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Artist
State of Alert
12+ albums
hardcore punkhardcorepunkDC hardcoredischord
about
Henry Garfield was part of the original skater clique that made up the core of the early DC hardcore scene, but early on his participation was limited to being a roadie for The Teen Idles, which featured his close friend Ian MacKaye. When MacKaye formed Minor Threat, his follow up act to the Teen Idles, he swiped Lyle Preslar from the band the Extorts. The Extorts had played only one show before Lyle, the band's singer, left. Jumping at the chance to launch his own musical venture, Henry and the remaining Extorts, guitarist Michael Hampton, bassist Wendel Blow, and drummer Simon Jacobsen, formed State of Alert, better known as S.O.A., in 1980. The introduction of bands like S.O.A. and Minor Threat signaled a change in the mood of the DC hardcore scene. Early hardcore acts like the Teen Idles and the Untouchables had a light-hearted vibe. Songs were often goofy and humorous and few ever approached any sort of serious subject. The new crop of bands that formed, though, like S.O.A., Minor Threat and Youth Brigade, were angrier and projected a tougher image. S.O.A. was a perfect example of this. Musically not as strong as their peers in Minor Threat, their style was simple thrash with Henry's monotone bark on top of the mix. The songs were usually about things that made Henry mad, like girls and cops, or his love of fighting. Despite their rudimentary style and limited musical ability, S.O.A.'s live performances were reportedly exhilarating. After several shows, Simon left the
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