"The Unabridged History Of The American Punk"
Most watched by the United States Government
Phenomenon and Cult : U.S.CHAOS

(AC) I Look back about 20 years, to the time when punk was in its infancy, The time was around 1979. The time when everyone was wondering what was going to happen to music, let alone to themselves, All we could see was a gas shortage, hostages in Iran, an imminent threat of apocalypse, due to mass stockpiles of unused nukes. A generation, of disaffected, wasted youth were thrown into a heap of the forgotten trash, to be left to the demise of boredom and fight for their lives against the age old quote their parents and society held them down. "That's the way it's supposed to be, don't ask questions do what your told".

Music, had sunk to the level of disco infected minds, preyed upon by the mass media and MTV, had not yet sucked it’s first drop of blood from our culture. Bands such as THE EXPLOITED, 999, THE SEX PISTOLS, JOHNNY THUNDERS and THE RAMONES. The Sex Pistols had fallen apart under immense pressure and drugs. Steve Jones the pistols old guitarist had just hooked up with a new breed of band, they happened to be called KRAUT, they were from New York City. Then there were another bunch of hoods called U.S. CHAOS they were from Paterson, a large city in northern New Jersey, a very ugly and rough one (voted as the most un-friendly city in the USA ten years standing with a crime rate that rivals the South Bronx NYC.

Music had done a 360 degree turn from the shit of the early 70's. were on the forefront of explosion. Clubs such as Max’s Kansas City, The Rock Hotel, The 1018 club, City Gardens, The Dirt Club, The Ritz and CBGB’s and City Gardens, were the stomping ground for many of us. The United States had not really yet felt the initial shock of the British invasion that the Americans had caused, by unleashing the Ramones. This shock hit Europe and bounced right back to the states like a fucking shock wave from an atomic blast triggering a holocaust for media and the music industry. On the top were, U.S. CHAOS.

Formerly known as the RADICALS, whose members included first line-up guitarists of Agnostic Front and The Violators. Agnostic front would find guitarist Alex Kinen later after he left during the punk / hardcore split to eventually join Cause For Alarm. This is where the eppinial split occurred. U.S. CHAOS, were in their infancy, with guitarist Gary Rightmeyer, Spike chaos, Skully chaos and Jack Gibson on bass. Playing on any stage they could find, Chaos drew a crowd of disaffected kids. This crowd usually would overflow to the street and not so quietly settle to rain terror in local areas the band was gigging in. These kids became known as THE CHAOS PUNKS and were very loyal even till today most of the "kids" still come out to shows. They usually show the new ones what gets done in the pit with bloody consequence! This second guitarist would be "H"

U.S. CHAOS pushed for any show, packed the house and tore it down. Equaling or exceeding the likes of stage presence monsters like IRON CROSS who evolved from the discord house in DC with MINOR THREAT. GBH, DISCHARGE or THE EXPLOITED their English gig mates. Overpowering the clubs with the large amount of equipment (in mass usually of a few cabinets carted in and bolted together. Deafening the audience with nuclear deterrent bass and guitars. The vocals were the most threatening of all, the drawn out vocals of skully just pressing you, to do somthing about anything you can get your hands on to destroy.

(Gary Chaos) Most of the time the band opened with "Message Of Love", a ditty dedicated to the nerve gas attacks in Pakistan inflicted by the menacing Russian government and "I’m An American". The undertones, of our own hated American government, which were tongue-and-cheek, caused an accidental attraction (of aggravating but small), moronic right -wingers to come to shows and circulate rumors of annoyance, this was dealt with accordingly and in an orderly fashion, thus leaving the foolish, with a strong taste of pain and disapproval in their mouths! U.S. CHAOS, has always pushed the fascist attitude back in the face of the oppressor. Guitarist Gary commented to me one day about this saying, "Unfortunately people believe what they want to believe, who knows what the hell they do with your music once you release it, this should be a lesson to everyone else in a band too." Like any good thing, most people that aren’t invited to the party complain and whine or try to crash your party and that’s when things get ugly. They seem to have no time for people of this kind, or for that matter who the hell should ?

(Gary Chaos) An exceptional sound was created and a feeling was evoked, a message was sent. Too many people were egging the band on, to release an album. This album would set off a shockwave that would stun and torment the music industry until this very day. Due to the ramifications of being an unsigned band and let alone you were punk, the industry obviously felt threatened by chaos was trying to silently do away with their kind, the punk kind. Being a D.I.Y. band, the idea had never occurred or really been relevant (our cronies were KRAUT (NYC) and IRON CROSS (DC) which kept the connection between the states going with constant performances and destruction that have even forced The Exploited from a hotel or two..

 (AC) So in Fall of 1982, U.S. CHAOS went off to record their first album, this album being, "We’ve Got The Weapons". "We went to a studio in New Jersey, we were actually there a week before the Misfits recorded Walk Among Us. It was a notable studio, In the sense that we noted they recorded car commercial, radio ads, shit you hear in everyday life on the radio. It was also expensive. We had no Idea how or what the hell we’d do once we got in the place and being 1983, the cost was outrageous, upwards of $80.00 an hour, remember we didn’t know anything about putting out a record. Nobody back then did, you only got that when you were a signed act, with a contract."

Then Hot-Shot came along, to compliment the stunning guitar front of the band. Formerly of "THE NEW YORK VIOLATORS" gave the band even more clout and standing in the east coast scene. The band gained a second guitarist.

Member Bassist "Tim Taylor" also who went on to play for the Undead and Eddie Enzyme (also drummer from the undead after U.S.Chaos), landed themselvs a job, one being a menacing 6’5" tall was pretty cool along with his outrageous playing capabilities.Then Eddie Enzyme, the prodigy and drummer who played in the american gothic standard whos recordings later went into history with Fahernheight 451, selling well over 120,000 disks on the GOTH BOX SET, issued on cleopatra in the 1990's Enzyme is still playing today in the current lineup.
This was the point that punk was no longer accepted, after it died out in its second wave in 1983 -1987. U.S. Chaos would go on to change its name to "THE CHOSEN FEW" and able itself to gig when punk was not a staple and continued for a few more years. Band members settled back to have families and work on new projects, but never formally threw in the towel. The prominent punk figure on the east coast today, BLANKS 77 is also tied into the genetic heritage, Rene Blank happens to be Gary Chaos’ younger sister and reigns with An atomic powered guitar, not stopping for anything. obviously this punk thing must be blood infectious!

(AC) Of the few sparse show encounters Chaos played during it’s hiatus in the 1990’s The band put out as much power and terror (and draw of violence) than usual and still proved to be one of the meanest outfits on the small bills they played, always dragging controversy wherever they were. Someone’s eye was watching them for almost 15 years and was heavily influenced by their music and power. This person was Marty Munsch, prominent "Phil Spector" of punk and owner of PUNKROCKRECORDS. Munsch sighted Chaos and immediately asked Gary if they were interested in keeping the chaos thing going, about recording new material. Thus some type of a deal was struck. Munsch was noted for recording at least 25 releases by the time he was 20 years old. This included many bands from the east coast. Working closely with Violent Society, Trauma School Dropouts, The Suspects and a host of all time heavies. Notable records, a few brilliant recordings I adore, "East Coast Assholes", "Not Enjoyin It" by Violent Society and "Dawn Of The 21st Century" by the washington D.C. group "The Suspects"

A month later two new songs appeared on the CMJ, off a compilation out of California, "PUNK DWELLINGS-NEW YORKS FINEST". Breathing fire with two new tracks, "For Being Young" and "Last Call For Alcohol". Another compilation, from Connecticut, features The Stranglers cover "Bring In The Neubiles" and the very rare, "Shut Up", these tracks have gotten approval from original band members! (Elevator Records CT- The owner of the TUNE-INN) Versions of these tracks exist with the first singer whom was English and a bit more harsh than Skully, (They will never be heard). Tracks "PANTIES" & "STORMTROOPER", Were recorded along with another track! The track being an EXPLOITED tribute, "FUCK THE U.S.A.". For radical records NYC, this track was reworded to fit Chaos's own sick and twisted thoughts about what everyone has to say about the USA. Then on to the next big thing, another album "You Can't Hear A picture". And Still more recordings flew from the studio in 1999, along with about 35 releases for compilations out of nowhere the new album had evolved and a slew of vintage archives found daylight.

We moved into different territory towards the end of the 1990's, It seemed that most of the lyrical content was becoming very dated and really has become played out and communist terror was mopped up when the wall was torn down. We were wrong! We still love to take the piss out of the people who take their music to damn seriously. Those fanatics who preach hate. People that still complain about punk like these coalition fringe groups, they really make us laugh
Just have fun, use music to stay young and remember all the fun you are having and give it to your kids if you have any!!!

   "It was like a Hydrogen Bomb going off in your face. You just stood there, not knowing what the hell to do. What do you when one of those things goes off, you cant out run it, you just stand there and get vaporized." Said one of the kids after the Coney Island High NYC last month whom was oddly perched on the outside step of the club as the band wheeled out their equipment, this show was with One Way System, Public Nuisance, The Krays. Everybody seemed to have a blast and the band has had me going to gigs for the past month. Thankfully I get to see a band I recently found to be ten times more exciting, and they’ve been around for 19 years too, not to mention almost every major punk band in the North Eastern United States has had their genealogy, rooted in the bands history, in some way … This is Rock And Roll, and it shows punk ain’t what they say it is or most of this new stuff kids want to call punk. It’s so unfortunate, that punk has lost it’s drive so the media thinks, or the kids lost their fight and are mad for some inane reasons. What are you gonna do, "With Your Life."


The Current U.S. CHAOS LINEUP:

Skully: VOCALS
Gary : GUITAR
Jack: BASS
Eddie Enzyme: DRUMS



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