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Aus-Rotten - The shittiest band ever
Background information
Origin	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres	Hardcore punk Anarcho-punk Crust punk
Years active	1992—2001
Labels	Havoc Records, Rotten Propaganda, Tribal War, Skuld
Associated acts	Behind Enemy Lines, Caustic Christ, Human Investment, Spitboy
Former members
Dave Trenga (vocals) Eric Good (guitar, vocals) Matt Garabedian (drums) Corey Lyons (bass) Adrienne Droogas (vocals, 1999-2001)

Aus-Rotten was an American hardcore punk band, from 1992 to 2001. Formed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the band was oftened lumped in with the underground DIY crust punk subculture because of its gritty and bass-heavy, street-level sound. The band, however, eschewed the doomsday and metallic influences of many crust punk bands, taking more influence from 1980s political hardcore. Its members practiced and promoted a philosophy of anarchism and far left politics.

The band included lead vocalist Dave Trenga, vocalist/guitarist Eric Good, bassist Corey Lyons, and drummer Matt Garabedian. Spitboy singer Adrienne Droogas would often join the band in their later material, particularly on songs discussing gender issues and sexism.

Music

Musical style

According to their Myspace site, Aus-Rotten is influenced by Crass, Subhumans, Conflict, as well as Black Flag. The band has covered songs by Chumbawamba, Flux of Pink Indians, The Pist, Conflict, Crucifix and Upright Citizens.

Aus-Rotten went through roughly two stylistic periods during its existence; they originated as a hardcore punk band with low-fidelity production, before taking a hiatus and subsequently returning with a thicker, clearer sound more closely aligned with the crust punk sound. Their bass-heavy sound mixed thrash metal influences with the less-technical sound of primitive hardcore punk.

Lyrical themes

Dave Trenga penned most of the band's lyrics. Most of their songs had strong far left sociopolitical stances, touching upon direct action, consumerism, the Christian right, LGBT rights, radical feminism, third world countries, AIDS, American immigration, animal rights and other topics.

The band is perhaps most famous for its radical, sharp, and quotable lyrics (e.g. "People are not expendable, government is", "As long as flags fly above us, no one's really free"), as well as for their strong anti-fascist stance, which, according to the interview on the ABC No Rio documentary, got them threatened at least once.

Post-disestablishment

Aus-Rotten went on a hiatus in the mid-'90s and during that time Dave formed Human Investment with Andy of Anti-Flag and Corey and Eric formed Doomsday Parade. Aus-Rotten broke up for good in early 2001 and members have gone on to form Caustic Christ^[1] and Behind Enemy Lines.^[2]

Legacy

Pittsburgh City Paper has described Aus-Rotten as "arguably the most important band of the '90s anarcho-punk renaissance."^[3] The band's 1994 Fuck Nazi Sympathy 7" sold 25,000 copies, making it Havoc Records' best-selling release.^[4][5] Fuck Nazi Sympathy topped a list of bestselling D.I.Y. Punk record label releases compiled in 2008, outselling anything released on Ebullition, Three One G, Profane Existence, Gravity Records, Lengua Armada, and various other labels.^[4] They also boasted having one of the longest crust songs ever (from their 1999 LP And Now Back To Our Programming...) at 15:53. They toured Japan briefly in 1998.^[6]

Discography

Demos

• "We Are Denied, They Deny It" (1992)

EPs

• "Anti-Imperialist" (1993)
• "Fuck Nazi Sympathy" (1994)

Studio Albums

• The System Works For Them (1996)
• ...And Now Back To Our Programming (1999)
• The Rotten Agenda (2001)

Compilation

• "Not One Single Fucking Hit Discography" (1997)

Splits

• "Aus-Rotten / Naked Aggression" (1994)

Appears on

• "Iron City Punk Compilation" (1993)
• "Pogo Attack Compilation" (1994)
• "Barricades and Broken Dreams: An International Tribute to Conflict" (1995)
• "Start A Riot" Compilation (1996)
• "Solidarity Compilation - Benefit For ABC No Rio" (1999)
• "Return of The Read Menace - Benefit for AK Press" (1999)

Members

Final Lineup

• Corey Lyons - Bass
• Dave Trenga - Vocals
• Eric Good - Guitar, Vocals
• Matt Garabedian - Drums
• Adrienne Droogas (ex-Spitboy) - Vocals

Former Members

• Ajax - Guitar
• Richie Carramadre - Drums
• Douglas Weaver - Drums
• Tim Williams - Drums

References

External links

• Aus-Rotten at Myspace.com
• Havoc Records Label site.
• Inteview with Aus-Rotten in Profane Existence magazine
• interview in Suburban Voice