Whirled Records:Japanese Fan Site
Punk rock from Action Patrol, Maximillion Colby, Young Pioneers, and others.
Bands
Perhaps one of the most popular and influencial bands to emerge from Richmond's punk scene in the last several years is Action Patrol. AP began in 1994 when Chris Taggart, David Grant, Tom Baisden, and Eve got together to create a band that captured the energy and notey guitar antics of late 80's melodic DC hardcore laced with socio-political lyrical insight.
This mixture of the poppy groove-ridden influence of local heroes Avail combined with a quirky, incredibly charasmatic live presence quickly gained them the attention of everyone who was witness.
Shortly after their first live performance, they released the debut "Up and Running" 7" on Buddy System Records. This firmly secured their place in the hearts of hardcore enthusiasts everywhere.
The opening line of the record,
"I don't think I'll hold you close, I'll just hold you responsible...for another loud-mouthed advertisement" became their anthem.
Enthusiasm for the new sounds of AP made diehard fans of their musical peers as well, and soon they were invited to perform several shows with hugely popular Richmond artists such as Avail and Gwar.
This merely added fuel to the already frenzied AP fanaticism.
By the time "Up and Running" caught on, Action Patrol was already writing and recording material for the release of their first full-length release "The Weak Force" on Whirled Records which arrived the following summer.
Once again, AP delivered a heaping portion of catchy choruses and charisma.
Ridden with all of the questioning youthful angst and infectious melody of their first outing, "The Weak Force" proved, in turn, to be a force to be reckoned with.
About this time, founding drummer Eve departed and long-time friend Rich Green (formerly of Dayspring) stepped up to fill the boots, just in time for a national tour.
The tour was well received and spread the word of Action Patrol to places they didn't even know existed.
People finally got to witness the energy that until then was only captured on vinyl. They liked it.
Back in Richmond, AP concentrated on their next release, a 7" for North Carolina-based Assorted Porkchops Records.
This was their first recording with Rich and proved to explore their quirky side.
They tested the boundaries of their already successful formula of catchy melody by adding an element of more complex time structures.
The following summer, they embarked on a several week tour of the east coast, a region where they had already ammassed enormous popularity. The response was incredible. Action Patrol's infectious lyrics turned nearly every show into a giant sweaty sing-a-long.
Unfortunately, due to the complexities of growing up, an issue often referenced in their songs, Action Patrol decided to disband in the spring of 1996, but not without one last hurrah.
They played their final show at Twisters in Richmond on May 2, 1996 with an all-star cast of Young Pioneers, Sleepytime Trio, and Cornelius. Ironically, Tube, the song that started it all, was the last song they performed.
A year after the smoke cleared we released "On Patrol" the discography cd featuring all three vinyl releases as well as a live recording of that famous last show.
Rarely does a band as compelling as Action Patrol come along.
Often compared to possessing the charasmatic capacity of melodic hardcore legends, Gorilla Biscuits, AP is sorely missed by a legion of dedicated fans. Rich, Tom, and Dave are now in a new band called The Episode.
Chris is now known as DJ Plant, check out his site on the links page
We'll, here it is. At long last our beloved Whirled Records finally has a blasted web site.
We're very excited to be part of this whole internet commotion.
We hope this site will entertain any interests you might have.
Many thanks to all involved in getting this project off the ground.
For those of you who know of us, you'll be happy to find information within on all of your favorite bands, including: Action Patrol, The Episode, Maximillian Colby, Swank, Sleepytime Trio, and Young Pioneers.
Photos, fliers, reviews, bio's, Real Audio files, links, message board, the whole enchilada.
All of the nitty gritty on some of the best bands to come out of Richmond, VA in the last five years.
As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome. Enjoy.
