credit: Jeffrey Terranova
UPDATE (Monday, April 21st 2014):
It is with heavy heart that I learned that guitarist Mike Atta passed away from kidney cancer on Sunday.
This post is dedicated to his memory and those who knew him or were touched by his music.
----------------------------------------------------------------
bcingyou put together the following as an introduction...
"We could split the night wide open, see all the secrets there"
- A Skeleton At The Feast by Middle Class from Homeland LP
My passion for music can be traced through the strain of logic that permeates the entire canon of Middle Class. The searing insights from the monotone, unwavering delivery of Jeff Atta's vocals to the 'take notice' intensity of Mike Patton's bass lines and Mike Atta's guitar have picked at the scab of this music lover's soul for 30 years. Never mind the distraction that they were most likely the first hardcore punk band (thanks in part to the wide-eyed consequence of copious amounts of Dr. Pepper), Middle Class spoke from the core of existence and demanded closer scrutiny.
A breakthrough song in the history of American punk is A Blueprint For Joy which decisively cuts through the raw inarticulate aggression of punk's first wave and opens the rusty gate of emotion revealing a darker side of life expressed in the notion that we are all ultimately trapped victims not just of a confusing society but of ourselves.
there's a pattern to sin
there's a blueprint for joy
there are guides to reaction
we seek to employ
see I clipped its wings
to see what it brings
lying to myself
swept under the scene
there's life in these buildings
hidden away from the sun
the whimper in bedrooms
the things we call fun
I kept my distance
offered resistance
I've heard all the reasons
I've counted every one
there's tactical buildup
there's rumours of war
nightspots in L.A.
no effort to ignore
(apologies if incorrectly deciphered as there's no online lyrics to be found for A Blueprint For Joy)
Middle Class possessed that rare quality of being able to tap the frustration that festers beneath the surface and the talent to execute. The few times I saw them in '81-'82 left an indelible mark as from a group of young men who seriously considered their place in the world and reached beyond an audience for satisfaction. Always ahead of the pack.
The recent Frontier 30th Anniversary Party may have been to showcase the more well known factions of punk in The Adolescents, T.S.O.L. and Avengers but for the this heart of darkness I'll always identify with Middle Class as being the real deal.
-markie
Live recordings after the jump...
MIDDLE CLASS
07 November 2010
Part Time Punks ‚Frontier Records 30th Anniversary‚
Echoplex, Los Angeles, CA
M-Audio MicrotrackII+Sony ECM990F>WAV(44.1 sample rate/16bit) >
Audio Audition 1.5 eq to lessen bass, boost mids, highs >
CD Wave Editor tracksplit > FLAC level 8.
|
credit: Jeffrey Terranova |
Setlist
01 intro
02 Home Is Where
03 You Belong
04 Archetype
05 Restless Young Men
06 Situations
07 Above Suspicion
08 Love Is Just A Tool
09 Introductory Rites
10 Ritual And Deceit
11 Insurgence
12 A Blueprint For Joy
13 Mosque
14 Out Of My Hands
15 Last Touch
16 Out Of Vogue
Encore:
17 Nightlife Music (cover)
18 She Cracked (Modern Lovers cover)
Audience master recording by bcingyou‚ recorded four feet from left side of stage in front of bassist Mike Patton.
Jeff Atta - Vocals
Mike Atta - Guitar
Mike Patton - Bass
Matt Simon - Drums
Eddie And The Subtitles encore after Middle Class.
Mike Patton - Vocals
Mike Atta - Guitar
Ward Dotson (Pontiac Brothers) - Guitar
Matt Simon (Pontiac Brothers vocalist) - Drums
19 American Society
On YouTube:
The Middle Class - HD videos from ograwker:
And more videos: