Antiseen Biography
There have been countless three-chord shock punk bands over the years, but few have lasted as long and played with such continuous vigour as Antiseen. Originating from Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, the band has been together in one form or another since 1983, although vocalist Jeff Clayton and guitarist Joe Young have been mainstays throughout. Clayton's lyrical subject matter is often designed to provoke certain members of society (namely animal rights and religious groups), a stance he has unapologetically adopted since the band's early days. With a line-up originally comprising Clayton, Young, Tom O'Keefe (bass), and Doug Throgmorton (drums), Antiseen did not get around to issuing any official recordings until five years after their formation, but after debuting with 1988's Honour Among Thieves, they made up for lost time by issuing subsequent albums at a steady rate. Numerous drummers passed through the band's ranks during this period, including Steve Sadler, Greg Clayton, and Barry Hannible. Antiseen found a kindred spirit in the form of fellow sleaze rocker G.G. Allin, and when Allin died in 1993, Clayton briefly served as a replacement in his band the Murder Junkies for a stretch of live dates in 1995. Clayton returned to Antiseen to record a string of further albums, including 1996's Here To Ruin Your Groove, 1999's Rock 'N' Roll Terrorist, and 2001's The Boys From Brutalsville. The early twenty-first century saw Antiseen remain busy, as Young made a surprisingly successful run at becoming a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives, while the band celebrated their 20th anniversary with a show in their home town of Charlotte in April 2003.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
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