Robert Görl

Robert Görl is a German drummer, electronic musician, and vocalist best known for being a co-founder of pioneering electro-punk/Neue Deutsche Welle act DAF. Initially formed as an industrial noise group, DAF eventually settled on the duo lineup of Görl and vocalist Gabi Delgado, and their stripped-down, sequencer-driven music and highly sexualized image helped lay the groundwork for EBM and industrial dance music. The duo reached their commercial peak with 1981's 'Alles Ist Gut' and split a year later, with both members releasing solo albums and occasionally reuniting over the following decades. Görl resurfaced as a techno producer in the 1990s, issuing acid-tinged efforts like 1996's 'Watch the Great Copycat' and collaborating with Pete Namlook and Karl O'Connor (Regis). After Delgado died in 2020, Görl revisited unused DAF material from the early '80s, and released 'Nur Noch Einer' in 2021.

 
Robert Görl was born in Munich in 1955. He was trained in jazz drumming and started a classical music education, but he became interested in punk rock and experimental music, and formed DAF (Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft) with vocalist Gabi Delgado in 1978. Initially based in Düsseldorf, the band included members of Der Plan (which Görl also played in), and their 1979 debut, 'Produkt Der Deutsch-Amerikanischen Freundschaft', was a set of free-form improvisations. The half-live, half-studio 'Die Kleinen und Die Bösen' was Mute's first album release in 1980, appearing as the band relocated to London. The same year, Görl played on Robert Rental's single "Double Heart," also issued by Mute.

 
Reduced to just Görl and Delgado, DAF signed to Virgin and released their most successful and influential album, 'Alles Ist Gut', in 1981. 'Gold und Liebe' appeared the same year, and Görl drummed on the Eurythmics' single "Belinda." DAF broke up during the recording of 1982's 'Für Immer', and Görl released his solo debut, 'Night Full of Tension', on Mute in 1984. The album was sung by Görl entirely in English, unlike all of DAF's prior music, and Annie Lennox guested on two songs. DAF then reunited and recorded 1986's '1st Step to Heaven', a more stylized synth pop album that was also sung in English.

 
Görl dropped out of music for a while, and studied Buddhism in Asia for several years following a serious car accident. He released the synth pop single "Electric Marilyn" in 1991, then embraced the harder, faster side of techno. Munich-based Disko B released several Görl EPs beginning in 1993, with CD compilation '(Psycho) Therapie' appearing in 1994, and the acid techno album 'Watch the Great Copycat' arriving in 1996. Görl collaborated with Pete Namlook as the duo Elektro, which veered from ambient to hard trance, and he additionally surfaced on Harthouse as part of the trio Heat. Görl's 'Sexdrops', co-produced by British techno artist Regis, was released in 1998, and the entirely self-produced 'Final Metal Pralinées' followed in 2000. DAF reunited and released the drum machine-driven 'Fünfzehn Neue D.A.F.-Lieder' in 2003. After splitting again, Görl issued the solo single "Seltsame Liebe" in 2006, and he performed as the drummer for electro-pop band Client. He released a darker, more experimental techno album called 'Dark Tool Symphony' in 2007. 

 
DAF re-formed for their 30th anniversary in 2008, and the single "Du Bist DAF" appeared in 2010. 2018 saw the release of the DAF remix album 'Reworx' and Görl's 'The Paris Tapes', an album of previously unheard instrumental demos recorded in the late '80s. Delgado died of a heart attack in 2020, soon after the duo decided to work on new DAF material, and Görl recorded the single "Ich Denk An Dich" with producer Sylvie Marks. He then reworked material from DAF's early London rehearsals, and made songs based on unused sequences. 'Nur Noch Einer', credited to Görl and DAF, was released by Grönland Records in 2021. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]

 

Duet Emmo

One of the outside projects by guitarist Bruce Gilbert and vocalist Edvard Graham Lewis of London-based industrial bands, Dome and Wire, Duet Emmo was conceived with and produced by Daniel Miller, owner of independent, synth pop record label, Mute. The heavily electronic Duet Emmo experiment was canceled shortly after releasing a progressive rock album, 'Or So It Seems', featuring the 17-minute, texturally intense "Long Sledge," in 1982. Gilbert continued to record for Miller's label, releasing 'This Way' in 1984, 'The Shivering Man' in 1987, 'Insiding' in 1991, and 'Ab Ovo' in 1996. He later worked with Paul Kendall and Robert Hampson. Miller produced Wire's comeback album, 'Snakedrill', in 1986. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC] 

Trusty

Combining influences ranging from indie rock's original melodies to alternative rock's unique and dazzling references, Trusty's creations distinctly provided the most flammable aspects of the punk rock revival style. Forming in Little Rock, AR, in 1989, Trusty first appeared with a lineup consisting of James Brady (guitar, vocals), Bobby Matthews (guitar, vocals), Paul (bass), and drummer Bircho. During the succeeding months, the band released its first demo and shortly afterward 'Trusty', the group's first and eponymous debut album. In the following year, bassist Paul left, and was later replaced by Brad Long, formerly a member of Sobering Consequences. In 1992, the crew decided to relocate to Washington, D.C., releasing the single 'Cockatoo' shortly before suffering its second lineup change when drum wizard Bircho abandoned the band and Jim Schaffer filled in the position. 

 
'Goodbye Dr. Fate', Trusty's second full-length disc, showed up in 1993, months before the band embarked on its first major tour. Gaining a substantial fan base and capturing their better tunes on-stage, the quartet eventually dedicated the subsequent years to two nationwide tours. 'Fourth Wise Man', Trusty's second release for the Dischord Records label, hit the record stores in 1996, and in that same year the band made its debut tour in Europe. However, in July 1997, months before entering its third extensive U.S. tour, Trusty announced they were disbanding. In 1999, Brady and Schaffer, along with Norman Mayer Group's Kathy Cashel, decided to assemble a new crew dubbed The Blisters. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]

 

Jawbox

During their eight-year existence, Jawbox developed into a top-tier post-hardcore band. While they became one of the most notable acts in Washington, D.C. shortly after their late-'80s formation, and were part of a lineage that included the likes of Minor Threat and Rites of Spring, they were favorably compared to Chicago's Big Black, Naked Raygun, and Effigies as well. Scrutinized for leaving D.C.'s beloved Dischord for a major label -they were the first to do so- Jawbox nonetheless released two excellent albums for Atlantic that surpassed their previous output. 

Ex-Government Issue bassist J. Robbins formed Jawbox in the summer of 1989. Robbins shifted to guitar and lead vocals, joined by drummer Adam Wade and bassist Kim Coletta. The trio's first proper recording, a four-track 7" EP, was released in the spring of 1990 through Dischord and their own DeSoto label. The band then recorded their first album, 'Grippe', at Arlington's Inner Ear with engineer Eli Janney (Girls Against Boys). It was released in May 1991. Despite its formative nature in relation to what followed, it was a fine debut and rewarded repeated listening. 

Shortly after the recording of  'Grippe', Jawbox considered adding a second guitarist to the lineup. Drummer Wade obliged by introducing Bill Barbot of Clambake, a band that promptly broke up. This enabled the addition of Barbot, who provided another strong creative force. The new four-member lineup subsequently recorded at Baltimore's Oz and at Inner Ear with engineer and producer Iain Burgess, who had worked on several of the band's favorite albums, including some by all three of the above-mentioned Chicago acts. 'Novelty', issued in May 1992, was moodier and more layered than 'Grippe', and was regarded as a marked improvement. The CD version of the album added both sides of a single, including the excellent Barbot-fronted "Tongues," that preceded it by a few months. 

Another lineup change occurred shortly after the release of 'Novelty', when Adam Wade left to join Shudder to Think. Jawbox superfan Zach Barocas had recently moved from New York to D.C. to attend university and was rooming with Coletta. Barocas hesitantly dragged out his drum kit and was eventually installed as the band's second, more jazz-inspired drummer. At some point, Atlantic, one of many major labels who rabidly sought underground bands following Nirvana's breakthrough with DGC, came a-courting. The major-leery band weighed its options intensely. Self-sufficient since day one, they outlined their needs and wants before they signed. Their contract refused tour support and retained all independent powers. The deal enabled the musicians to treat Jawbox as a full-time endeavor, and it also allowed them to take their dynamite live show to previously unvisited countries.

 
Most of the songs for their major-label debut had been written prior to Atlantic's involvement, and the presence of Barocas solidified what Robbins referred to as a "mystical communication" within the band. With help from Fugazi and Shudder to Think producer Ted Niceley, Jawbox recorded 'For Your Own Special Sweetheart', a phenomenal album that easily stands as one of the best releases to come out of the fertile D.C. scene of the '80s and '90s. Its genesis was surely aided by increased studio time. Extensive touring surrounded its release -the band regularly toured eight months a year- and exposed them to the regular crowds, as well as some new ones, thanks to a stretch of dates as the opener for labelmates Stone Temple Pilots. Minimal MTV rotation for "Savory" and "Cooling Card" introduced Jawbox to some nocturnal viewers, but the album otherwise went unnoticed outside the usual indie community.

 
Jawbox recorded their fourth album in the winter of 1995-1996 with John Agnello, who had worked with everyone from Earth, Wind & Fire to Chavez. A somewhat glossy sheen pervaded the self-titled set, released in July 1996 on Atlantic's short-lived TAG subsidiary. The songs were nearly as good as those of 'Sweetheart', and were clearly the work of a vital, passionate band, but the sound lacked the 'Sweetheart's exhilarating abrasiveness. If it was an attempt to be more accessible to radio, it didn't work. Despite customary critical approval, album four was unable to gain commercial traction. 

Yet more touring transpired in early 1997. In April of that year, the band opted to split, a decision based on several factors. Least among them was being dropped by Atlantic. More significant was Barocas' decision to move back to New York for film school. Robbins quickly formed Burning Airlines and eventually invited Barbot along for the ride. Barocas became a part of The Up on In. Barbot and Coletta continued to run a less-active DeSoto, which released 'My Scrapbook of Fatal Accidents' -a solid assortment of compilation appearances, B-sides, live recordings, and a BBC session for John Peel- in November 1998

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During the 2000s, Robbins remained busy with several outlets, including Channels (beside wife Janet Morgan) and Report Suspicious Activity (with Articles of Faith's Vic Bondi). Additionally, he continued to work as a producer and engineer -something he did sporadically during the Jawbox years- and operated out of his own studio, the Magpie Cage. In 2009, after Jawbox bought the rights to their Atlantic material, DeSoto released a remastered and expanded edition of 'For Your Own Special Sweetheart'. They promoted it by briefly reuniting to perform on the December 8 broadcast of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Barocas carried on with BELLS≥, while Robbins' was deeply involved with the Office of Future Plans, Moral Mazes, and studio work. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]

 

Holy Rollers

The Holy Rollers debuted opening for Fugazi at the Wilson Center, a hall in the basement of a former church in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood of Washington DC in 1989. The early ’90s saw the DC underground becoming increasingly politically aware and the Holy Rollers were one of the more active bands. The Holy Rollers may not have been the first DC punk band to feature all the members on vocals, but certainly they were the first to sing three-part harmonies. Open to collaboration, they performed and recorded with a spoken-word artist, Juliana Luecking, and often invited friends into the studio. In the early ’90s, drummer Maria left the band to move to San Francisco and was replaced by Ed Trask, a friend from Richmond, Virginia. They later asked Chris Bopst, to play bass and Joey Aronstamn moved to second guitar. This line-up appears on their later releases. [SOURCE: DISCHORD RECORDS]

 

Fidelity Jones

After Beefeater folded, Tomas Squip and Dug Bird started brainstorming about their next project. When the Positive Force House formed, Tomas and Dug were among the earliest tenants, and soon after moving in they began to play music with two of the other housemates, Maria Jones and Jerry Busher. Positive Force D.C. was a punk activist group that met in the house every Saturday. The group helped organize benefit concerts as well as protests and other projects, including the 'State of the Union' benefit compilation. The Fidelity Jones song on "State of the Union" is the only documentation of the original line-up, as soon after they recorded, Maria left to play drums with the Holy Rollers. The second line-up included Andy Charneco, who had played in many bands in the DC underground over the years, including the infamous White Boy, as well as On Beyond Zebra. The band continued to push the musical envelope of punk at a time when many people just were not having it, and ultimately, they may well have realized the eclectic sound that they had originally envisioned. [SOURCE: DISCHORD RECORDS]

 

Happy Go Licky

Happy Go Licky played only seven shows (three at D.C. Space, three at the 9:30 club, one at Food For Thought, all located in Washington DC) before breaking up on New Year's Day in 1988. Though Happy Go Licky had the same band membership as the earlier band, Rites of Spring, they had an entirely different musical program and a much more experimental focus. In 1988, they released a live 6 song 12" on their own label, Peterbilt Records. It was limited to 1,000 copies and is long gone. In 1997 Dischord released 'Will Play', a 21-song CD that features those 6 songs, plus 15 previously unreleased recordings compiled from live tapes. Guy Picciotto and Brendan Canty went on to play with Fugazi. Mike Fellows went on to play in Little Baby, Getaway Car, Royal Trux, Air Miami, and Mighty Flashlight. [SOURCE: DISCHORD RECORDS] 

Shudder To Think

Shudder to Think's hardcore punk background (courtesy of their affiliation with the D.C.-based label Dischord Records, also the home of Fugazi) doesn't give the best indication of their sound, since the group embraced pop influences and a skewed sense of songwriting as well. Formed in 1986, the band's initial lineup -vocalist/guitarist Craig Wedren, guitarist Chris Matthews, bassist Stuart Hill, and drummer Mike Russell- released two singles and one 1989 album ('Curse, Spells, Voodoo, Mooses') before signing with the Dischord label. Shudder to Think remained with Dischord for three influential albums -1990's 'Ten-Spot', 1991's 'Funeral at the Movies', and 1992's 'Get Your Goat'- while touring alongside the likes of Fugazi and the Smashing Pumpkins.

 
Matthews and Russell had both left the group by 1994, with guitarist Nathan Larson and drummer Adam Wade stepping in to replace them. Additional changes followed as the band inked its first major-label contract. After signing with Epic, Shudder to Think released 'Pony Express Record' in 1994. During the three years that followed, Wedren successfully overcame Hodgkin's Disease, Larson released an album with his side project Mind Science of the Mind, and Wade was replaced with former Dambuilders drummer Kevin March. '50,000 B.C.' was released after that period of activity, but it ultimately failed to push the band into the big time. 

 
One year later, Shudder to Think focused its attention on soundtrack work for the indie films "First Love, Last Rites" (which included songs in various musical styles sung by alt-rock notables like Liz Phair, Billy Corgan, and Robin Zander, as well as one of Jeff Buckley's last recorded works) and "High Art", the latter featuring Brian Eno-like instrumental soundscapes. Larson left the band that same year, though, and his departure proved to be the final straw. Shudder to Think split up in 1998, with Wedren launching a solo career shortly thereafter. 

 
Wedren played shows in the New York City area and appeared on the soundtrack "Down to You". He also supplied backup vocals to the Verve Pipe's 1999 self-titled release and continued his soundtrack work for films. Nearly a decade after Shudder to Think's demise, Wedren joined former bandmates Larson and March for a series of reunion shows, including an event that supported presidential candidate Barack Obama. A fall tour followed in 2008 and was later documented on the concert album 'Live from Home'. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]

 

Three

After recording the Egg Hunt songs in England, Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson considered forming a new band. They played with Geoff Turner and Steve Niles of Gray Matter, but the project never got off the ground and Ian decided to leave. The others carried on and soon added yet another Gray Matter member, Mark Haggerty, and this line-up would become Three. Meanwhile, Steve had started his own comic book company, Arcane Comix, which he operated out of the apartment that he shared with Geoff on Swann Street in the Dupont Circle area of DC. It was this street that served as inspiration for the song of the same name. The line "these berries smell like shit" referred to the small fruits that dropped to the sidewalks from the Ginkgo trees on the block. Three did a few short tours and recorded at Geoff's home studio as well as at Inner Ear. Things were looking up for them, but the band self-destructed before their album came out. Three and Happy Go Licky played their last shows together on New Year's Day, 1988 [SOURCE: DISCHORD RECORDS]

 

Ignition

One of the less celebrated bands on the Dischord label, Ignition mainly offered D.C.-style emocore of the post-Fugazi/Rites of Spring/Dag Nasty variety. Vocalist Alec MacKaye -brother of Fugazi's Ian, and formerly of The Untouchables and the Faith- reteamed with ex-Faith bandmate Chris Bald, now on guitar instead of bass, in the summer of 1986. (Bald, along with most of the other Faith members, had been part of the recently defunct emo pioneers Embrace.) They were joined by the rhythm section of bassist Chris Thomson, who occasionally doubled on saxophone, and drummer Dante Ferrando, who'd previously played with D.C. scene staples Iron Cross and Gray Matter. The group debuted with two 7" singles, "Sinker" and "Anger Means," in early 1988, and followed those with their debut album, 'Machination', later in the year. They also contributed a track to the Dischord-released benefit compilation 'State of the Union'. A further EP, the six-song 'The Orafying Mysticle of...Ignition', appeared in early 1990, but spelled the end of the group. Thomson went away to college in Wisconsin, where he fronted Circus Lupus, and would later form both Monorchid and Skull Kontrol; Alec MacKaye, meanwhile, spent the mid-'90s performing in The Warmers. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]