I bet you were thinking I wanted Punk music to die. Nope. This is about the upcoming documentary about the band who predated Punk, Death. Founded in Detroit, Michigan in 1971, the band consisted of three Hackney brothers, Bobby, David, and Dannis. Starting off as an R&B group, they switched to rock in 1973 after seeing an Alice Cooper show. The group recorded several demos at United Sound and received attention from Columbia Records executive, Clive Davis, however, Davis was not comfortable with their name and stopped giving support. Death released copies of “Politician In My Eyes” with “Keep on Knocking” on their Tryangle label, but later discontinued as Death in 1976, right before the Punk era began.
The brothers formed other bands after that, including The Fourth Movement, a gospel rock band, and reggae band Lambsbread. Sadly, David died in 2000 from lung cancer, and was replaced by Bobbie Duncan from Lambsbread when Death reformed in 2009, after the label Drag City released the seven 1974 Death songs. In January 2011, Drag City released another album, “Spiritual • Mental • Physical,” which consist of songs from earlier demos. The documentary about the band, “Where Do We Go From Here?,” tells their story and how they are finally getting recognition as a protopunk band after 35 years. In addition to that, Bobby Hackney’s sons are part of a band called Rough Francis, who do tributes to Death and were vital in getting out the word about the band.
Death – Politician In My Eyes
NPR interview, Metro Times article and Suicide Girls interview
Sherese Francis: Futuristically Ancient 