MDC (band)

{{Short description|American punk rock band}} {{Redirect|Millions of Dead Cops|the album|Millions of Dead Cops (album)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2021}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = MDC | image = MUSIC MDC.jpg | image_upright = 1.2 | caption = MDC in 2017 | alias =  | origin = [[Austin, Texas]], U.S. | genre = [[Hardcore punk]], [[punk rock]] | years_active = 1979–1995, 2000–present | label = R Radical, [[Crass Records|Crass]], Boner, [[New Red Archives]], [[Sudden Death Records|Sudden Death]], Tank Crimes, Grimace<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://open.spotify.com/album/0fEowtxkTDhAD3zbaLB16g|title = Millions of Dead Cowboys|website = [[Spotify]]|date = September 29, 2020}}</ref> | associated_acts = [[Big Boys (band)|Big Boys]], [[Dead Kennedys]], [[Dicks (band)|The Dicks]], [[Patareni]], [[Leftöver Crack]], [[Poison Idea|Pig Champion]], [[Operation Ivy (band)|Operation Ivy]], [[Rancid (band)|Rancid]] | website = {{URL|https://www.mdcpunkofficial.com/}} | current_members = [[Dave Dictor]] Adam Crisis Barry Ward Erica Liss Mike Smith | past_members = Ron Posner Gordon Fraser Eric Calhoun Bill Collins Chris Wilder Brendan Bekowies Michael Donaldson Franco Mares Matt Freeman Erica Liss Erik Mischo/Matt Van Cura Al Batross Mike Pride Dejan Podobnik Felix Griffin Adam Crisis Erica Liss Barry Ward }}

'''MDC''' is an American [[punk rock]] band formed in 1979 in [[Austin, Texas]], subsequently based in [[San Francisco]], and currently [[Portland, Oregon]]. Among the first wave of bands to define the sound and style of American [[hardcore punk]], MDC originally formed as The Stains;<ref>{{cite book|last=Ibarra|first=Craig|title=A Wailing of a Town: An Oral History of Early San Pedro Punk and More|publisher=END FWY|year=2015|page=224|isbn=978-0-9860971-0-2}}</ref> they have periodically changed the meaning of "MDC", the most frequent being '''Millions of Dead Cops'''. The band's lyrical content expresses [[Far-left politics|radical left]] political views and has proven influential within the punk subculture.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/mdc-mein-trumpf-dave-dictor-interview/ |title=Listen to 'Mein Trumpf,' the First Album from Punk Legends MDC in 13 Years |website=Vice.com |date=November 27, 2017 |access-date=April 4, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|author=Kory Grow |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/no-trump-no-kkk-no-fascist-usa-the-punk-history-123861/ |title='No Trump! No KKK! No Fascist USA!': The Punk History |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=November 21, 2016 |access-date=April 4, 2020}}</ref>

MDC released material through former [[Dead Kennedys]] singer [[Jello Biafra]]'s independent label [[Alternative Tentacles]]. In the 1990s, vocalist [[Dave Dictor]] published editorials for the internationally distributed fanzine ''[[Maximum Rocknroll]]''. MDC's initial run ended in 1995, and the band spent five years on hiatus, before returning in 2000 with some new band members.

==History== ===Early years=== Formed in the late 1970s as The Stains and playing their first gig under this name in August 1980, MDC were one of three pioneering [[hardcore punk]] bands in [[Austin, Texas]], in the early '80s, alongside [[Dicks (band)|The Dicks]] and [[Big Boys (band)|Big Boys]]. These bands frequently played together and established the Austin hardcore scene. They released one single as The Stains in 1981, featuring a slower version of the future MDC song "John Wayne Was a Nazi" backed with "Born to Die".<ref>David A. Ensminger Visual Vitriol: The Street Art and Subcultures of the Punk ... 2011 – Page 82 "... club's logo, features a graffiti backdrop of the band's name and the phrases "No Frats" and "No KKK No War," the latter likely spray-painted by the local band the Stains (later known as MDC), since it was a refrain from their song "Born to Die."</ref><ref>David Ensminger – Left of the Dial: Conversations with Punk Icons 2013– Page 257 "I saw an archive photo of the iconic club Raul's in Austin, Texas, with "No War No KKK No Fascist / 1 ll (AH/1) ' USA" spray-painted on it. ... It's from our song, "Born to Die." "</ref> Both songs were later released on the debut MDC album.

===1980s=== Dave Dictor cited [[Black Flag (band)|Black Flag]] and [[D.O.A. (band)|D.O.A.]] as early influences of the band: "We saw [Black Flag and D.O.A.] in 1980 when they came out to Texas and they were cookin'. We said 'Man. . . They're feelin it'"<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Johnson |first=Lee |last2=Clayton |first2=Jeff |date=1983 |title=Interview with Dave (MDC) |url=https://archive.org/details/new-breed-number-3-charlotte-nc/page/n7/mode/1up |journal=New Breed |publication-place=Charlotte, NC |issue=3 |quote=Being influenced by Black Flag and D.O.A. . . . we were never that slow. |via=archive.org}}</ref>

By 1982 the band had relocated to San Francisco, California, and renamed themselves MDC. By this point the band were active participants in the growing hardcore scene and released their debut LP ''[[Millions of Dead Cops (album)|Millions of Dead Cops]]'' on their own label, R Radical; [[Jello Biafra]]'s [[Alternative Tentacles]] helped with distribution. The album is now widely considered a punk classic, and features songs such as "John Wayne Was a Nazi", "Dick for Brains", and the harsh criticism of the police, "I Remember". Other targets of criticism devoid of irony included [[capitalism]] ("Corporate Death Burger"), [[homophobia]] ("America's So Straight"),<ref>Ashley Dawson, "Do Doc Martens Have a Special Smell?: Homocore, Skinhead Eroticism, and Queer Agency," in [[Kevin Dettmar]], and William Richey (eds.), ''Reading Rock and Roll.'' New York: Columbia University Press, 1999; pg. 135.</ref> and American culture ("Violent Rednecks").

During the summer of 1982 they became involved in the Rock Against Reagan Tour, during which time they fell out with the band [[Bad Brains]] when [[Rastafarian]] singer [[H.R. (musician)|H.R.]] learned that [[Big Boys (band)|Big Boys]]' singer, [[Randy Turner]], was gay. H.R. and MDC's Dave Dictor had an intense confrontation. Upon Bad Brains' departure from the bill, they refused to return a loan owed to Big Boys and instead left a note that reportedly read "burn in hell bloodclot faggot". The incident resulted in the MDC song "Pay to Come Along".<ref name="danceofdays">Mark Andersen and Mark Jenkins, ''Dance of Days.'' Akashic Books, 2003; pg. 108.</ref> For MDC, 1982 ended with a tour of Europe with the Dead Kennedys which brought the band greater exposure in the punk scene outside of the U.S., especially in the UK.

====Name change==== In 1983 the band began to deemphasize the "Dead Cops" aspect of its name, as drummer Al Schvitz noted in a ''[[Flipside (fanzine)|Flipside]]'' interview:

{{blockquote|It's a problem of people can't see the [name] concept, they take it as a violent action of saying what to do. ... When we chose the name we really didn't figure on all the misinterpretation and we want to work around it and make our point clear and we don't want to have to talk through the name Millions of Dead Cops to any political issue we want to talk about. It doesn't mean that we don't believe in everything that goes down on the first album ...<ref>Al Kowalewski and Pete Landswick, "MDC: Multi Death Corporation, Million Dead Children, Millions of Dead Cops," ''Flipside,'' whole no. 38 (c. July 1983), pp. 46–48.</ref>}}

Their involvement in the Rock Against Reagan activities continued through 1983 and they returned to recording with the EP "Multi-Death Corporations" which was distributed in the UK by British [[anarcho-punk]] label [[Crass Records]] and R Radical in the U.S. The EP broke new ground by addressing, in the lengthy [[liner notes]] and artwork, the growth of corporations and the violent suppression of [[left-wing politics]] in [[Central America]]. In 1984 they released another EP, ''[[Millions of Dead Children]]'' (also known as ''Chicken Squawk''), this time dealing with [[vegetarianism|vegetarian]] and [[veganism|vegan]] issues via a [[cowpunk]] tune.

Iconoclastic punk rock cartoonist John Crawford, an outspoken critic of the band, was cynical in his assessment of the alteration of the band's initial name, which he characterized as "stupid" and "inflammatory".<ref name=Flip40>"John Crawford," ''Flipside,'' whole no. 40 (Dec. 1983), pp. 44–45.</ref> Crawford intimated that the name change had been opportunistic:

{{blockquote|It was like they thought there was something to be gained politically from cops busting the heads of kids, the old [[Yippies]] routine. ... [C]onfrontational barricades politics are tactics that failed, only helped those they were intended to hurt. Now that was an awful thing for me to say right? But when MDC met with [[Crass]] in England, Crass told them ''they'' were bothered by the name Millions of Dead Cops and wouldn't include them on a compilation album they were plotting unless they changed it. So Mega Death Corporation was born.<ref name=Flip40 />}}

[[Smoke Signals (MDC album)|''Smoke Signals'']] was released in 1986, their second album featuring a more diverse style than previously, with a foray into '70s rock with the song "South Africa Is Free". This album also saw Gordon Fraser's first appearance as main guitarist. In the same year, MDC backed [[Michelle Shocked]] on a version of her song "Fogtown" that appears as a hidden track on her breakthrough album, ''[[Short Sharp Shocked]]''.

Their third album, ''This Blood's for You'', followed in 1987 and saw them continuing to showcase orthodox hardcore punk style and classic rock, including a cover of the [[Cream (band)|Cream]] song "Politician". Themes again included intervention in Central America and criticism of the [[Reagan Administration]]. MDC toured Europe in 1988, where the live album ''Elvis – In the Rhineland'' was recorded. The band released the album ''Metal Devil Cokes'' in 1989 with guitar player Eric Calhoun and bassist Joe Strom.

===1990s=== The 1990s opened with a number of lineup changes, swiftly followed by the 1991 album ''Hey Cop! If I Had a Face Like Yours ... '', featuring Bill Collins (formerly of [[Fang (band)|Fang]], Special Forces, Intensified Chaos) on guitar and [[Matt Freeman]] (of [[Operation Ivy (band)|Operation Ivy]] and [[Rancid (band)|Rancid]]) on bass. Collins wrote all the music on the album and sang three of the songs. This lineup toured the US and Europe. The acclaimed ''Shades of Brown'' album appeared in 1993, released by [[New Red Archives]] in the U.S. and [[We Bite Records|We Bite]] in Europe. The album featured the [[hip hop]] vegetarian song "Real Food, Real People, Real Bullets". MDC, now with guitarist Chris Wilder (formerly of [[Stikky]]) and bassist Erica Liss, marked the album with a tour of the former [[Soviet Union]], making MDC the first American punk band to tour Russia. This was followed by two more European tours and several U.S. tours until 1995, where began a lull in the band's activity. The lack of new recorded material, other than a 7-inch release on [[Slap-a-Ham Records]], and live performances after 1994, plus personal problems of band members, pointed to an informal break-up of the band.

===2000s=== MDC's singer, [[Dave Dictor]], returned with an entirely new backing line-up in 2000, which included Long Island musicians Matt Van Cura (bass), Erik Mischo (guitar), and John Soldo (Drums). MDC released a new album, ''Magnus Dominus Corpus'', in 2004. They took part in a 25th anniversary world tour in 2005, with an all-original lineup. Following the death of Mikey Donaldson in September 2007, MDC has been touring the U.S. and Europe extensively with the Dictor/Posner/Smith/Schvitz lineup.

In November 2016, MDC released a video for the forthcoming release of a new recording of "Born to Die",<ref>{{cite web|last=Gentile|first=John|title=MDC: "Born to Die 2016" (Punknews Exclusive)|date=November 7, 2016 |url=https://www.punknews.org/article/62338/mdc-born-to-die-2016-punknews-exclusive|publisher=Punknews.org|access-date=June 17, 2019}}</ref> made to protest the [[Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016|Donald Trump presidential campaign]]. The song's slogan "No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA" was reported to be heard at anti-Trump demonstrations, at The Women's March in Washington, D.C., on January 21, 2017, and in Chicago.<ref>{{cite web|last1=St. Clair|first1=Stacy|last2=Moreno|first2=Nereida|last3=Crepeau|first3=Megan|title=5 arrested after largely peaceful anti-Trump protests downtown|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-trump-hotel-protest-chicago-20161109-story.html|publisher=Chicago Tribune|date=November 20, 2016|access-date=June 17, 2019}}</ref> At the [[American Music Awards of 2016|2016 American Music Awards]] on November 20, the band [[Green Day]] adopted the anti-Trump slogan for a controversial impromptu chant during their live on-air performance, which Dictor applauded and encouraged.<ref>{{cite web|last=Grow|first=Kory|title='No Trump! No KKK! No Fascist USA!': The Punk History |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/green-days-anti-trump-amas-chant-the-punk-history-w451677|publisher=Rolling Stone|date=November 21, 2016|access-date=June 17, 2019}}</ref> The media spotlight Green Day's action put on MDC inspired the band to create new material based around the current political climate.<ref name="bayer">{{cite web|last=Bayer|first=Jonah|title=Listen to 'Mein Trumpf,' the First Album from Punk Legends MDC in 13 Years|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/mdc-mein-trumpf-dave-dictor-interview/|publisher=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]]|date=November 27, 2017|access-date=June 17, 2019}}</ref> The album, entitled ''Mein Trumpf'', was released in 2017.<ref name="bayer"/>

==Members== ===Current lineup=== *Vocals – [[Dave Dictor]] (1979–1995, since 2000) *Guitar – Russ Kalita (since 2008) *Guitar – Barry d'live Ward (since 2017) *Bass – Mike Smith (since 2007) *Bass – Erica Liss (1992–1995, since 2023) *Drums – Adam Crisis (since 2023)

=== Former members === *Drums – Al Schvitz (1979–2022) *Guitar – Ron Posner (1979–1986) and (2002–2016) *Guitar – Gordon Fraser (1986–1987) *Guitar – Eric Calhoun (1987–1990) *Drums -John Lieb -(1983–1984) Mostly for Europe tour.about 50 shows. *Guitar – Bill Collins (1990–1992) and (2016–2017) *Guitar – Chris Wilder (1992–1995) *Guitar – Erik Mischo (2000) *Guitar – Brendan Bekowies (2001–2002) *Bass – Michael Donaldson (1979–1982, 2003–2007; died 2007) *Bass – Franco Mares (1982–1990) *Bass – [[Matt Freeman]] (1990–1992) *Bass – Erica Liss (1992–1995) *Bass – Matt Van Cura (2000–2002) *Drums – Al Batross (2000–2002) *Drums – [[Mike Pride (musician)|Mike Pride]] (2002–2005) *Drums – Dejan Podobnik (2006–2007) *Drums – Felix Griffin (2008)

=== Timeline === {{#tag:timeline| ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:120 bottom:90 top:5 right:30 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1979 till:11/01/2022 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:3 ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1979 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1980

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PlotData= width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Dave from:start till:02/01/1995 color:vocals bar:Dave from:02/01/2000 till:end color:vocals bar:Ron from:start till:08/01/1986 color:guitar bar:Ron from:08/01/2002 till:07/01/2016 color:guitar bar:Bill from:07/01/1990 till:07/01/1992 color:guitar bar:Gordon from:08/01/1986 till:09/01/1987 color:guitar bar:Bill from:08/01/2016 till:09/01/2017 color:guitar bar:Eric from:09/01/1987 till:07/01/1990 color:guitar bar:Bill from:07/01/1990 till:07/01/1992 color:guitar bar:Chris from:07/01/1992 till:02/01/1995 color:guitar bar:Brendan from:02/01/2000 till:08/01/2002 color:guitar bar:Russ from:09/01/2008 till:end color:guitar bar:Barry from:09/01/2017 till:end color:guitar bar:Michael from:start till:11/01/1982 color:bass bar:Franco from:11/01/1982 till:07/01/1990 color:bass bar:Matt from:07/01/1990 till:07/01/1992 color:bass bar:Erica from:07/01/1992 till:02/01/1995 color:bass bar:Matt2 from:02/01/2000 till:12/31/2002 color:bass bar:Michael from:01/01/2003 till:09/22/2007 color:bass bar:Mike from:09/22/2007 till:end color:bass bar:Al from:start till:02/01/1995 color:drums bar:Al2 from:02/01/2000 till:08/01/2002 color:drums bar:Mike2 from:08/01/2002 till:12/31/2005 color:drums bar:Dejan from:01/01/2006 till:12/31/2007 color:drums bar:Felix from:01/01/2008 till:07/01/2008 color:drums bar:Al from:07/01/2008 till:07/01/2019 color:drums bar:Al from:01/01/2021 till:end color:drums }}

==Discography== ===Singles/EPs=== *Stains – "John Wayne was a Nazi" 7", R Radical Records, 1980 *Millions of Dead Cops – "John Wayne was a Nazi" 7", R Radical Records, 1981 *Multi-Death Corporations – "Multi-Death Corporations" EP, [[Crass Records]], 1983 *Millions of Dead Children – "Chicken Squawk" EP, R Radical Records, 1984

===Albums=== *''[[Millions of Dead Cops (album)|Millions of Dead Cops]]'' (1982) *''[[Smoke Signals (MDC album)|Smoke Signals]]'' (1986) *''Millions of Damn Christians'' (1987) *''Metal Devil Cokes'' (1989) *''Hey Cop!!! If I Had a Face Like Yours...'' (1991) *''Shades of Brown'' (1993) *''Magnus Dominus Corpus'' (2004) *''Mein Trumpf'' (2017) *''Millions of Dead Cowboys'' (2020) *''War Is a Racket'' (2023) *''The Last War'' (2025)

===Splits=== *Millions of Dead Cops / [[Capitalist Casualties]] ''Liberty Gone'' EP Split 7", Slap a Ham, 1994 *Millions of Dead Cops / Pig Champion Split 7", Honest Don's, 1997 *MDC/[[Poison Idea]] split, 2004 *Millions of Dead Cops / John The Baker Split (MDC EP)|Millions of Dead Cops – John The Baker Acoustic Split 7", Tank Crimes, 2006 *Millions of Dead Cops / Potbelly Split 7", PB/Crash Assailant, 2008 *Millions of Dead Cops / Riot Cop Split CD, Malarie, 2008 *Millions of Dead Cops / The Restarts Split LP/CD, No Label Records, 2009 *Millions of Dead Cops / [[Carburetor Dung]] / The Bollocks – "MABUKKUASA" Split-CD, S.B.S/Jerk Off Records, 2011 *Millions of Dead Cops / Attentat Sonore Split 7", Guerilla Vinyl / Campary / Fillferro / Tupatutupa Records, October 2011. *MDC (Acoustic) / Naked Aggression / Raw Power / Som Hi Noise – "No More Borders", Split 7", Jailhouse/Sixty Nine Apples Records, 2012

===Live recordings=== *MDC – Elvis In The Rheinland: Live In Berlin LP, R Radical Records, 1989 *MDC – Live In Maribor LP, 1990 *MDC – Live At CBGB's 1983, Beer City Records BCR190-1, 2015 (Limited to 1000 copies, on translucent green vinyl)

===Compilations=== * ''[[International P.E.A.C.E. Benefit Compilation]]'' (R Radical Records, 1984) * ''Rat Music for Rat People, Vol. 2'' ([[CD Presents]], 1984) * ''Millions of Dead Cops – [[More Dead Cops]] LP'', 1988 (Compilation of EPs) * ''[[Hardcore Breakout USA Volume 2]]'' ([[New Red Archives]], 1995) * ''[[The Punk, The Bad & The Ugly]]'' ([[Cleopatra Records|Cleopatra]], 1997) * ''[[At War With Society]]'' ([[New Red Archives]], 1998) * ''[[At War With Society|At War With Society II]]'' ([[New Red Archives]], 1999) * ''Millions of Dead Cops – Now More Than Ever LP'', 2002 (Best Of Compilation) * ''Solid'' EP 7" (Crash Assailant, 2008) * ''Human'' EP 7" (Rodent Popsicle/ Crash Assailant, 2009) * ''[[Hardcore Breakout - Essential Punk]]'' ([[New Red Archives]], 2012) * ''Punk For Ukraine Vol. 1'' (Grimace, 2022) – "Mein Trumpf"

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[https://www.facebook.com/mdcpunkbandofficial/ MDC] on Facebook *[https://www.mdcpunkofficial.com/ MDC Punk website] *{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20051029183024/http://www.mdc-rocks.com/ x-con ron MDC Rocks]}} *[http://www.operationphoenixrecords.com/flipsidemillionsofdeadcops.html Flipside Interview] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061106054748/http://www.operationphoenixrecords.com/flipsidemillionsofdeadcops.html |date=November 6, 2006 }} – MDC interview from 1982 *[http://www.operationphoenixrecords.com/maximumrocknrollmillionsofdeadcops.html Maximumrocknroll Interview] – MDC interview from 1983 *[http://www.operationphoenixrecords.com/suburbanvoicemillionsofdeadcops.html Suburban Voice Interview] – MDC interview from 1983

[[Category:Hardcore punk groups from Texas]] [[Category:Musical groups established in 1979]] [[Category:Musical groups from Portland, Oregon]] [[Category:Musical groups from Austin, Texas]] [[Category:1981 establishments in Texas]] [[Category:American political music groups]] [[Category:Boner Records artists]]