Southern California, 1982 and the rowdy Los Angeles and Orange County punk scenes were in full flight with bands such as Black Flag, T.S.O.L, Agent Orange, Bad Religion and Adolescents, antagonising and intoxicating a new generation of agitated punk kids.
Der Stab, a band featuring Keith Walsh (later of Primal Danse and Christian Death) on vocals, Frank Agnew on bass and Rikk Agnew (Adolescents, Christian Death) on guitar, stepped into an Orange County studio with Mike Patton of local band the Middle Class, and recorded some fast and ripping early Cali punk.
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Though the resulting two tracks “Tracers” and “It’s Gray” later appeared on the Killed By Death Volume 13 compilation, they now get a proper release through the Elective Affinities Corp and Negative Jazz labels.
1982 was also the year that Rikk Agnew released his cult debut solo album, the appropriately titled All By Myself, a record where he played all instruments. Der Stab is more of a group effort but Agnew still manages to rip a cool guitar solo on the a-side “Tracers” that you can listen to below.
