The genesis of NoMeansNo occurred in 1976 when brothers John and Rob Wright found themselves at a Ramones concert in Boulder, Colo.
Their father, Raul, was a lighting tech for a traveling musical troupe that happened to be sharing the stage with the up-and-coming New York quartet.
Though no one realized it until years later, future collaborator and co-conspirator Jello Biafra was also in attendance at that monumental event as well as Ministry’s Al Jourgensen and the embattled Tommy Bolin. Rob and John left that event with ears ringing and ideas brewing.
NoMeansNo formed in the heady days of late '70s punk.
Rob Wright, then a dishwasher at a campus cafeteria, witnessed an early performance by DOA. With a burst of inspiration, he formed a duo with his brother, John.
In the early '80s, after adding a guitar player, NoMeansNo began to tour in earnest, captivating audiences with their live performances.
The band defines post-modernist hardcore. In a word (or several), they are intelligent, articulate, studied, thoughtful, violent, passionate, intense, and playful.
Acclaimed by peers and adored by fans, this musically adept trio has consistently thrilled sweaty crowds around the world. The band is a punk rock success story, albeit on their own terms, well hidden beneath the radar of the music industry.
The Abbie Hoffman Society is a punk rock basement lady-band hailing from Powell River. The Hoffmans formed in 2010 with the intention of having fun being creative on Monday nights, two years later the Hoffmans are going strong, with five members, original material and a tour on the horizon.
As the name implies, the band reveres the legacy of activist Abbie Hoffman. While not a politically driven band, the Hoffmans believe in working outside the mainstream, functioning on the cheap, and being active community members.
The Abbie Hoffman Society delivers a high-energy punk rock show.
For more about the bands, visit www.nomeanswhatever.com and
http://theabbiehoffmansociety.wordpress.com.
NoMeansNo and the Abbie Hoffman Society appear March 1 at the Waverley Hotel. Tickets are at Bop City, the hotel or by phoning 250-336-8322. Doors open at 9:30 p.m.
— Cumberland Village Works