No Trend

No Trend

Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	1982 in Ashton, Maryland, United States
Founder	Jeff Mentges, Frank Price, Bob Strasser, Michael Salkind
Headquarters	Ashton , United States
Products	Studio albums, EPs, compilations

No Trend was a noise rock and hardcore punk band originating from Ashton, Maryland, established in 1982. The group was recognized for its opposition to the hardcore punk scene, largely driven by guitarist and lyricist Frank Price, and frequently challenged the punk subculture of youth. Their live shows were marked by provocative interactions designed to antagonize their punk audiences. Drawing inspiration from bands like Public Image Ltd. and Flipper, they produced three studio albums—two released independently and one through Touch and Go Records. An additional album, recorded in 1987 but not released until 2001, appeared under the title More.

History

Formed in 1982, No Trend's original lineup featured Jeff Mentges on vocals, Bob Strasser handling bass, Frank Price on guitar, and Michael Salkind playing drums. Prior to forming No Trend, Mentges, Salkind, Strasser, and Brad Pumphrey had performed together as the Aborted. The band arose as a counter-response to the punk rock movement, initially characterized by a dark and nihilistic sound. Although their initial plan was to perform only a single song live, they soon expanded their efforts to independently release their debut 7" record—the Teen Love EP. By August 1983, Strasser and Salkind had exited the group; they were replaced by Jack Anderson on bass and Greg Miller on drums. This new formation produced their first full-length album, Too Many Humans, which achieved modest underground recognition. The following year, they revisited Teen Love, re-recording it as a 12” record with two additional songs.

Following an unsuccessful tour during the summer of 1984, Price, Anderson, and Miller departed from the band, leaving Mentges as the only remaining member. Mentges then reassembled No Trend with fresh musicians to create their second album, A Dozen Dead Roses (1985), which marked a departure from their previous noisy style. Vocal contributions from Lydia Lunch appeared on several tracks; these had earlier been released on the Heart of Darkness 10" through her label Widowspeak Productions. In 1986, Lunch also released a No Trend compilation entitled When Death Won't Solve Your Problems.

After signing with Touch and Go Records, No Trend issued their third album in 1986: Tritonian Nash-Vegas Polyester Complex. Their fourth record, recorded in 1987 but deemed "too weird" by Touch and Go Records, was rejected. This rejection made it difficult for the band to find another label willing to release it, leading to the group's effective dissolution. The album remained unreleased until Morphious Archives published it in 2001 under the title More.

Following No Trend's breakup, Jeff Mentges pursued film studies at the University of Maryland and directed the John Holmes biopic Of Flesh and Blood in 1990. The suicide of founding guitarist Frank Price in 1989 profoundly affected both band members and fans. In 1995, TeenBeat Records issued a compilation called The Early Months, featuring previously unreleased studio and live recordings.

Members

• Jeff Mentges – vocals (1982–1988)
• Frank Price – guitar (1982–1984)
• Bob Strasser – bass (1982–1984)
• Stephan "Chazz" Jacobs – electric cello, percussion (1982–1983)
• Christine Niblack – bass (tour in 1983)
• Michael Salkind – drums (1982–1983)
• Jack Anderson – bass (1983–1984)
• Greg Miller – drums (1983–1984)
• Danny "Spidako" Demetro – keyboards (1985–1986)
• Robert "Smokey" Marymont – bass (1985–1988)
• Dean Evangelista – guitar, keyboards (1985–1988)
• Benard Demassy – saxophone (1985–1986)
• Ken Rudd – drums (1985–1986)
• James "Fuzz" Peachy – drums (1986–1988)
• Nick Smiley – saxophone (1986–1988)
• Scott Rafal – saxophone (1986–1988)
• Johnny Ontego – saxophone (1986–1988)
• Paul Henzy – trumpet (1986–1988)
• Leif – guitar (1986–1988)
• Bobby Birdsong – guitar (1986–1988)
• Rogelio Maxwell – cello (1986–1988)
• Chris Pestelozzie – percussion (1986–1988)

Timeline

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 id:drums   value:orange        legend:Drums
 id:horns  value:gray(0.5)         legend:Horns
 id:saxophone  value:skyblue      legend:Saxophone
 id:percussion  value:claret      legend:Percussion
 id:cello  value:yellowgreen     legend:Cello
 id:lines1  value:black       legend:Studio_Albums
 id:lines2  value: gray(0.5)       legend: EPs

BarData =

 bar:Jeff  text:Jeff Mentges
 bar:Frank  text:Frank Price
 bar:Dean     text:Dean Evangelista
 bar:Leif  text:Leif
 bar:Bobby text:Bobby Birdsong
 bar:Benard   text:Benard Demassy
 bar:Nick   text:Nick Smiley
 bar:Scott  text:Scott Rafal
 bar:Johnny  text:Johnny Ontego
 bar:Paul  text:Paul Henzy
 bar:Rogelio  text:Rogelio Maxwell
 bar:Bob  text:Bob Strasser
 bar:Christine text:Christine Niblack
 bar:Jack  text:Jack Anderson
 bar:Robert  text:Robert "Smokey" Marymont 
 bar:Danny  text:Danny "Spidako" Demetro 
 bar:Michael  text:Michael Salkind 
 bar:Ken     text:Ken Rudd
 bar:James     text:James "Fuzz" Peachy
 bar:Chris  text:Chris Pestelozzie

PlotData=

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 bar:Michael from:start till:"09/01/1983" color:drums
 bar:Danny from:"01/01/1985" till:"01/01/1986" color:keys
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 bar:Dean from:"01/01/1985" till:"01/01/1986" color:guitars
 bar:Dean from:"01/01/1986" till:end color:keys
 bar:Benard from:"01/01/1985" till:"01/01/1986" color:saxophone
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 bar:Leif from:"01/01/1986" till:end color:guitars
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 bar:Chris from:"01/01/1986" till:end color:percussion
 bar:Christine from:"03/01/1983" till:"09/01/1983" color:bass
 bar:Jack from:"09/01/1983" till:"07/01/1984" color:bass

LineData =

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</timeline>

Discography

Studio Albums

• Too Many Humans..... (1984, released by No Trend Records)
• A Dozen Dead Roses (1985, under No Trend Records)
• Tritonian Nash-Vegas Polyester Complex (1986, issued through Touch and Go)
• More (2001, distributed by Morphius Archives)

Compilation Albums

• When Death Won't Solve Your Problems (1986, produced by Widowspeak Productions)
• The Early Months (1995, from TeenBeat)
• You Deserve Your Life (2018, released via Digital Regress)
• Too Many Humans / Teen Love (2020, published by Drag City)

Extended Plays

• Teen Love (1983, No Trend label)
• Collaborative EP with Lydia Lunch: Heart of Darkness (1985, Widowspeak Productions)