FORMER DEAD Kennedys’ lead singer Jello Biafra, and his band, The Guantanamo School Of Medicine, play the Róisín Dubh on Wednesday August 10 at 9pm.
Jello Biafra (real name Eric Reed Boucher ) is best known for being the leader, lyricist, and singer of the Dead Kennedys, one of the greatest of all American punk bands.
Their challenging and thought provoking views on politics, culture, society, and the environment earned them notoriety, but also much admiration, resulting in astounding albums like Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables (1980 ), Plastic Surgery Disasters (1982 ), and Give Me Convenience...Or Give Me Death (1987 ).
Following the Kennedys’ calling it a day, Jello developed a career as a highly respected spoken word artist while also collaborating with the Melvins, NoMeansNo, and Ministry’s Al Jorgensen. However the urge to work with a band full-time again has remained and has led to The Guantanamo School Of Medicine.
In 2007 Jello decided to gather together a band and called up his old friends Ralph Spight (guitar ) and Jon Weiss (drums ) to help out. Faith No More's Billy Gould was added on bass and Jello Biafra and the Axis Of Merry Evildoers were formed, performing live in San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall.
The band rehearsed for a new album, but the addition of second guitarist Kimo Ball resulted in a new sound and saw the name change to The Guantanamo School Of Medicine. By 2009 they released their debut album The Audacity Of Hype, a pun on Barack Obama’s book The Audacity of Hope.
The band's music is characterised by a mix of punk, sonic guitar noise, and industrial excursions, with Jello commenting on everything from the ‘war on terror’ to US Homeland Security, to class war, to the value of agitation and people power.
Tickets are available from the Róisín Dubh and www.roisindubh.net
