JELLO BIAFRA IN CONCERT:
Jello Biafra pioneered hardcore punk with his band Dead Kennedys, and fans will be glad to know that the iconoclastic frontman continues to provoke and entertain at his incendiary solo shows. Biafra pulls no punches when it comes to his pointed political views, and he's constantly updating and rewriting favorites like "Holiday in Cambodia," "California Über Alles," and "Kill the Poor" to fit the current political climate. His talented backing band recreates the incendiary riffs and high-speed attacks of his hardcore punk heyday, leaving him free to crowd surf and whip ticket buyers into a frenzy with his rallying-cry lyrics and wild-eyed intensity. Jello Biafra's righteous indignation and sardonic sense of humor make his adrenaline-fueled, politically charged shows a must for punk fans of all ages.
BACKGROUND SNAPSHOT:
Eric Boucher (aka Jello Biafra) grew up in Boulder, CO before moving to California to attend UC Santa Cruz in 1977. Though he dropped out after a few months, he fell in love with San Francisco's burgeoning punk scene, and in 1979 he adopted the stage name Jello Biafra and formed Dead Kennedys. The group was as entertaining as it was confrontational, using absurdist behavior and satirical lyrics to inform listeners about important political issues of the day – and Biafra's wild stage persona and biting sarcasm were at the heart of it all. Their 1980 debut Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables personified this approach and tackled subjects like fascism, consumerism, and genocide. The group started to build an international fan base in 1982 thanks to their second album, Plastic Surgery Disasters, and a rigorous touring schedule that took them through North America, Europe, and Australia. As the far right movement and macho aggression took over the hardcore scene, the group members grew disillusioned and disbanded after their 1986 swansong album Bedtime for Democracy. Biafra made his solo debut the following year with the spoken-word LP No More Cocoons. He also joined members of the industrial metal band Ministry to form the supergroup Lard, which made its full-length debut in 1990 with The Last Temptation of Reid. Boucher kept busy in the '00s by collaborating with The Melvins and starting his new solo project Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine. With his incisive wit and rebellious attitude on full display in all of his projects, Jello Biafra always fuels his audience's appetite for polarizing punk spirit.
