Savage Republic

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was  a "seminal" Los Angeles Industrial-Art-Punk band from the 1980s. The band began circa 1980 as "Africa Corps" with UCLA art students Bruce Licher, Mark Erskine, Phil Drucker ("Jackson Del Rey"), following various preliminary projects (Bridge, Tunnel Tones, Them Rhythm Ants). The band changed its name to Savage Republic in June 1982 when the first album "Tragic Figures" was released.

Early recording experiments produced by Bruce Licher for his Independent Project art course were paired with a clean yet industrial, apocalyptic design style via silk screen, and later hand letter-press printing that echoes back to the Futurists. Licher's unique design ethos formed the basis of Savage Republic's image and helped keep the band "out of time and space". (This design style led to a Grammy nomination for later commercial work by Bruce Licher.)

Shop Rag of the Tragic Figures album cover art

Member Changes in a Time of Radical Change

Like so many punk bands in the early 1980s, Savage Republic went through many lineup changes. The following brief description provides a general outline of the bands timeline and member changes.

In 1982, Robert Loveless joined on keyboards for a few months with Jeff Long, then until mid 1983 after Jeff Long quit the band (and all music). In 1983 the band recorded tracks for a second album which was never released. Instead some of the material was used by Phil Drucker and Robert Loveless when they left Savage Republic to form 17 Pygmies. Bruce Licher and Mark Erskine continued with Savage Republic.

The new Core Republic

In late 1983, Greg Grunke, Thom Fuhrmann and Ethan Port joined Bruce Licher for the rest of the bands life. This trio continued to work together after Savage Republic dissolved in 1989. This core group recorded the 4 song Trudge instrumental EP in 1984 and 1985 with drummer Mark Erskine.

Robert Loveless joined the band for Ceremonial, and appears on the Live Trek 1985-1986 LP. Following the 1987 European tour, drummer Mark Erskine left the band and was replaced by Brad Laner (Medicine, Debt of Nature, Electric Company), who contributed his own unique and innovative style to the Jamahiriya and Customs studio recordings and the "I Married Thurston" live tape and the Live in Europe album. In 1988 Phil Druker also returned to help with Jamahiriya recordings and recorded on Customs during the bands final tour in 1988.

Live Trek 1985-1986 Taken from two U.S. tours

The original CD cover of Jamahiriya on oat paper

 

Real Men Play Live Savage Republic was at its best in front of a crowd. The double bass spleen-wrenching assault reinforced by metal percussion (often shooting 20 foot pillars of flame) charged the room with raw savage energy. The layered "monotone" tuned guitars float above this chaos singing beautiful and haunting harmonies that would shimmer in 3-dimensions throughout the performance space. At its best it was a sound unmatched--out of time and space.

TEST Notable performances include the Mojave Desert performances with the Minute Men, Sonic Youth, Einsturzende Neubauten and Mark Pauline in the early 1980s (years before Burning Man!) which included high explosives and burning trees. The live albums document these powerful shows through the various formations of the band. The cleanest recording is the so far unreleased digital multi-track recording of the bands final performance at the Wash in Claremont California on Feb 25, 1989. Live in Europe LP Recorded on the final European tour Autumn 1988

Final Performance: Feb 25, 1989     The original Customs LP: invented and recorded in Greece in 1988. The bands equiptment was confiscated by Greek customs authorities during the bands final tour. The band used borrowed instruments found in the Greek studio, including many Greek acoustic instruments.

Click here for a list of Post Savage Republic projects

Re-Issues for the 21st Century

The complete Savage Republic back catalog was re-issued by MOBILIZATION Recordings in October 2001.

Studio albums include: Tragic Figures, Trudge, Ceremonial, Jamahiriya and Customs. Live albums include Live Trek, Live in Europe, and the soon to be released Execution of the State by Fire and Ritual

Other live recordings have been officially released over the years by Ethan Port and Savage Republic Tapes.

Click here for a list of Post Savage Republic projects

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