Overkill L.A.
| Overkill | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Overkill SST Overkill |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Hardcore punk, speed metal |
| Years active | 1980–1983, 2005–Present |
| Labels | SST Records |
| Associated acts | Black Flag, SWA, Bitch, The Nig-Heist, D.C.3. |
| Members | John Joe Gurule "Rocking" Ron Foster "Thee" Johnny Ray Soto Justin Herrera Eliseo Almaviva-Matta |
| Past members | Merril Ward Kurt Markham Ron Cordy Geoff Dimmick Felice LoCoco Scott Kidd |
Overkill L.A. or SST Overkill is a hardcore punk/speed metal band started in 1980 in Los Angeles and which recorded two records on SST Records and some tracks on compilations. The band started as Overkill but they were rechristened Overkill L.A. by SST Records when they re-released their albums in the '90's and SST Overkill when they reunited in 2005.
Overkill began in late 1980 when guitar player Kurt Markham, the main songwriter, and bass player Ron Cordy, who composed most of the band's music, decided to start a band. Kurt soon switched to drums because he wanted his friend guitarist Felice Lococo to join the band but it didn't work, so they added Geoff Dimmick on guitar. John Joe Gurule was also added as the singer.
Black Flag guitar player and SST Records owner Greg Ginn saw Overkill play and wanted them on his label but, soon after, Kurt and Ron grew tired of Gurule and expelled him from the band. Meanwhile, Black Flag had offered one of their roadies (and The Nig-Heist guitar player), Merrill Ward, to be their new singer before hiring Henry Rollins in 1981. Merrill refused and preferred joining Overkill. As the singer, Merrill helped the band gain recognition with his crazy stage antics, like lighting a jockstrap around his testicles on fire.
Overkill entered the studio in early 1981 and recorded their first 7" E.P., Hell's Getting Hotter with Spot, which was released on SST Records later that year. After hearing the record, Lococo changed his mind and joined Overkill after Dimmick quit due to family matters. The band also started recording their first LP, Triumph of the Will in 1982. The instrumental tracks were completed in April and then Overkill played shows in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, and San Pedro before kicking Ward out of the band before he could record the vocal tracks. Merrill was fired for calling the rest of the band "his backup band" and claiming he was going to "quit" while talking to groupies.
Stepmothers lead singer Steve Jones (not to be confused with the Sex Pistols Steve Jones) was then asked to take Merrill's place, even though, according to Jones: "Merrill was one of the best front men [he'd] ever seen." Jones re-wrote the lyrics and fronted the band for about 2 months, doing double duty with his main band The Stepmothers. He then dropped out because, as he put it: "The Stepmothers were [his] first love, and, frankly, the drive between Claremont, where the Stepmothers were based, and the Overkill rehearsal studio in South Bay was killing [him]." There was also reportedly some friction between Posh Boy and SST about this arrangement, although the Stepmothers were quite friendly with the Black Flag tribe and Greg and Chuck jumped on stage with the band at Stepmothers gigs on more than one occasion.
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