Genetic Control


Genetic Control is a Canadian hardcore punk band from Montreal, Quebec, whose "First Impressions" single is a sought after item for punk record collectors. They existed from 1983 to 1986, and then reunited in 1998. They played with many bands such as the Dead Kennedys, Charged GBH and Suicidal Tendencies. They were also known for the comical disguises they wore on stage.

History

Genetic Control began in 1983 when two bands came together: Mike Price, Rob Huppé and Doug Crevier from the band "Out Of Step". Before "Out Of Step", Huppe and Crevier had played as an instrumental three-piece consisting of Huppe on guitar, Crevier on bass and Alex Soria on drums. They didn't have a band name at that time. Soria was also the singer in a band called The Nils, who were also just starting out. As it turns out Soria was not their drummer, but was just drumming with them as they did not have a regular drummer. Soria was working on getting the Nils happening at the time. Mike Price approached Huppé and Crevier and asked them if they wanted to start a band; "Out of Step" was formed. However, they never played a real show during this time. They just wrote during this time and played small shows at the BBC, their rehearsal space for friends. The drummer during this period was Marc Doucet from Moncton, New Brunswick. The band started jamming and playing lots of covers by Bad Religion, Minor Threat, and the Bad Brains.
Mark left the band in 1983 and moved back to Halifax. Around this time, the remaining members started thinking about looking for a new drummer. Someone suggested that drummer Mike Brisbois and guitar player Rob Porter were looking for a singer and a bass player. They were called "Drunken Disturbance", formerly of "Terry Fox's Right Leg". The two bands united and immediately started jamming. The first gig Genetic Control played was at Club Cargo on St. Dennis Street on February 2, 1984.
The name "Genetic Control" was taken from a lyric from the song "Get 'em out by Friday", from the album Foxtrot by the band Genesis. The name was also influenced by George Orwell and Aldus Huxley. Genetic Control was an organization that was in charge of designing people in the future from Huxley's novel Brave New World.
Porter and Brisbois used to beat each other up all the time. They would show up at rehearsal with black eyes and bruises. They were roommates, worked together and played in the same band. The other members had to make a choice, and since Brisbois was a songwriter, as a result Brisbois was asked to leave.
Louis Leveque was then added from the local band Unruled, which played a lot of Discharge and GBH influenced music. Leveque was about 16 or 17 and had played with a Genesis cover band before joining Unruled. He was by far the best drummer in any of the punk bands in Montreal at the time. Once he joined, the band went to a whole new level musically.
The band used to jam the entire album Killer by Alice Cooper, and rehearsed four or five times a week.
Influenced by Minor Threat and the Bad Brains, the band established itself in an old apartment block which also served as a rehearsal space for local bands. It was dubbed the BBC, which gave birth to the 1980s Montreal hardcore scene.
The band's songs are in the form of short stories, depicting people and situations as the band sees them. The band first released the song "Suburban Life" on the Primitive Air-Raid compilation album on Psyche Industry Records in 1984.
They wanted to record an album in 1984, but they did not have sufficient funds, and settled for a single release. "First Impressions" was released on Generic Records, and only 500 copies were pressed. Singer Mike Price recorded while on crutches, after he was hurt in the mosh pit during one of their first shows. They also recorded an album in 1985, but there were no master tapes made, as the band opted instead for just a cassette recording, as they could not afford to pay for the multitrack tape, a decision the band and many fans have regretted over the years.
The band was supposed to go on tour but shortly after, failing to release their LP, they split up because of conflicts between their members.
In the years after, their single, which was already very rare, became one of the most sought after collectibles by punk rock record collectors all around the world, fetching as much as $500 on eBay during the 1990s. This prompted the German label Lost & Found Records, to press a bootleg of the 7" on CD, with the song "Suburban Life" as a bonus track. However, the band were never paid for the article.
Genetic Control reunited in 1998 for the Les Foufounes Électriques 15-year anniversary, playing a few shows during the summer. They then started to play regularly again, even though some members were by then in Toronto, and others in Vancouver and Montreal. In 2005, they released Brave New World on Sonik's Chicken Shrimp Records, which was taken from one of their 1998 concerts, and included a new song, the original 7" single and "Suburban Life". It became the first of the Sonik's Chicken Shrimp Records releases to go out of print.

Personnel

Singles