THE PROFIT$ @ www.theprofits.org
su DIY punk band iz Bostona (Massachusetts, SAD).
We are pissed that the elite business bastards of the world are stealing our lives, our planet, our cultures and our future. We cheer on those who protest, who organize, who speak out, and resist oppression in all its forms.
(Resistance is a daily act. Even taking back the space and power of your own mind, taking back hope, joy and meaning in your life, and helping others to do the same, is critical--it's Critical Resistance. These are not easy things in this capitalist, commercial game.)
We are musicians who sing about what's on our minds, what's in our hearts, what makes us feel like singing.
It's not about making money, being on the radio.
It's not about being "political." We're just being ourselves. And that is enough. Success is the satisfaction of a rockin' song and connections of solidarity.
Bend chine:
Erika Ransom- vocals and guitar
Filthy Rich- drums
Brian- bass
Adam $- vocals and guitar
A bit of herstory:
The Profits formed in fall of 1999 with Rich, Brian, Erika and Adam. All four had been playing music for some time, and came together to create something new.
Brian and Adam had been in the August Spies, a long-running Boston punk band that regularly played the infamous Rat in Kenmore Square during the late 90s. Erika had been in two Boston bands, the anti-capitalist absurdist panty vigilante band the Fuck Tubes, and the fast hardcore attack of the Baby Shakers. The three friends teamed up with Rich, who had been playing drums with the classic rock meets punk band SWAT.
The Profits' first record, a full length CD, "Profit Over People" was recorded during the Spring of 2000 and was put out by Rodent Popsicle Records, a small diy label run by our friend Bill Toxic. That summer, the Profits went on their first tour, going from Boston to as far west as Chicago, down south to St. Louis and back home in two weeks. Although we had all been in bands for years, none of us had gone on tour so it was a complete blast. The Profits' didn't own a van yet, so we rented a cargo van for the trip. In the back, two people sat on a love seat bought at the Salvation Army the night before we left for tour! It was grand.
The Profits' second release "Dying for Dollars" was recorded in the bitter cold of January 2001. 1,000 were pressed on black vinyl and 200 have yellow covers, and the 7" was once again on Rodent Popsicle Records. The Profits second tour, in the summer of 2001, went as far west as Minneapolis, and added more cities than the year before. Once again, we toured in a rented white cargo van! This tour was the first time Erika brought along her slide projector. During the Profits' set, a slide show of images of repression and resistance were shown behind the band.
After tour, Brian left the band for about a year and took a break from playing in a punk band. During that time, some wonderful people filled in on bass for us. Thank you so much to Jeff Hall from Disaster Strikes, and Mary. Notably, Jeff played both CBGBs and ABCNoRio with us. Mary recorded with us, and went on our 2002 US tour. Brian came back to the Profits in the fall of 2002, reforming the original line-up.
2002 was a good year for the Profits. "Propaganda Machine" was recorded in April and came out that summer. The Profits bought a cool black Dodge '96 8 passenger van, and completed their first full US tour. The Profits saw the Pacific for the first time, and toured the west coast with Toxic Narcotic. It was amazing fun and great shows.
During the spring of 2003, the Profits' recorded another 7" entitled, "US Atrocities" about the US invasion of Iraq. We are also gearing up for our longest US tour in June.
The band continues to work hard and have fun, creating music that-for us-has meaning, energy and feeling. We have played all over the United States at some of the most well-known punk venues including CBGBs and Gilman St., as well as garages, diy spaces, warehouses and basements. We still practice twice a week and do everything for the band ourselves. We all have jobs and chip in to press the Profits records. One of the best things is all of the friends we've made on the road, especially in NYC (hope and martin and all the punks!).
|
