MDC

MDC (Millions of Dead Cops) is an American hardcore punk band formed in Austin, Texas in 1979.

MDC originally formed as The Stains before changing their name. Playing hyperspeed punk rock associated with far left sociopolitical issues has earned the band close association with Jello Biafra and the Dead Kennedys, as well as numerous other US punk bands of the early eighties. The band was also unique in frequently changing their name to a different initialism of MDC with every new record released.

MDC's intitial run ended in 1995, and the band spent five years on hiatus before returning in 2000 with new members.

Career

Early years

Formed in 1979 as The Stains and playing their first gig under this name in April 1980, MDC were one of three pioneering hardcore punk bands in Austin, Texas, in the early '80s, alongside The Dicks and Big Boys. These bands frequently played together and established the Austin hardcore scene. They released one single as the Stains in 1981, featuring a slower version of the future MDC song "John Wayne Was a Nazi" backed with "Born to Die". Both songs were later released on the debut MDC album.

1980s

By 1982 the band had relocated to San Francisco, California, and renamed themselves MDC. By this point the band were active participants in the growing hardcore scene and released their debut LP Millions of Dead Cops on their own label, R Radical; Jello Biafra's Alternative Tentacles helped with distribution

. The album is now widely considered a punk classic, and features songs such as "John Wayne Was a Nazi", "Dick for Brains", and the harsh criticism of the police, "I Remember". Other targets of criticism devoid of irony included capitalism ("Corporate Death Burger"), homophobia ("America's So Straight"), and American culture ("Violent Rednecks").
During the summer of 1982 they became involved in the Rock Against Reagan Tour, during which time they fell out with the band Bad Brains when Rastafarian singer H.R. learned that Big Boys' singer , Randy Turner, was gay. H.R. and MDC's Dave Dictor had an intense confrontation. Upon Bad Brains' departure from the bill, they refused to return a loan owed to Big Boys and instead left a note that reportedly read, "burn in hell bloodclot faggot."
The incident resulted in the MDC song Pay to Come Along.For MDC, 1982 ended with a tour of Europe with the Dead Kennedys which brought the band greater exposure in the punk scene outside of the U.S., especially in the UK.

Their involvement in the Rock Against Reagan activities continued through 1983 and they returned to recording with the EP "Multi-Death Corporations" which was distributed in the UK by British anarcho-punk label Crass Records and R Radical in the U.S. The EP broke new ground by addressing, in the lengthy liner notes and artwork, the growth of corporations and the violent suppression of Communism in Central America. In 1984 they released another EP, Millions of Dead Children (also known as Chicken Squawk), this time dealing with Vegetarian and Vegan issues via a cowpunk tune.

Smoke Signals was released in 1986, their second album featuring a more diverse style than previously, with a foray into '70s rock with the song "South Africa Is Free". This album also saw Gordon Fraser's first appearance as

1990s

The 1990s opened with a number of lineup changes, swiftly followed by the 1991 album Hey Cop! If I Had a Face Like Yours..., featuring Bill Collins on guitar and Matt Freeman (of Operation Ivy) on bass. The acclaimed Shades of Brown album appeared in 1993, released by New Red Archives in the U.S. and We Bite in Europe. The album featured the Hip-Hop vegetarian song "Real Food, Real People, Real Bullets". The band, now with guitarist Chris Wilder and bassist Erica Liss, marked the album with a tour of the former Soviet Union, making MDC the first American punk band to tour Russia. This was followed by two more European tours and several U.S. tours until 1995, where began a lull in the band's activity. The lack of new recorded material (other than a 7-inch release on Slap-a-Ham Records) and live performances after 1994, plus personal problems of band members, pointed to an informal break-up of the band.

2000s

MDC's singer, Dave Dictor, returned with an entirely new backing line-up in 2000, and MDC released a new album, Magnus Dominus Corpus, in 2004. They took part in a 25th anniversary world tour in 2005, with an all-original lineup. Following the death of Mikey Donaldson in September 2007, MDC has been touring the U.S. and Europe extensively with the Dictor/Posner/Smith/Schvitz lineup.

Recently, the band has been based in Portland, Oregon.

Lineup

Original members

Dave Dictor, Vocals
Ron Posner, Guitar
Michael Donaldson, Bass
Al Schvitz, Drums

Later lineup

Dave Dictor, Vocals
Ron Posner, Guitar
Franco Mares, Bass
Al Batross, Drums
Matt Van Cura, Bass
Brendan Bekowies, Guitar
Dejan Podobnik, Drums
Brady Green, Backup Vocals
Matt Freeman, Bass (for one tour)

2000 - 2002 Europe and USA tours lineup

Dave Dictor, Vocals
Brendan Bekowies, Guitar
Matt Van Cura, Bass
Al Batross, Drums

One song on "MAGNUS DOMINUS CORPUS" reflects this line up, the song "Sick of It"
which had been recorded a year or so before that album was made. A version of
"I Remember," played in the style that this lineup often performed it live,
was also recorded but never released. Before the 2002 European tour, drummer
Al Batross and Guitarist Brendon Bekowies left the band and were replaced by
original guitarist Ron Posner (rejoining the band for the first time in many
years) and New York City based drummer, Mike Pride.

2006 + 2007 Europe tour lineup

Dave Dictor, Vocals
Ron Posner, Guitar
Michael "Offender" Donaldson, Bass
Dejan Podobnik, Drums

Tour assist: D.I.Y.

2008 Europe tour lineup

Dave Dictor, Vocals
Ron Posner, Guitar
Mike Smith, Bass
Felix Griffin, Drums

Tour assist: D.I.Y.

2008 America Tour lineup (August)

Dave Dictor, Vocals
Russ Kalita, Guitar
Mike Smith, Bass
Al Schvitz, Drums

Tour assist: D.I.Y.

2009 America Tour lineup (March-April)

Dave Dictor, Vocals
Russ Kalita, Guitar
Mad Mike Smith, Bass
Al Schvitz, Drummer

2009 NorthWestern America Tour line-up (Aug-Sept)

Dave Dictor, Vocals
Ron Posner, Guitar
Russ Kalita, Guitar
Mad Mike Smith, Bass
Al Schvitz, Drummer

Tour Assist
Roadie/Driver/GoToGuy, Jacob Foster
Tour Manager/Driver/Bad Influence, Michele Rutherford

Variations on MDC initials

Millions of Dead Cops is the most common incarnation of the MDC intitials used by the band and has today become the official meaning of the band's initials, as used on their official Myspace.com music page. However, past incarnations have included Multi-Death Corporation, Millions of Dead Children, Millions of Dead Christians, Millions of Dead Congressmen, Millions of Damn Christians, Millions of Dead Contractors, Metal Devil Cokes, and recently Magnus Dominus Corpus.

Side Projects

In 1997 Dave Dictor, along with Tom "Pig Champion" Roberts of Poison Idea, released "An Anvil Will Wear Out Many A Hammer" with their band The Submissives.

Miscellaneous information

trivia

Boxcar Dave was an acoustic version of MDC. In one incarnation, this included MDC friend and collaborator Lydia Paweski. Dictor and Paweski performed several live shows, adding songs by Michelle Shocked and Johnny Cash. Boxcar Dave in its current form is now known under the name MDC Unplugged
Tim Armstrong of the band Rancid served as a roadie for the band's 1993 tour.
Matt Freeman of Rancid played bass for the band on their 1991 tour.
The band is referenced in a song from They Might Be Giants' 1986 debut album. The line from "Rhythm Section Want Ad" states, "If you dig Menudo or MDC, we salute you the way we know."
Kurt Cobain had the cassette tape Millions of Dead Cops in his pocket when he was arrested for vandalism.

In the documentary Kurt Cobain About a Son, the MDC song "My Family's Just a Little Weird" was used.

Dave appears in the Leftöver Crack intro on Deadline, the band's split with Citizen Fish.
The band is also referenced in a song from NOFX's 2003 album, The War on Errorism. The verse from "13 Stitches" states, "The next time I went to the Whisky, it was D.O.A. with Millions of Dead Cops"
Punk hardcore band Common Enemy referenced MDC in their song "British Invasion".

Discography

Cleanup

Singles/EPs

Stains - "John Wayne was a Nazi" 7", R Radical Records, 1980
Millions of Dead Cops - "John Wayne was a Nazi" 7", R Radical Records, 1981
Multi-Death Corporations - "Multi-Death Corporations" EP, Crass Records, 1983
Millions of Dead Children - "Chicken Squawk" EP, R Radical Records, 1984

Albums

Millions of Dead Cops - Millions of Dead Cops LP, R Radical Records, 1982
MDC - Smoke Signals LP - R Radical Records, 1986
Millions of Damn Christians - ''This Blood's for You LP, R Radical Records, 1987
Metal Devil Cokes - Metal Devil Cokes: It's The Real Thing LP, Boner Records, 1989
Millions of Dead Cops - Hey Cop, If I Had A Face Like Yours: Millions Of Dead Cops II LP, R Radical Records, 1991
MDC - Shades of Brown LP, New Red Archives Records, 1993
Magnus Dominus Corpus CD-LP, Sudden Death Records, 2004

Splits

Millions of Dead Cops - Capitalist Casualties "Liberty Gone" Split 7", Slap a Ham, 1994
Millions of Dead Cops - Pig Champion Split 7", Honest Don's, 1997
MDC/Poison Idea split, 2004
Millions of Dead Cops - John The Baker Acoustic Split 7", Tank Crimes, 2006
Millions of Dead Cops - Potbelly Split 7", PB/Crash Assailant, 2008
Millions of Dead Cops - Riot Cop Split CD, Malarie, 2008

Live recordings

MDC - Elvis In The Rheinland: Live In Berlin LP, R Radical Records, 1989
MDC - Live In Maribor LP, 1990

Compilations

Rat Music for Rat People, Vol. 2 (CD Presents, 1984)
Millions of Dead Cops - More Dead Cops LP, 1988 (Compilation of EPs)
Millions of Dead Cops - Now More Than Ever LP, 2002 (Best Of Compilation)
Solid EP 7" (Crash Assailant, 2008)

Signed Music Artists