Editing State of Alert

{{Short description|American hardcore punk band}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians -->
| name = State of Alert
| image = 
| caption = 
| image_size = 
| background = group_or_band
| origin = [[Washington, D.C.]]
| years_active = 1980–1981
| genre = [[Hardcore punk]]
| label = [[Dischord Records|Dischord]]
| associated_acts = {{hlist|The Extorts|[[Black Flag (band)|Black Flag]]|[[Rollins Band]]|[[The Faith (American band)|The Faith]]|[[Embrace (American band)|Embrace]]|[[One Last Wish]]|The Snakes|[[Manifesto (band)|Manifesto]]|[[Paco (band)|Paco]]|[[Iron Cross (American band)|Iron Cross]]|Lethal Intent}}
| website = 
| current_members =  
| past_members = [[Henry Rollins]]<br/>[[Michael Hampton (punk musician)|Michael Hampton]]<br/>Wendel Blow<br/>Simon Jacobsen<br/>Ivor Hanson
}}

'''State of Alert''' (often abbreviated to '''S.O.A.''') was an American [[hardcore punk]] group formed in [[Washington, D.C.]], in October 1980, and active until July 1981.<ref name="Cogan, p. 306"/> S.O.A. was fronted by [[Henry Rollins]], then using his original surname Garfield.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.dischord.com/band/state-of-alert |title=Dischord Records: State of Alert |access-date=October 29, 2018 |archive-date=December 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171207072053/http://www.dischord.com/band/state-of-alert |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==History==
S.O.A. was formed in October 1980, after the members of a previous group, the Extorts, lost their vocalist [[Lyle Preslar]] and hired Rollins, then known by his birth name Henry Garfield.<ref name="Cogan, p. 306">Cogan, p. 306</ref> The original lineup consisted of Rollins (vocals), [[Michael Hampton (punk musician)|Michael Hampton]] (guitar), Wendel Blow (bass) and Simon Jacobsen (drums).

During December 1980 and January 1981, the group recorded the 10-song 7-inch [[extended play|EP]] ''[[No Policy]]'' at [[Inner Ear Studios]] in [[Arlington, Virginia]], produced by Skip Groff and engineered by Inner Ear owner [[Don Zientara]]. It was released on [[Dischord Records]] in March 1981, as the label's second release.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/SOA-No-Policy-EP/release/2403322 |title=S.O.A* - No Policy E.P (1981, Green Transparent, Vinyl) |website=Discogs.com |access-date=March 4, 2020}}</ref> ''No Policy'' was financed by Rollins, as Dischord was tied up in releasing [[Minor Threat]]'s debut EP.<ref>Azerrad, p. 132</ref>

Circa April 1981, drummer Jacobsen was replaced by Ivor Hanson. At the time, Hanson's father was a top admiral in the [[US Navy]] and his family shared living quarters with the vice president in the [[United States Naval Observatory|Naval Observatory]]. The band held their practices there and had to be let in by [[United States Secret Service|Secret Service]] agents.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://wjla.com/news/entertainment/a-brief-oral-history-of-henry-rollins-s-brief-career-in-d-c--8387 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119194742/https://wjla.com/news/entertainment/a-brief-oral-history-of-henry-rollins-s-brief-career-in-d-c--8387 |archive-date=November 19, 2018 |title=An incomplete oral history of Henry Rollins' D.C. years |first=Ryan |last=Kearney |date=February 9, 2012 |access-date=November 19, 2018 |url-status=live  }}</ref>

S.O.A. played a total of nine concerts in and around the eastern United States. Among them:
* '''1980-12-06''' - Washington, D.C. '''''(the first show)'''''
* '''1980-12-13''' - 1929 Calvert St., Washington, D.C.
* '''1980-12-17''' - Unheard Music Festival, D.C. Space, 7th & Enw., Washington, D.C.
* '''1980-12-18''' - Unheard Music Festival, D.C. Space, 7th & Enw., Washington, D.C.
* '''1981-01-10''' - The 9:30 Club, 930 F Street NW, Washington, D.C.
* '''1981-04-04''' - The Wilson Center, Washington, D.C.
* '''1981-07-10''' -  Philadelphia '''''(the last show)'''''

<ref>Cogan, p. 306-07</ref><ref name="Azerrad, p. 27"/>

Rollins later described their performances: "All of them were 11 to 14 minutes in duration because the songs were all like 40 seconds... and the rest of the time we were going, 'Are you ready? Are you ready?' Those gigs were poorly played songs in between 'Are you readys?"<ref name="Azerrad, p. 27">Azerrad, p. 27</ref>

Three S.O.A. songs ("I Hate the Kids", [[UK Subs]] cover "Disease" and [[Boyce and Hart]] cover "[[(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone|Stepping Stone Party]]") were posthumously included on the influential Dischord compilation ''[[Flex Your Head]]'', issued in January 1982.<ref>{{cite web|author=Justin M. Norton |url=http://www.stereogum.com/1179562/13-essential-dc-hardcore-albums/franchises/list/ |title=13 Essential DC Hardcore Albums |website=Stereogum.com |date=October 17, 2012 |access-date=March 4, 2020}}</ref>

''No Policy'' was later included, in its entirety, on the Dischord compilations ''Four Old 7-inchs on a 12-inch'' (1984) and ''Dischord 1981: The Year in Seven Inches'' (1995). In 2014, Dischord issued a 7-inch EP of early demos, titled ''[[First Demo 12/29/80]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://dischord.com/release/177/first-demo-122980 |title=Dischord 177 / SOA / First Demo 12/29/80 |website=Dischord Records |access-date=December 13, 2023}}</ref>

==Legacy and other projects==
Today, S.O.A. is remembered primarily as Rollins' first band – before he joined [[Black Flag (band)|Black Flag]] and then founded [[Rollins Band]] – but also as an example of early [[Washington DC Hardcore|"DC hardcore"]] and an influence on other bands such as Detroit's [[Negative Approach]] and New York City's [[Agnostic Front]].<ref name="Blush, 138"/>

Hampton and Hanson went on to form [[The Faith (American band)|the Faith]] in 1981 with [[Alec MacKaye]] (brother of [[Ian MacKaye]]),<ref name="Blush, 138">Blush, 138</ref> and then [[Embrace (American band)|Embrace]] with Ian MacKaye in 1985. In 1986, Hampton joined [[One Last Wish]] with [[Guy Picciotto]] ([[Fugazi]], [[Rites of Spring]]) and [[Brendan Canty]] (Deadline, Fugazi, Rites of Spring).,<ref name="Cogan, p. 306"/><ref name="Blush, 138"/> and also played in the Snakes. Moving to [[indie rock]], Hampton joined forces again with Hanson to form [[Manifesto (band)|Manifesto]] in 1988,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/292673 |title=Manifesto &#124; Discography |website=Discogs.com |access-date=March 4, 2020}}</ref> and later played with members of [[Ivy (band)|Ivy]] in [[Paco (band)|Paco]].

Blow went on to play in [[Iron Cross (American band)|Iron Cross]] and Lethal Intent.<ref name="Blush, 138"/>

==Band members==
'''Former members'''
* [[Henry Rollins|Henry Garfield]] − lead vocals <small>(1980−1981)</small>
* [[Michael Hampton (punk musician)|Michael Hampton]] − guitar <small>(1980−1981)</small>
* Wendel Blow − bass <small>(1980−1981)</small>
* Simon Jacobsen − drums <small>(1980−1981)</small>
* Ivor Hanson − drums <small>(1981)</small>

==Discography==
===EPs===
* ''[[No Policy]]'' 7-inch (1981, [[Dischord Records|Dischord]])
* ''[[First Demo 12/29/80]]'' 7-inch (2014, Dischord)

===Compilation appearances===
*"I Hate the Kids", "Disease" and "[[(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone|Stepping Stone Party]]" on ''[[Flex Your Head]]'' (1982, Dischord)
*complete ''No Policy'' on ''Four Old 7-inchs on a 12-inch'' (1984, Dischord)
*complete ''No Policy'' on ''Dischord 1981: The Year in Seven Inches'' (1995, Dischord)
*"Public Defender" on ''[[20 Years of Dischord|20 Years Of Dischord (1980 - 2000)]]'' box set (2002, Dischord)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book
|last=Azerrad
|first=Michael
|title=Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981-1991
|url=https://archive.org/details/ourbandcouldbeyo00mich
|url-access=registration
|year=2001
|publisher=Little, Brown and Company
|isbn=0-316-78753-1}}

* {{cite book
|last = Blush
|first = Steven
|author-link = Steven Blush
|year = 2001
|title = [[American Hardcore: A Tribal History]]
|publisher = [[Feral House]]
|location = New York
|isbn=0-922915-71-7}}

* {{cite book
|last=Cogan
|first=Brian
|title=The Encyclopedia of Punk
|year=2008
|publisher=Sterling
|isbn=978-1-4027-5960-4}}

==External links==
* [http://www.dischord.com/band/state-of-alert State of Alert at Dischord Records] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171207072053/http://www.dischord.com/band/state-of-alert |date=December 7, 2017 }}

{{Black Flag}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Hardcore punk groups from Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Straight edge groups]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1980]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1981]]
[[Category:Dischord Records artists]]
[[Category:1980 establishments in Washington, D.C.]]