The Explosion 'Black Tape' album

In the beginning, there was the music. It was easy. Some friends started playing in 1998.

They recruited a second guitar player, lost a drummer, gained a drummer, and became a band. It was fun. It was what Joe Strummer and Johnny Thunders and Debbie Harry had done. It was loud. It was fast. It made girls smile. And then, it was too late to go back.

With their five-song demo -- an inflamed declaration of intent released by Jade Tree as an EP -- and the brighter but no less brawny follow-up, 2000's Flash, Flash, Flash, they were The Explosion. They toured the U.S. and Europe with bands like A.F.I., Rocket from the Crypt and Sick of It All and became a part of something larger than themselves.

In 2002, they briefly toyed with concentrating on their text books and their time cards, instead of their music, for a bit. But first, they had to do one more tour. It was enough to prove that the music was still pure and purposeful. It was still a good time. People were listening. It was enough to show them that music is more than five friends blasting out brutal, beautiful sounds: Music is art. Music is revolution. Music is community.

Armed with a manifesto, a mission and a new sense of joy, The Explosion signed with Virgin Records in the fall of 2002, prepared to launch their attack.

Tarantulas attack. The band has ideas and energy and imagination to burn, and they've invited their friends to jump into the fire. Created to release Explosion-side project, The Tonsils, Tarantulas Records has since released vinyl by The Bronx and The Distillers and unleashed new plagues like Darker My Love and The Lot Six. Not content to assail with music alone, each release is infested with art, politics and culture.

But the real feat is their bold, triumphant major label debut Black Tape, due out October 5, 2004. It’s as fast and furious as anything in their past, and peppered with as many fist-pumping, melody-gushing punk rock anthems. It also finesses in plenty of life experience and sonic sophistication. The first single "Here I Am" is a call to arms and a statement of purpose, as tough as nails and poppy as hell. "Deliver Us" is a riptide of brash, in-your-face vocals, churned up over scratched out, radiating guitars and throbbing bass.
"Filthy Insane" is just that, a raunchy blast of manic, stylish punk rock.

Tarantulas have eight legs, The Explosion has five.

Damian Genuardi. Bass. A maven of style and creative energy, he's a DJ-in-demand in Boston and beyond, whose weekly parties gave Interpol and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs their first Boston breaks. A showing artist who creates bold, sexy paintings and screen prints, he designed the Tarantulas logo and cover art for Read Yellow and The Exit. No musical fly by night, he's also the former bassist for In My Eyes and Panic.

Dave Prentice-Walsh / DAZ. Guitar. A passionate home recorder and major songwriting force behind The Explosion, (he's the one who sneaks in the blissful, poppy bits). A founding member of stylized punk outfit The Tonsils, he founded Tarantulas to release the band's EP and recruited legendary illustrator Ralph Steadman for its logo and art. He pioneered the label's founding ideals: Edgy, stylish art and good god damn music.

Andrew Black. Drummer. The final member and the cog that completed the machine, he brings a perfect mix of sheer force and poised subtlety to his beats and his bearing, and offered another savvy songwriting voice to the mix. Weaned on the D.C. rock scene and a former member of Good Clean Fun, he keeps The Explosion operation running at a pace as brisk and jaunty as his drumming.

Sam Cave. Guitar. Alight with musical and artistic impulses, he's the songwriting salt to Dave's sugar, throwing in the dirty edges and messy outbursts. Formerly of Boston punk legends The Trouble, the band recruited him in 1999, just before Flash, Flash, Flash. He has helped shape its sound ever since, and writes most of the material for The Tonsils. A whiz at video, home recording and poetry, he always dreams up something good.

Million Dollar Matt Hock: Vocals. He'll tell you he's into cable television and romance novels. That's how you know he's the band comedian. A skilled designer and natural front man, he both pisses on and takes the blue ribbon in showmanship -- all huckster charm and bad jokes. Rocketing from the pit to the drum kit, he leads the fight and lets the kids have their turn at the microphone. Pure energy, he detonates The Explosion's charge.

Meet The Explosion. They're not new kids on the block, and they're not any of the rock 'n' roll tragedies or clichés that people dump onto veteran bands. Rather, they show that you don't have to burn out or fade away. You can burn and burn and burn.

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The Explosion - Black Tape