Dead and Gone are a product of the same Berkeley, CA, club scene that produced mega-selling
Green Day. In fact,
Green Day's
Billie Joe Armstrong produced the band's first two CDs. The band has been gigging around off-and-on since forming in 1993. Dead and Gone are hardcore punk revivalists, evocative of
Black Flag and
the Sex Pistols. They combine dirge-like minor chord progressions with churning punk rhythms, featuring nihilistic, gloom-and-doom lyrics that reflect both youthful pessimism and idealism. Vocalist Shane Baker growls more than he sings, in a voice that crosses John Lydon with
Arthur Lee. The rest of the band forms a solid musical outfit, maintaining a tight backbeat. They may not have an extensive vocabulary of chords, but they play well enough to keep things interesting and the mosh pit moving. The band switched its membership around and hatched two side projects,
Creeps on Candy and Talk is Poison, before reforming in 2001. The band has toured extensively throughout the United States and Europe. ~ Mary Grady