No Means No

No Means No (sometimes written without the spaces: Nomeansno) are a rock music group originally from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. They now reside in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The band was formed in 1979 by brothers Rob Wright (bass guitar and vocals) and John Wright (drum set, keyboards and vocals). Their name derives from an anti-rape slogan. For their first four years the duo music would seem to be influenced as much by jazz and progressive rock as punk rock. The musical press described their earliest recordings as "Devo on a jazz tip, Motörhead after art school or Wire on psychotic steroids."[1] (http://trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=nomeansno)

Even their earliest recordings demonstrate impressive instrumental technique ("some of the most complex instrumentation you're ever likely to find in good ol' punk rawk"[2] (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:o3o20roac489)). Jazz has exerted an influence on the group: Rob's basslines have a loping, melodic quality often reminiscent of Charles Mingus, and John's drumming sometimes sounds a bit like Elvin Jones or Art Blakey.

In 1983, they added Andy Kerr on guitar and vocals. Kerr preferred anonymity and used such pseudonyms as "Buttercup" or "None of your fucking business". He brought a distinct hardcore punk edge to the group, and stayed until the mid nineties. He is often erroneously credited for penning the lyrics of No Means No songs on which he sang, perhaps due to deliberately vague liner notes and frequent vocal moonlighting (Kerr sings lead or co-lead vocals on nearly half the songs on Wrong for example). It is, however, generally understood that Rob Wright is the band's lyricist and main songwriter.

After Kerr's departure, No Means No recruited guitarist Tom Holliston, and have continued touring and releasing records.

No Means No's output features a seemingly endless flow of "Wright/wrong/right" puns, and significant measures of black humor, with "pointedly warped lyrics", such as on "Dad" from Sex Mad. The song was a minor college radio hit, and has been called "a bit chilling, even though it's spit out at slam-pit's pace". The first person narrator details a rampaging father's physical and sexual abuse, ending with what's been called a "killer end touch — the baldly delivered line 'I'm seriously considering leaving home.'"[3] (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:tnez97l7krht~T1). One critic (while noting the group's "savage intelligence") suggests that No Means No might well be "the secret influence on a fair amount of both early-'90s math rock and emo, what with the barely controlled fervor of the singing and the sudden jerks back and forth in the rhythm section."[4] (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wh98s34ba3bg~T1)

The band have never had, or have ever seemed to pursue, strong mainstream success, but they do have a strong underground following in North America and Europe. They tour fairly often on both continents and maintain a dedicated fan base. Wrong is widely considered the band's best record ("The playing is incredibly skilled, with the Wright brothers effortlessly shifting tempos and time signatures and Kerr's razor sharp lyrics clicking right into place." [5] (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=UIDMISS70405060644292901&sql=Ayb5uakok5m3p)).

2000's No One features "two stunning covers that only make sense coming from No Means No:" [6] (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=UIDMISS70405060644292901&sql=A2f6uakjkkm3v) A slow stoner rock-styled version of The Ramones' Beat On The Brat, and rather authentic fifteen-minute version of Miles Davis' Bitches Brew,(complete with electric piano and congas) featuring lyrics by Rob.

No Means No initially released records with seminal punk rock record label Alternative Tentacles. This relationship ended in the mid nineties and releases are now on the band's own Wrong Records, though most were manufactured and distributed by Alternative Tentacles.

No Means No's alter ego is The Hanson Brothers, a quartet with John singing and different drummer. Nearly a Ramones tribute band, the Hanson Brothers play fun punk rock as a mock group of backward Canadian ice hockey fans. The lyrics centre around ice hockey, beer and girls. The name comes from the Paul Newman (1977) ice hockey film Slap Shot.

Discography

• Look,here come the wormies (E.P.) 1980
• Betrayal,Fear,Anger,Hatred (E.P.) 1981
• Mama, 1982
• You Kill Me (E.P.), 1986
• Sex Mad, 1986
• The Day Everything Became Nothing (E.P.), 1988
• Small Parts Isolated and Destroyed, 1988
• The Power of Positive Thinking (E.P.), 1990
• The Sky Is Falling And I Want My Mommy, 1991. (Collaboration with Jello Biafra).
• Wrong, 1990
• Live and Cuddly, (live!) 1991
• 0 + 2 = 1, 1991
• Why Do They Call Me Mr. Happy? 1993
• Oh, Canaduh (covers of Subhumans and D.O.A. songs) 1993
• Mr.Right & Mr. Wrong/One Down & Two To Go, 1994
• The Worldhood of the World (as such), 1995
• Would we be alive? (E.P.), 1996
• In the fishtank vol.1 (E.P.), 1997
• Dance of the Headless Bourgeoisie, 1998
• No One, 2000
• Generic Shame (E.P.), 2001
• The People's Choice, (compilation & live tracks) 2004
• Mama (reissue with extra tracks), 2004

Also

• Terminal City Richochet, 1989. Film soundtrack contributions, along with other artists. See Alternative Tentacles site for details [7] (http://www.alternativetentacles.com/product.php?product=142&sd=6Xz8g80jCtKZeBElCJ1).
• Virus 100, 1992. Covers of Dead Kennedys songs to celebrate 100 records on Alternative Tentacles. No Means No did an excellent acapella version of Forward to Death.
• Would We Be...Live? (Live footage of No Means No and The Hanson Brothers, filmed in London, on DVD) 2004

External Links

• Official site [8] (http://www.southern.com/southern/band/NOMEA/).
• A brief profile: [9] (http://www.furious.com/perfect/nomeansno.html).
• Fan site [10] (http://www.no-means-no.de/)de:NoMeansNo