Savage Republic

Savage Republic's history began with four musicians who met at UCLA (the famous Californian university) in 1981 and decided to form Africa Corps. The first album, Tragic Figures (1982) is recorded under the same name. The band already imposes a very personal style outside, borrowing from the energy of the very young hardcore punk scene like the indus of an Eintüzende Neubauten, all on almost tribal percussions. The band cites as influences The Jesus Lizard , Black Flag , Throbbing Gristle or German Krautrock bands. The name Africa Corps could be misinterpreted, so they needed another one. It was after several furious concerts in Los Angeles that the band thought of the adjective Savage, which, according to them, would fit perfectly into their music. ‘Republic' comes from the idea that the members of the band are taking care of themselves absolutely, from promotion to the artworks to the cooking of concerts. They eventually retain Savage Republic as a new name. Jeff Long, the bassist, left the band in 1983 to devote himself to another project, Wasted Youth, while Savage Republic barely began to have good press. It's up to Robert Loveless to join the band. With this new line-up Savage Republic enters a new period develops new aspects of its music. From there, two new members entered the line-up, Greg Grunke and Ethan Port. Californians record the song "Trudge" for a compilation of the Belgian label Play it Again Sam Records. Once the song is sent, the label appreciates it as much as it asks them to record three more songs for a 10'' vinyl. The EP Trudge was born in 1985. A new bass player is recruited, Thom Furhmann. The band recorded the album Ceremonial the same year in a genre quite close to the previous EP. He followed a first tour in Europe in 1986, without Robert Loveless, where the band recorded a live album, Live Trek. Jamahiriya was registered in 1988. There appear to be more varied influences including that of Can claimed by the group and a dimension of what will later be called post-rock more accomplished than previously. New tours start in Europe to support the album. Two albums will be recorded on the old continent during their visit: a new live album, soberly named Live in Europe as well as Customs, in a studio in Greece. For the latter, their equipment will be blocked at the border and Savage Republic will be forced to record with the instruments available in studio - traditional instruments - which give its unique sound to the new album. The group split soon after, each of the members going to devote themselves to their other projects including Scenic, which became Bruce Licher's main project, adopting a sound relatively close to Savage Republic, more atmospheric. In 2002, Mobilization Recordings reissued all Savage Republic albums, including Ceremonial + Trudge, which combined the two 1985 albums with a new artwork. Special attention is paid to the new packagings, whose design and ipression are signed by Bruce Licher. The festival Beyond the Pale, created by the members of Neurosis, follows a few dates. In 2007, a new EP, Siam , was released on Mobilization Recordings and Neurot Recordings , followed by a few dates in Europe. A new album was released in October 2007 on Neurot .