a new label getting organized that works
with different African rock, Caribbean, soca and reggae musicians,’
and that the brothers name was Neil Cooper [owner of ROIR] and
maybe we should give him a check. So we had some friends check
around town to see if he had any space available in his studio
for us to go in and do some recording and he said sure. He came
to a show and introduced himself to us & he invited us up
to his office. We just started recording different takes, trying
different styles because he was so patient with us. He said,
‘I know that you are a young band and you’re just
getting started and a lot of these tapes you’re taping
now, years from now you won’t really be the same style.
But take your time and try different techniques and if you come
up with some tracks that you’re really proud of and you
want to circulate, we’d be more than interested in working
with you.’ So we said okay and we did a few dates in town
and it was like wild. As soon as we showed up people were just
coming out of the woodwork. They were flying all over the place
and the music was steamin’. What can I say? The music was
just a supernaturalistic phenomenon. So we went and did the
record with the ROIR people and to our surprise the album came
out real original and didn’t sound like anybody else at
the time. Next thing I know people are coming up to us congratulating
us, telling us they really like the music and the rest is just
history, you know.”
Next up, the band worked with Ric Ocasek of the Cars producing
Rock for Light and God of Love. “He came to Boston and
I heard he was from The Cars and they just avalanched the whole
industry for like 10 years. So, Mr. Ocasek came up to us and
said, ‘You all are turned on and I like what time it is
in you alls music. What makes you all so out there? I mean I’ve
been in the music business for a long time and you cats are
just playin’ different riffs and goin’ through changes
that I’m still trying to figure out what formula it is.’
I’m lookin’ at this guy like ‘Who is this dude?
He looks familiar but I can’t put my finger on where I’ve
seen him before.’ So Earl, Gary and Darryl came to me and
they said, ‘Go ahead and give this cat a chance. You never
know he might know what he’s doing.’ I’m going
to Ron St. Germain ‘What’s up with this tall skinny
dude lookin’ like Paul McCartney from the Beatles?’
He said that cat probably got some money to spend and wants
to invest in something he can have a future with. So we said,
‘Yeah Mr. Ocasek, we’ll get in touch with you later.’
Meanwhile Ric started jamming with Darryl and Sly and Robbie.
The church wanted one of them to go with them to Jamaica so
Ric took a little trip down to Jamaica and came back... Man
he was reborn again Rasta Man (laughs). That dude was reggae
economics from then on. He was so proud he said, ‘Whatever
you all do include me in on it. I’ll always want to work
with you. So whenever you’re ready give me a call.’
Man within a year’s time there we were recording with him
and it was phenomenal the music that we came up with. Later
on we were up in LA with him and he took us to a big elaborate
studio called Ocean and man we recorded God of Love and some
other tunes and lord it was a blessing. Because the man knows,
like Ron St. Germain, these guys are specialist. They know quadraphonic,
quantizing on the dimensional level of making the atmosphere
and the soundwaves and frequencies coincide and exist along
with the frequencies in the music. Some people that are engineers
and producers, they get a style but the music kind of clashes
and it doesn’t settle in your stomach. We feel, in the
Soul Brains, that not only can the music help you learn things,
but it can heal your body and your mind. We feel we can also
cure people from horrible diseases. it can cure people from
A.I.D.S, cancer, insomnia, colds, flus and all these other little
things that are going around making people feel horrible. We
feel like our music can cure those things. We don’t take
full 100% credit. We think it comes from God and is a gift he
gives us and it moves the ones that believe. Those that don’t
believe, it ain’t gonna be like that for them, but for
you as a believer you’re gonna feel and think things are
happening and rotating forwards, backwards, inside and outside
of your life.”
Besides music as a healing force, HR has a strong belief in
the healing powers of Marijuana.
“In the past days it wasn’t really too familiar, but
since then collective institutions have invested time and money
and can now show them through the validification of their medical
uses they have collectively achieved decriminalization and given
their permission for non-abusive use. Nobody wants to be part
of something that does abuse to some. So within actually putting
it into permission that you can use it, they advocate the non-abuse
so people can’t get in trouble. So to avoid complications
they instead try to help people cure themselves from psychological
disorders and child abuse. There are people in the church that
support the advocation and production of those cannabis and
hemp products. Soon we’ll be able to have stores and supermarkets
and just networks of people that’s smokin’ and sellin’
US Grown Grade A Triple Purple Maximum!! I mean let’s face
it, it’s good for the community, it’s cost effective,
easy to produce and very good for man. Like music, I think it
has to be professionally supervised. It can be very, very, very
gratifying to one’s soul.”
In between Rock for Light and the God of Love album, HR and
Earl took a diversionary turn and formed Human Rights. “Human
Rights came together in around 1984 when there was a time for
reggae music to be circulated and introduced to the masses as
a support and a foundation of strength for these times. That
was a rough time for the community and during those times they
needed something to believe in. They needed a new sound that
had only been introduced to them in the late 70’s with
Bob Marley and Burning Spear. So the re-ignition or restoration
of that throne needed to be protected and nourished on a daily
basis. His holy angels have given us the signs to tell the people
about Soul Brains/Human Rights. Let them know that god loves
them and wants them to hear and learn how to be like him and
how they can love him more and how this music is a for them.
God says he wants to thank the world and the universe for making
him the new sensation (laughs). He says he feels so flattered
to know and he’s overwhelmed and flabbergasted and he can’t
believe that creation could make him their superstar once again.
We want the holy sprit to know that he’s number one in
our book. That way he feels good and he just laughs and smiles.
He wants his family to know that he is so thankful that they’ve
made him their superstar. I don’t think him and his angels
miss any super concert.”
When the Bad Brains got back together to record God of Love,
they signed to Madonna’s Maverick label. “Madonna’s
a fine, sexy woman. Her and Janet Jackson used to come around
the Lower East Side. Just high rollers with their fine selves.
I used to go, ‘Are those girls really that pretty? This
has got to be an optical illusion that somebody can sound that
good and look that good at the same time.’ I was like,
‘Whoa man!!! Both of ya’ll girls is lookin’ good!!’
(laughs). Well I went on tour and came into LA and a brother
came up to me and said Madonna and a few labels want to talk
to you. So I gave them a call and they said, ‘Man, we’ve
been lookin’ all over for you!! We got some good news for
you.’ So we got the fellas together and went over there
and man they started tellin’ us all these things they wanna
do and the next thing you know we were in the studio once again.
They came through with some nice features like management, an
account, publishing deal.. all the benefits. We actually got
back together with them not to long ago and they said Madonna
might like to try it again. They said Madonna was trying to
get in touch with the band and do it again. Then people started
asking me if we, Madonna and I, were seein’ each other
and hangin’ out.” On the subject of Madonna’s
new child, HR has a quick and confident comeback, “Ha!!
She’d have a whole lotta babies if we were hangin’
out together!! (laughs) I don’t know.... Whatever way the
wind blows. She so beautiful like a little bird up in the air.
When she’s ready to build her nest she’ll find the
right home.”
Bad Brains, Soul Brains, whatever. This is not a band living
in the past. The band recently played a series of sold out shows
in New York City and HR’s enthusiasm is un-mistakable.
“Man those shows were just great, phenomenal. It was just
history. I mean no sellin’ out. The band was really, really,
very, very exciting and played really good. Every show was just
packed to the brim and they just went off. They went berserk!
They were dancin’ and clappin’ for encores after every
song. It felt good to know that the band was received in that
way.”
I should mention that this wasn’t an easy interview to
finish. Not because of HR, but because of technology. The first
interview that I did with HR was a victim of my minicassette
recorder, and the interview that was scheduled to run last issue
was put off. HR, however, was gracious enough to do the whole
thing over again. His last words to me after I thanked him for
his time were, “No problem Tom. God bless you.”
