Dreadful business

>> Soul Brains frontman H. R. puts all the Bad stuff behind him

By JOHNSON CUMMINS

H. R., the usually media-shy singer for Soul Brains (formerly Bad Brains), is one of the most eccentric rockers of our time. His fierce intensity has given us one of the greatest voices ever to sing reggae, hardcore and rock 'n' roll, but it's this fierce intensity, mixed with his trademark erratic behaviour, that has also gotten him into trouble in the past.

In '97, after a particularly violent episode between H. R., the Bad Brains road manager and H. R.'s brother drummer Earl Hudson, the band disbanded right before they were to open for the Beastie Boys here in Montreal (an incident H. R. won't discuss, but which apparently ended with H. R. in a dress, handcuffed to his girlfriend).

Nonetheless, H. R.'s guiding force has always been his commitment to the Rastafarian faith, and there's no doubt that Bad Brains helped break down racial barriers while spreading Jah's word. I spoke to the guy from his home in Los Angeles.

M: How does it feel to go back and work with the Soul Brains?

H. R.: Coming back and seeing them again is really... refreshing. It brings up a lot of memories, some of which we like to remember and others we would just like to forget.

M: Is it different from working with your solo band, Human Rights?

H. R.: It's all one band in my book. Human Rights and Soul Brains are all tied into each other. We play some Soul Brains and we play Human Rights music. It's all Jah's love.

M: There has always been a sense of spirituality propelling your music. Is that still there now?

H. R.: Well, as little children playing in the playground, and working on our instruments, spirituality has always been what drove us, brought us to the music and what keeps us going now.

M: Did you face any problems being an all-black Rastafarian band in the predominantly-white hardcore scene of the '80s?

H. R.: We play what we feel and what just comes easiest. At the time, we played music that many people associated with punk. So that was our audience. But we never had any hard feelings to people who don't understand us.

M: There were a lot of free-thinking musicians that came out of the Washington, D.C. scene, like Henry Rollins and Minor Threat. What do you think it was that made the scene so special?

H. R.: When you live in the nation's capital with nothing else to do but play music, you're going to end up making some pretty different sounds. I'm very proud of where I am now, and if going through that D.C. scene has made me what I am today, then I am proud of that scene.

Reignition
M: Are you going to be staying together for a while, this time?

H. R.: We're working on new music. We'll actually be playing some of the new songs in the set. One is called "On Like Popcorn" and it's pretty much about our new attitude of thumbs up and ready to go.

M: Does the name change indicate your new attitude?

H. R.: I think we're more soulful now. The name change to Soul Brains was about addressing the fact that everybody has a soul and everybody has a brain. We also wanted to step away from past shadows and look forward with a whole new vibe--just pick up in a new spot. We had to grow up and mature and we've done that, so now we're back together as one big happy family.

M: What do you think of all the bands on the Top 40 so clearly influenced by your sound?

H. R.: These are our children. We're very proud of them, y'know, from Beastie Boys to Ian Mackaye, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, the Deftones, Henry Rollins, the Longbeach Dub All Stars. All of them are people we love and we've seen as young children and watched them all grow up. They've all done what they were supposed to do and we're very proud of them.

M: You seem to get as much out of rock as you do out of reggae. What do you think the similarities are?

H. R.: It's all Jah's music. Reggae is a little bit more sweeter rhythm and melody and rock has a bit more of an upbeat for dancing, but it's all Jah's music. It's all about universal love, y'know. I get the same feeling from both.

M: Do Rastas ever get upset with the message of Jah being put to a loud rock beat?

H. R.: I don't know. I can only speak for my Rasta friends, and they like it. That's why they're my friends.

M: After all these years, is the energy still there?

H. R.: You only get better with age. I can still do a backflips on stage.

M: Can you explain your relationship with Jah?

H. R.: Well I have gone through my trials and tribulations, and I have learned from the past that Jah is everywhere and watching you. When you need protection and guidance out of nowhere Jah will appear. That's what you should follow. The signs will come through and if you have to pay the consequences for ignoring the signs, you will. :

Brainscan: a dateline
1976: Guitarist Dr. Know (b. Gary Miller) christens his fusion jazz band with one of the most hideous monikers ever, Mind Power, and recruits H.R. on vocals, his brother Earl Hudson on drums and Darryl Jennifer on bass.

1979: The band becomes influenced by the reggae/punk combinations of U.K. bands like the Clash and the Slits. The band renames itself after a Ramones song, "Bad Brain."

1980: The band puts their self-invented sound on tape and release a debut 7", "Pay To Cum."

1982: NYC label ROIR releases their first full-length in their trademark cassette-only format. One of the cassettes falls in the lap of the Cars' Ric Ocasek, who produces what many consider to be the Brains' best record, Rock For Light.

1986: Bad Brains release I Against I on indie heavyweight SST. Shortly after touring for the record, the band became divided, with Hudson and H.R. wanting to further explore reggae with the band Human Rights. Hudson left the band shortly before recording the next record, Quickness, and was replaced by Cro-Mags drummer Macky Jayson, but rejoined for the tour of the record.

1993: Increasing tension within the group forced Hudson and H.R. to concentrate on Human Rights full-time, and introduced Jayson and new singer Israel Joseph I (b. Dexter Pinto) into the fold for the Rise album on Epic. Once dropped by Epic, the original group was lured to re-form by Madonna for her Maverick label.

1996: The disappointing God of Love is released. After the recording Earl and H.R. again leave the band, but return briefly for a tour. On the tour the band breaks up in Lawrence, Kansas when H.R. attacks a member of the audience with a mic stand and ends up in jail.

1997: The original band again agrees to reunite to be the opening act for the Beastie Boys tour. On the first date of the tour H.R. becomes violent, beating up their road manager and hitting his brother Earl Hudson, and the band once again breaks up.

1999: After being dropped by Maverick, the original band once again reforms, renaming themselves the Soul Brains. Rumour has it Maverick still owns the name Bad Brains, although this is denied by the band. : --J.C.

At Foufounes Electriques on Friday, February 11, 7:30pm, $20