Gang Green

Far and away the biggest name to emerge from the Boston hardcore scene, Gang Green was an unabashed party band specializing in beer-soaked, warp-speed three-chord thrash. Obsessed with beer, skateboarding, sex, and more beer, the group slowly added stronger hints of heavy metal as their career wore on, but otherwise followed much the same blueprint both musically and lyrically. Predictable though they may have been, their simple party-hearty philosophy, coupled with their irreverent streak of humor, was not only cultishly adored but influential as well, exerting an undeniable pull on the frat-friendly Orange County punk scene. Lead singer/guitarist Chris Doherty was the lone constant in the lineup, and managed to keep "the King of Bands" (as they were dubbed, from the Budweiser slogan) going off and on for more than two decades. Chris Doherty formed the first incarnation of Gang Green in 1982, along with bassist Bill Manley and drummer Mike Dean. This lineup cut seven tracks (none longer than a minute and a half) for the scene-documenting compilation This Is Boston Not L.A. (on Modern Method), but soon disbanded. One more Gang Green track appeared posthumously on Modern Method's 1983 EP Unsafe at Any Speed, and the remainder of their studio recordings appeared on a three-song EP for Taang, Sold Out, in 1984. (All of this material was later reissued on the CD Preschool in 1997.) In the meantime, Doherty joined another local punk band, Jerry's Kids, and later moved on to Stranglehold and the ska band the Cheapskates (a forerunner of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones). Doherty struck out on his own to re-form Gang Green in 1985, along with Jerry's Kids drummer Brian Betzger and the Stilphen brothers, Chuck (guitar) and Glen (bass). This lineup debuted with the 7" single "Skate...