Aus-Rotten
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1991 |
| Defunct | 2001 |
| Headquarters | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania , United States |
| Products | Music albums, EPs, demos |
Aus-Rotten was a crust punk group from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, active between 1991 and 2001. The band featured Dave Trenga as the primary vocalist, Eric Good on guitar and vocals, Corey Lyons handling bass duties, and Matt Garabedian on drums. Later in their career, Adrienne Droogas, formerly of Spitboy, joined as an additional vocalist. Their name is taken from the German term ausrotten, which translates to "to exterminate" or "to eradicate".
Musical style
Drawing inspiration from influential bands such as Black Flag, Conflict, Crass, and Subhumans, Aus-Rotten also performed covers of tracks by artists like Chumbawamba and Flux of Pink Indians. Their musical approach transitioned from a bass-driven hardcore punk sound with raw, low-quality production to a more robust style incorporating dual vocalists.
Lyrical themes
The majority of the band's lyrics were penned by Dave Trenga, who infused their songs with anarchist perspectives on topics including consumerism, LGBT rights, the influence of the Christian right, direct action tactics, feminism, theories surrounding AIDS origins, immigration issues, and animal rights advocacy. Their outspoken and provocative lyrics—exemplified by lines such as "People are not expendable, government is"—reflected a firm anti-fascist ideology that occasionally resulted in threats against the band.
Post-breakup
During a hiatus in the mid-1990s, Dave Trenga collaborated with Andy from Anti-Flag to form Human Investment, while Corey Lyons and Eric Good started Doomsday Parade. Following Aus-Rotten’s dissolution in 2001, members went on to establish bands including Caustic Christ and Behind Enemy Lines.
The Pittsburgh City Paper described Aus-Rotten as "arguably the most important band of the '90s anarcho-punk renaissance." Their 1994 7" release Fuck Nazi Sympathy sold 25,000 copies, marking it as Havoc Records' top-selling record and leading sales among DIY punk labels in 2008. In 1998, the band briefly toured Japan.
On August 18, 2019, Aus-Rotten reunited to perform several tracks at Skull Fest 11 held in Pittsburgh.
Demos
- "We Are Denied, They Deny It" (1992)
EPs
- "Anti-Imperialist" (1993)
- "Fuck Nazi Sympathy" (1994)
Studio albums
- The System Works For Them (1996)
- ...And Now Back to Our Programming (1998)
- The Rotten Agenda (2001)
Compilation
- "Not One Single Fucking Hit Discography" (1997)
Splits
- "Aus-Rotten / Naked Aggression" (1994)
Compilation appearances
- "Iron City Punk Compilation" (1993)
- "Pogo Attack Compilation" (1994)
- "Barricades and Broken Dreams: An International Tribute to Conflict" (1995)
- "Start A Riot" Compilation (1996)
- "Solidarity Compilation - Benefit For ABC No Rio" (1999)
- "Return of The Read Menace - Benefit for AK Press" (1999)
Final lineup
- Corey Lyons – Bass
- Dave Trenga – Vocals
- Eric Good – Guitar, Vocals
- Matt Garabedian – Drums
- Adrienne Droogas (ex-Spitboy) – Vocals
Former members
- Ajax – Guitar
- Richie Carramadre – Drums
- Douglas Weaver – Drums
- Tim Williams – Drums
- Dan Monaco – Drums
External links
- Aus-Rotten at Myspace.com
- Havoc Records Label site
- Interview with Aus-Rotten in Profane Existence magazine
- interview in Suburban Voice