Far and away the biggest name to emerge from the Boston hardcore scene,
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
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 to Hell"/"Alcohol," the latter of which became a staple of the band's live act (both the song and the substance). The EP
Drunk and Disorderly, Boston MA followed in 1986, as did the band's first-ever full-length album,
Another Wasted Night (on Taang). Featuring a jokey, attention-grabbing cover of
Til Tuesday's "Voices Carry,"
Another Wasted Night attracted a cult following that grew steadily over the next few years.
The Stilphen brothers subsequently left to form a metal band called
Mallet-Head. After a brief interlude with guitarist Tony Nichols (also of the metal band
Meliah Rage), the Stilphens were replaced more permanently by guitarist
Fritz Erickson and bassist
Joe Gittleman for
Gang Green's 1987 Roadrunner debut,
You Got It (which was immediately preceded by another EP,
P.M.R.C. Sucks). Bucking the dominant
Gang Green trend, both Erickson and
Gittleman stuck around for awhile, completing the 1988 EP
I81B4U (a parody of
Van Halen's
OU812) and a second album, 1989's
Older...Budweiser.
Gittleman then made his exit, later joining
the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and was replaced by former
D.R.I. bassist Josh Pappe for the 1990 concert set
Can't Live Without It.
Roadrunner subsequently dropped the band, spelling the end of their second and most successful incarnation.
Doherty and
Betzger formed a
Green Day-styled punk-pop outfit called
Klover, which released one album on Mercury in 1995 before imploding under label difficulties.
Doherty then reconvened
Gang Green for a third go-round, this time with drummer
Walter Gustafson (ex-
Outlets), guitarist
Bob Cenci (ex-
Jerry's Kids), and bassist
Matt Sandonato (also of the Chubs). This lineup recorded an entirely new album,
Another Case of Brewtality, for Taang in 1997, covering much the same subject matter that
Gang Green always had. An EP,
Back and Gacked, followed in 1998. While the group has been silent on record, they continued to perform live, chiefly around the bars of Boston, on into the new millennium.
–
Steve Huey, Rovi