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Press: Generalissimo - Love Without Mercy LP

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 00:00:00 -0800

[A] significant step forward with a level of melodic song craft that spits out a nice amount of hooks throughout... - Built on a Weak Spot

News: This Just In

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Impromptu pick up performance this weekend at the lovely Merchants Saloon in Oakland featuring the ever-amazing The Blind Shake and an ultra-rare "original formula" appearance by Cartographer.

DO THIS NOW

Press: Generalissimo -- LOVE WITHOUT MERCY 12" lp [Arbeit Macht Dinge]

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0800

[S]traight-up, black coffee rock whose roots can be traced back to both hardcore music and (to a lesser extent) riff-driven grunge / stoner bands like Queens of the Stone Age and Melvins... - The One True Dead Angel

Press: Generalissimo, Love Without Mercy

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0800

More melodic than the band's previous releases, its message is no less overt. Radical statism, adorned with brutalist aesthetics, is the name of the game... - East Bay Express

Press: Generalissimo -- "Iron Heart / Silver Skin" 7"

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0800

More swellness from the rocking statists of Generalissimo, this time in the form of two short but potent blasts of swaggering riff-rock... - The One True Dead Angel

News: Party Music

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

When life gives you lemons, crush life into dust beneath your heel.

You know who we are.

Let everybody know.

News: The Best Laid Men of Plans

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0800

We regret to inform you that, due to a broken foot, the Love Without Mercy record release show scheduled for this Thursday, Nov 17 has been canceled.

This is what happens when a band trains like they fight.

We will reschedule -- watch your email.

In the meantime, sate your thirst for neobrutalist post punk with your very own copy of the new LP. Order a vinyl copy by this Thursday and get your very own Neobrutalist American Flag patch.

News: This One Goes to 11.17.11

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0800

On November 17, 2011 come out to San Francisco's El Rio to celebrate the release of Generalissimo's new LP, Love Without Mercy.

Produced by Tim Green at the new Louder Studios, Love Without Mercy documents Generalissimo's oppressive manhandling of post punk chaos, arrestingly capturing their tense affirmation of human paradox: a methodical disorder, a pleasant discord, a classical futurism, a pragmatic utopianism...

The meticulously layered indie noise attack of Moggs and the psychedelic maelstrom of Moonbell round out the bill and impose an incrementalist arc onto the evening. This is an excellent line up. This is going to be an excellent show.

The occasion will be all the more momentous for being the debut of the new, improved Generalissimo uniforms -- El Rio will have style to spare on November 17. Don't miss it.

News: Behind the Curtain

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Have a peek at what goes into making a Generalissimo record:

... and mark your calendars: Nov 17 at El Rio, SF.

News: Le Généralissime Est Mort, Vive Le Généralissime!

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0800

This, citizen, is how it all ends...

On October 7, 2011, Generalissimo breaks an eight-month silence to commemorate an occasion of twofold import for Oakland's finest purveyors of neobrutalist post punk:

The Iron Heart b/w Silver Skin 7" release
The last Generalissimo show featuring General Damon "Spicefinger" Little

Yes, citizen: this will, indeed, be the last Generalissimo event to feature the beguiling handiwork of General Action. Generalissimo will perservere, but not in the same form. Don't miss this last chance to witness the original formula in action.

As if that isn't enough, this show is also the party for fellow Oaklanders Hurry Up Shotgun's long-awaited eponymous CD release as well as Santa Cruz hard rock outfit Moon Eater's first San Franscisco show.

Come early. Come often. The Hemlock knows no tears.

Press: Music?

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Generalissimo fights Eugene Robinson - SF Weekly

News: The Hand That Feeds You

Fri, 07 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Open your mouth and close your eyes and you will get a big surprise.

On February 2, 2011, Minneapolis trio The Blind Shake make an all-too-rare visit to SF to unleash their garage-stomp punk depravity on the Hemlock.

Local acts Guitar vs. Gravity and Generalissimo team up to open and close the evening with dystopian minimalism and neobrutalist anthems, respectively.

Hilarity ensues as belts are lost along with self-respect in a maelstrom of tears and humiliation.

Embrace the irrevocable.

Press: Maxonemillion - The 2010 List - Western Medicine

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0800

[T]ight, succinct music about national obligation and the cold beauty of totalitarian logic... - maxonemillion

News: Whirlwinds of History

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0800

For your edification and amelioration, we present a short film by Rodney Brown for the song "Thousand Yard Stare" from the album Western Medicine:

News: Bombs Not Food

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Lose some weight with Generalissimo, Pegataur & Nero Order at Cafe Du Nord. Featuring a special guest appearance by one smartly-dressed Eugene Robinson (of Oxbow notoriety) -- this will be a one-of-a-kind event.

This will also be an early show:

doors at 7:30pm
weight-loss therapy at 8:30pm
homebound at 11:30pm.

Buy your tickets now.

Press: MRR Free Box Review #5: Generalissimo – Western Medicine

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0800

[V]ery clever, compelling music... - Ve

Press: Police Teeth, Generalissimo, He Whose Ox Is Gored, Cold Lake - Thursday 9/23 @ Comet

Wed, 22 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Asked about the upcoming record and playing two sets with two different bands in one show, all Burns would talk about were billmates Generalissimo from Oakland, whom he described as "left-wing fascists. Devo meets the Melvins. So awesome." - The Stranger

Press: Pirate Cat Radio » GENERALISSIMO Western Medicine

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0800

[H]eadbanging music for heads that aren’t empty... - Pirate Cat Radio

Press: Generalissimo- "Western Medicine"-(Arbeit Macht Dinge)

Sat, 03 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0800

[L]ike the cassette you’d get through the letter box if a new cult was advertising for followers in your neighbourhood... - Punk Rock Review

Press: Generalissimo – Western Medicine LP | Built on a Weak Spot

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0800

[S]tealthily wearing you down so they can creep up behind you and slit your throat. It’s sneaky good in a way... - Built on a Weak Spot

Press: Generalissimo, Western Medicine

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0800

[G]reat stuff if you like your rock cold, aggressive, and mildly unsettling... - East Bay Express

Press: Generalissimo -- WESTERN MEDICINE [Arbeit Macht Dinge]

Sun, 27 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0800

[C]atchiness abounds, and the band's energy recalls the golden days of hardcore and punk... - The One True Dead Angel

Press: Generalissimo, Shame, Tears, Medicine @ Rokked

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0800

[K]inda like synchronized swimming but in black leather boots... - Rokked

News: The Utopian Impulse

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0800

September 23 through September 25, 2010: neobrutalism comes to Seattle, Bellingham & Portland. The devil is in the details.

Press: Local Shows - Rock, Straight Up Please. - San Francisco Chronicle

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0800

They compare themselves to Queens of the Stone Age and the Melvins, but I think they're better than Queens of the Stone Age... - SFGate.com

Press: Generalissimo at The Hemlock - Review - SF Examiner

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Oakland's Generalissimo are the inglorious basterds of the Bay Area rock scene... - Examiner.com

News: Oh Come All Ye Faithful

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0800

After a four-month hiatus, "the Inglourious Basterds of the Bay Area rock scene" return to celebrate the release of their debut LP, "Western Medicine" (available now from this website, 1-2-3-4 Go! Records in Oakland, Amoeba Records in Berkeley or Amoeba Records in San Francisco).

Complimenting Generalissimo's disciplined neobrutalism at this event are:

the disconcerting-yet-hypnotic dissonance of Ovipositor, and
the radically minimalist noise rock of Cartographer.

Join us at The Hemlock Tavern on Thursday, July 29. Doors open at 9pm.

News: Neobrutalist Punitive Therapy Cures Depravity

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Available now:

Western Medicine 12" + compact disc

Get it here, at our shows or from the following Bay Area record stores: 1-2-3-4 Go! in Oakland, Amoeba Records in Berkeley & Amoeba Records in San Francisco.

Western Medicine compact disc

Exclusively available from here or at our shows. Speaking of shows, the record release party is scheduled for July 29 at the Hemlock. Stay tuned for more details.

News: Generalissimo: Open for Business

Tue, 18 May 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Pre-orders of the vinyl version of "Western Medicine" are now available in all 180 grams of their virgin vinyl glory for only $17, shipping included. The limited edition LP package (only 500 will be pressed) will include a CD facsimile of the record for all of your high tech needs.

Street date for the album is June 29, 2010, but pre-orders will be sent a link to immediately download high-quality MP3 and/or Ogg Vorbis files ripped directly from 24 bit WAV source files.

Stake your claim now on a future free from entropy.

Check the newly-opened Generalissimo store for more opportunities to invest in the forward march of progress.

News: The Forward March of Progress

Mon, 03 May 2010 00:00:00 -0800

After much anticipation, the test pressings of "Western Medicine" have arrived:

These 180 gram high quality virgin vinyl discs contain the first recorded testament of Generalissimo and stand as yet another confirmation of the pedigree claimed by tape-to-tape-to-vinyl audio reproduction. They sound amazing. Watch for pre-sale availability of the record at a discounted price in the near future.

(CD and downloadable iterations of "Western Medicine" will also be made available -- individually and as accessories attendant to the vinyl release.)

News: Broken Rock for Broken Brains

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0800

After a more than two-year absence, Kill Rock Stars act The Paper Chase is bringing their jagged noise pop back from Texas to San Francisco. This is a big deal.

Supporting The Paper Chase will be Oakland's very own punk disciplinarians, Generalissimo.

Opening the night is slippery New York spastic indie rock outfit, Kiss Kiss.

This certifiably unique rock event will be held at The Hemlock Tavern on Sunday, March 28. It is not the show to miss. Doors open early at 8pm. Don't be tardy.

News: Get Some Skin In the Game

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Generalissimo has contributed a song from the forthcoming "Western Medicine" LP to a compilation dedicated to putting the burn on small government arch-schemer, Karl Rove. This will be the first recording from the October Louder Studio sessions to see the light of day. Other bands on the compilation include:

The compilation will be named "Courage and Consequence" and is slated for release just before the March publication of Karl Rove's memior of the same name.

A donation of $20 gets you a pre-order of the compilation on vinyl as well as downloads of the songs and helps this much-needed middle finger to closet anarchism see the light of day. The deadline for pre-orders is January 31, 1:35 post meridiem, Pacific Standard Time: donate now.

News: Generals for the Creative Reuse of Lampposts

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800

In anticipation of the release of closet anarchist Karl Rove's memiors of his trailblazing chicken hawkdom, a compilation of sonic recollections of Rove's gross misdeeds, Courage and Consequence: The Unabridged Audio, will be publicly unveiled in all 12 inches of its aggressively righteous vinyl fury. On March 3, 2010, at San Francisco's Elbo Room, come together with:

Generalissimo, Oakland's one and only grandiloquent exponents of violent order
Cartographer, a truly singular two-man exercise in deafening precision and power
Assistant Cobra, the female-fronted Bay Area super group so secretive they don’t even know if they exist, and
special guest emcee Jason Myers, rock and roll author and San Francisco resident responsible for the novels Exit Here and The Mission

... to do your part in preserving a truly fair and balanced chronicle of the first decade of our New American Century.

News: Reeducation Demonstration (Exercise IV): In Memoriam

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0800

In this time of daunting adversity, when viability depends upon vigorous action, there are those who would have the tenets of their so-called morality cripple our body politic. These advantaged solipsists hold unfettered individualism and the primacy of private property to be worthy of higher regard than the very society that allows their myopic ideology to exist.

Selfless suffering is the prerogative of the individual, not the nation. What better occasion than a day of remembrance for the war dead to remind the closet anarchists of this distinction? The fourth Reeducation Demonstration will prevail as an approbation of ruthless statism by bringing the talents of three heretofore divergent ventures into concert:

The magisterial high modernism of Generalissimo
The unyielding urgency of Police Teeth, and
The consummate professionalism of Moggs

Let those who would condemn our nation to sainthood find martyrdom on crosses of their own making!

Reeducation persists on May 25, 2009 at Thee Parkside in San Francisco.

News: Righteous, Fearless, Indefatigable

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

In recognition of those anonymous elements for whom the original December 6 poster was too provocative to leave unmolested, we present an alternate design:

Understanding will always define the bounds of courage. Where rigidity yields hardship, resilience reaps triumph.

The march of historical inevitablity continues on December 6 at Kimo's in San Francisco. Avail yourself of this opportunity to add your voice to the chorus of the ascendant.

News: In Commemoration of Armistice Day

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

On this day in 1918, the dissolution of European empires begun more than a century before at the hands of Napolean Bonaparte was decisively realized. The Dual Monarchy and German Empire followed the recently deceased Russian Empire into oblivion with the Ottoman State close behind. Massive swaths of territory were thrown into play as endless divisions of ideology, ethnicity and nationality embarked upon an increasingly violent competition for geographic ascendancy.

Today, our atomized human species, armed with multiple alarmingly accessible means of achieving complete self-destruction -- environmental as well as military -- faces challenges of such colossal proportion that nothing short of perfectly coordinated, precisely directed effort can give us any hope for salvation.

Picayune ethno-nationalist considerations abound and are all-too-readily adopted as pet causes on both the right and the left. A menace of global dimensions, however, requires a global response and in this age we face a multitude of such menaces. Consensus building is a luxury no longer within the means of humankind.

Twenty million perished in the "War to End All Wars." Due to its chaotic aftermath, more again have perished in the century since. On this Armistice Day, let us pay honor to all of their memories by declaring a true war to end all wars: a war against disorder.

News: Righty Tighty, Lefty Loosey

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Rarely bridged is the gap between political activism and political sophistication. The impotence of divisiveness betrays an embarrassingly puerile temperament among the American Left. Our vociferous proponents of progress would do well to take a cue from the superstitious and the retrograde: children should be seen but not heard.

On December 6, 2009 at Kimo's Penthouse Lounge in San Francisco, Generalissimo will be abetted by:

the righteous incorrigibility of Seattle's Police Teeth, and
the renowned throw-weight of Oakland-based Truxton

... in the presentation of a long-overdue lesson in civics.

Shut up and get in line.

News: A Specter is Haunting America...

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The specter of Western Medicine.

On the second and third weekends of October 2009, the ten songs that will constitute the forthcoming Generalissimo LP, "Western Medicine," were tracked, overdubbed, and mixed at Louder Studios in San Francisco, California.

Generals in the studio

Clocking in just under 28 minutes, recorded immediately after Generalissimo's return from tour, and produced with the capable handling of Tim Green as well as the ruthless scrutiny of Chopper...

The dual Consuls of Louder Studios

... "Western Medicine" is an exercise in focused strength, brutal efficiency, and well-conditioned capability. At long last, the fully functional machine that is Generalissimo -- five men, five amplifiers, three guitars, bass, and drums -- has been captured on tape.

Deflowering a virgin reel of 2" Quantegy GP9

Look for a release in early 2010.

News: Reeducation Demonstration (Exercise V)

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Dissolution and entropy loom over America. Our coffers and cupboards have been ruthlessly laid bare. The vanguard of our nation's disgrace implores us to display understanding and mercy.

Refuse this entreaty! Oakland's broken rock juggernaut of unrepentant authoritarianism, Generalissimo, demands redress and is joined in a call for radical state intervention by San Francisco-based subsonic explorers Mariana Trench.

Also in attendance will be special guest DJ Sergeant Stadenko, who will elucidate for the benighted masses the finer points of ketamine rock appreciation

The entitled élites would sell us a bill of unfortunate coincidence to explain the degeneration of our state. Compensation will be provided in pounds of their own flesh.

Reeducation persists on August 21, 2009 at the Starry Plough in Berkeley.

News: Generals on Parade

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The Generalissimo expeditionary venture into the Great Wet North was a grand success. Acclaim is due to our tour-mates, Ovipositor, who at all times demonstrated a perfect balance of professional courtesy and casual calm all the while delivering performances of extremely high caliber. A quick wrap up:

Chico. We came. We saw. We stupefied.

Portland. Quality outstripped quantity. Good times were had. Go check out East Wenatchee Iowa (née Cougar).

A wolf ate our stuff in Portland

Bellingham: This might just be the new home of rock music. Patronize Jinx Art Space. Treat yourself to some Police Teeth.

Getting paid in Bellingham

Seattle: Fed and watered, allowed to rock, and sent home in good health and spirits. Slim's Last Chance treats bands (and food) very well. The DTs rock.

News: The Idea of North

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0800

It's all true. We're bringing it to your doorstep. Details.

News: Ovipostor & Generalissimo Tour Inaugural Ball

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Generalissimo and Ovipositor are embarking on a joint foray into the Pacific Northwest. Inaugural festivities will be held on September 26, 2009 at the Hemlock Tavern in San Francisco and will feature the rarely seen Cartographer.

As-yet unseen Generalissimo athletic tank tops will be made available for the first time at this event.

News: El Sendero Luminoso Hacia el Norte

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Generalissimo, in a joint venture with Oakland's renowned Ovipositor, is setting its sights on the Pacific Northwest. Watch for early October engagements in Portland, Seattle, and elsewhere between San Francisco and the Great Wet North.

Take heed, exponents of entropy -- Generalissimo comes bearing oblivion!

Particulars will be posted in short order.

News: First Episodic Radical Statist Expeditionary Junket

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Avail yourself of the bounty of our one and only Summer 2009 educational venture into San Francisco! Generalissimo invades SOMA along with:

Loom, Salt Lake City-based purveyors of aggressive sonic proficiency, and
Ghost Echoes, the rarified flower of San Francisco's broken underground.

We've come to make history, not music.

Bear witness on June 24, 2009 at Annie's Social Club in San Francisco.

News: The Inexorable Advance of Generalissimo

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The Memorial Day Reeducation Demonstration was an unqualified success. Moggs initialized the proceedings with their particular brand of angular yet hypnotic audiophiliac rock. Police Teeth then tenderized the attendees with hammer blows of raw rock aggression through a marinade of shameless pop hooks. Generalissimo rounded out the exposition with a half hour of radical statist anthems, sending the resolute audience home in productive inspiration for the work week at the eminently reasonable hour of 11:30, post meridiem. Photographic documentation has been posted online courtesy of Ovipositor's Colin Frangos.

The next and only Summer 2009 Generalissimo performance in San Francisco is scheduled for June 24 at Annie's Social Club. Generalissimo will be joined by Salt Lake City's precision post-hardcore act, Loom, and another, as yet unannounced act. Check back soon for additional details.