O.L.D.

Formed in Bergenfield, New Jersey, in 1986, the group that would become O.L.D. initially operated under the name Regurgitation, with guitarist James Plotkin at the center of the project. After the early incarnation evolved, the name Old Lady Drivers was adopted, eventually shortened to O.L.D. The name stood for “Old Lady Drivers,” a deliberately irreverent name that fitted the warped humour surrounding their early grindcore material. The lineup around the first recordings included Plotkin, vocalist Alan Dubin and drummer Ralph Pimentel. 

Their debut, 'Old Lady Drivers', appeared on Earache Records in 1988 and was recorded at Studio X in June of that year. The record is firmly rooted in the fast, abrasive side of late-1980s grindcore, with Plotkin handling guitars, bass and vocals alongside Dubin and Pimentel. Tracks such as “Total Hag,” “Corpse Full of Gunk,” “Supermarket Monstrosity” and “Bathrooms Rule” combine extremely short bursts of distorted guitar and manic vocals with the band's deliberately grotesque sense of humour. 

A major change came after the first album. O.L.D. moved away from a conventional three-piece setup, with Plotkin and Dubin eventually working as a duo backed by a drum machine. The change also opened the door to a much more experimental approach, incorporating electronics, programming, samples and heavier industrial textures. Their 1990 split release with Florida grindcore band Assück came during this transition, while the next full-length, 'Lo Flux Tube', appeared in 1991. 

'Lo Flux Tube' marked a sharp departure from the straightforward grindcore of the debut. Former Nirvana guitarist Jason Everman played bass on the album, while jazz saxophonist John Zorn made a guest appearance. The music pushed grindcore into much stranger territory, bringing together programmed rhythms, metallic guitar, electronics and abrupt changes in structure. Plotkin's increasingly experimental approach became a defining part of the O.L.D. sound during this period. 

The following 'The Musical Dimensions of Sleastak' arrived in 1993, with Herschel Gaer involved on bass, and continued the move toward alternative and industrial metal. The same year brought 'Hold On To Your Face', a remix-oriented release that handed O.L.D.'s material over to several figures from the hardcore techno world. Their final studio album, 'Formula', followed in 1995 and was completed by Plotkin and Dubin as a duo, with programming, keyboards, guitars and bass taking an increasingly prominent role.