No Trend

No Trend was an American noise rock and hardcore punk group from Ashton, Maryland, formed in 1982. They were considered anti-hardcore, with the members, especially guitarist and lyricist Frank Price, vehement about their abhorrence towards the punk youth subculture. The band was known for their confrontational stage performances, which normally involved aggressively baiting their punk audience.[1] They were influenced by Public Image Ltd. and Flipper.

No Trend
Background information
OriginAshton, Maryland, United States
GenresJazz rock, no wave, post-hardcore, noise rock
Years active1982–1988
LabelsNo Trend, Touch and Go, Blast First Petite, Teen Beat
Associated actsLydia Lunch, The Aborted
Past membersDean Evangelista
Eric Leifert
Jeff Mentges (Vocals)
Greg Miller
Brian Nelson
Buck Parr
James Peachey
Frank Price (Guitar)
Jack Anderson
Michael Salkind (Drums)
Bob Strasser (Bass)
Chrisine Niblack (bass)

They released three full-length albums, two released independently and one issued through Touch and Go Records. A fourth album that was recorded in 1987 but never released was finally issued as More in 2001.

History

No Trend formed in 1982 in Ashton, Maryland and consisted of Jeff Mentges (vocals), Bob Strasser (bass), Frank Price (guitar), and Michael Salkind (drums). Prior to No Trend, Mentges, Salkind, Strasser and Brad Pumphrey (guitar) were a band called the Aborted; they nearly played out with Government Issue.[2] No Trend formed as a reaction against the growing punk rock movement of the time. Their early period has been described as "dark" and "nihilistic". The group intended to write a single song for one performance only, but the group soon wrote enough material for a release: their debut extended play, the Teen Love EP, a 7" independently issued by the band.[3] In August of 1983, Strasser and Salkind left the band. Jack Anderson (bass) and Greg Miller (drums) joined and the quintet released their first full-length studio album, titled Too Many Humans, which met moderate success within the American underground music scene. In the spring of 1984 the band rerecorded the Teen Love 7” and released it as a 12” with two additional tracks.

After an aborted tour during the summer of 1984, Price, Anderson and Miller all left the group, leaving Mentges as the only member of the group. Mentges would later get other musicians to join the band, and the newly reformed No Trend would go back in studio to record their second record, A Dozen Dead Roses, which was released in 1985. This record featured a significant change in sound when compared to the cold, noisy tone found on previous releases. The record featured vocalist Lydia Lunch contributing to multiple songs. The songs that featured Lunch were released previously on the 10" extended play Heart of Darkness through her label Widowspeak Productions. She also issued a No Trend compilation album in 1986, titled When Death Won't Solve Your Problems, through the same label.[4]

The band would later be signed to Touch and Go Records and would release their third album, Tritonian Nash-Vegas Polyester Complex, through them in 1986. A fourth album was recorded in 1987, but after they showed the label the record, Touch and Go refused to release it, deeming that it was "too weird" to release. They were unable to find a label to release the album, effectively putting an end to the band.[5] The album would remain unreleased until Morphious Archives, a label that specializes in releasing obscure records, gained the rights to release the album. It was finally issued in 2001 as More.

After the group's official disbandment, Jeff Mentges attended the University of Maryland as a film student, and subsequently directed the John Holmes biographical film Of Flesh and Blood in 1990.[5][6] Founding member and original No Trend guitarist Frank Price committed suicide in 1989, which brought shock to both members and fans of the band.[7][8] A compilation of unreleased studio and live tracks was released through TeenBeat Records in 1995, titled The Early Months.[9]

Musical Style

The band originally started out as a noise rock outfit, with critics comparing their sound to hardcore punk and industrial music. As shown on Teen Love and, to a greater extent, Too Many Humans, the band's music typically revolved around Bob Strasser's repetitive basslines. Michael Salkind's drums were quick-paced, and Frank Price's guitar riffs were mostly composed of guitar feedback. Their sound quickly changed with A Dozen Dead Roses, which focused much more on jazz rock, funk music, and experimental rock to a lesser extent.Tritonian Nash-Vegas Polyester Complex dug deeper into the musical stylings of A Dozen Dead Roses, and More included major classic rock influences.

Members
  • Jeff Mentges - Vocals (1982 - 1988)
  • Frank Price - Guitar (1982 - 1984)
  • Bob Strasser - Bass (1982 - 1984)
  • Stephan "Chazz" Jacobs - Electric Cello and Percussion (1982-1983)
  • Christine Niblack - Bass (1983 tour)
  • Michael Salkind - Drums (1982 - 1983)
  • Jack Anderson - Bass (1983 - 1984)
  • Greg Miller - Drums (1983 - 1984)
  • Danny "Spidako" Demetro - Keyboards (1985 - 1986)
  • Robert "Smokey" Marymont - Bass (1985 - 1988)
  • Dean Evangelista - Guitar, keyboards (1985 - 1988)
  • Benard Demassy - Saxophone (1985 - 1986)
  • Ken Rudd - Drums (1985 - 1986)
  • James "Fuzz" Peachy - Drums (1986 - 1988)
  • Nick Smiley - Saxophone (1986 - 1988)
  • Scott Rafal - Saxophone (1986 - 1988)
  • Johnny Ontego - Saxophone (1986 - 1988)
  • Paul Henzy - Trumpet (1986 - 1988)
  • Leif - Guitar (1986 - 1988)
  • Bobby Birdsong - Guitar (1986 - 1988)
  • Rogelio Maxwell - Cello (1986 - 1988)
  • Chris Pestelozzie - Percussion (1986 - 1988)

Timeline

Discography
Studio albums
Compilations
  • When Death Won't Solve Your Problems (1986, Widowspeak Productions)
  • The Early Months (1995, TeenBeat)
  • You Deserve Your Life (2018, Digital Regress)
  • Too Many Humans / Teen Love (2020, Drag City)
EPs

References
  1. Andersen, Mark; Jenkins, Mark (2009). Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's Capital. Akashic Books. p. 126. ISBN 9781933354996. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
  2. n/a (2010-10-02). "No Trend, No Scene, No Movement: No Trend, the Early Years". onechorisenough.blogspot.com. Blogspot/Google. Retrieved 2017-09-24.
  3. n/a (2010-07-15). "No Trend Interview". yellowgreenred.com. Blogspot/Google. Retrieved 2017-09-24.
  4. McCaleb, Ian (2007). "No Trend". Trouser Press. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
  5. Little, Michael H. (April 25, 2013). "Ugly Dwarf: The Story of No Trend". thevinyldistrict.com. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
  6. Porter, Christopher (2010-08-10). "High Hopes and Low Budgets: Jeff Mentges, 'Of Flesh and Blood,' at AFI Silver". washingtonpost.com. Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
  7. Mamone, Jordan N. (January 15, 2002). "No Trend Didn't Just Go Against the Grain, They Shoved It in the Faces of the Pretentious Hardcore Fans". New York Post. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
  8. Sunderman, Zack. "No Trend". TeenBeat Records. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
  9. Beaujon, Andrew (April 2004). "Essential Hardcore". Spin. Vol. 20 no. 4. p. 50. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
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