Fighting for Jah!

Bad Brains are one of the defining bands of hardcore punk history. They are truly living legends. The tales of their live shows during the ’80s are historic and incredible. Their music’s impact on popular sounds is undeniable. Now, nearly 30 years later, Bad Brains are back with a new album and two shows this weekend in Portland.

Being credited as one of the inventors of hardcore can be both a blessing and a curse. From 1979 until the late ’80s, the band was kicking out some of the most ferocious and intense music ever. Fans wanted unbridled speed and aggression from the band, but Bad Brains wanted…something else. Their early EPs and recordings paved the way for hardcore, but they had reggae on the mind.

That’s the strange dichotomy that listeners either love or hate about Bad Brains. Their early career conversion to the tenets of the Rastafarian faith influenced them incredibly. Their albums had both raging hardcore anthems and slow, mellow reggae tunes. It set them up as one of the true oddities of hardcore. No band has matched their sound since.

Through the course of Bad Brains’ career as musicians, there have been high points and low points. Their prime years (’80s) are long behind them. Their best albums (such as Rock For Light, S/T and I Against I) are long behind them. The ’90s were really bad for them, with several breakups and a disastrous album on Madonna’s label, Maverick, in 1995’s God of Love.

The obvious question, then, is: are Bad Brains still relevant?

The answer isn’t clear. It has been a long time since they’ve had a major record out. The imminent release of Build a Nation weighs heavy. Early samples seem to indicate a return to form. But there is really no way to know. There are long-standing reports that volatile lead singer HR is a shell of his former self. Frenetic performances driven by some unknown force have been replaced with subdued, burnt-out singing. Maybe he’ll turn it around for Portland. No one really knows.

This author leans on the side of seeing them anyway. It really isn’t that often that you can see such an influential band in a live setting at a place like Berbati’s Pan. The concert, based on the show space alone, should be 10 times superior to their performance at the Sasquatch Music Festival on Sunday.

At the same time, no one wants to go to a show and be disappointed. Bad Brains have a lot of history to live up to. If you are regarded as one of the greatest live bands of all time, chances are you will disappoint. This is especially true if your prime years are nearly two decades behind you.

Well, clarity isn’t exactly the trademark of Bad Brains anyway. The future is hazy and the now is questionable. Friday and Saturday nights could be remarkable or detestable. There is only one way to find out.

Bad BrainsFriday, May 25: 21+, $22 Saturday, May 26: all ages, $22Berbati’s Pan

New to Bad Brains? Get these albums:Black Dots (collection of early songs)Bad Brains (1982)Rock For Light (1983)I Against I (1986)Quickness (1989)