Bruce Anderson - Biography
Guitarist Bruce Anderson occupies a curious, yet critically exalted position in the rock ‘n’ roll pantheon. As one of the founders of MX-80 Sound, he demonstrates that punk rock, heavy metal, Dadaist theater, wry humor, and arch experimentation could occupy the same album, the same song, and even the same maniacally shredded measure. Back in the day, MX-80 Sound never achieved much acclaim, even in the underground press, but as time has passed, their work, propelled by Anderson’s inventiveness, has come to be view in a very special light. Only a few bands were scrappy, creative, and intellectually dexterous enough to sidestep the formalist lockstep of punk while retaining all of its raw velocity and creative fervor. Anderson and MX-80 belong in the same rarified company as Pere Ubu, Devo, and Chrome, and besides, MX-80 Sound can claim a unique distinction in the annals of rock ‘n’ roll history: They were signed to both Island Records and Ralph Records, which makes them label mates with Bob Marley, The Residents, U2, and Renaldo and the Loaf.
MX-80 Sound was founded in 1975 by Anderson and bassist Dale Sophiea, in the hamlet of Bloomington, Indiana. The first release was a 7-inch proto-punk blast, and Big Hits (1977 Gulcher) got the attention of Island, which released the debut, Hard Attack (1977 Island), it’s surely one of the most unconventional albums the calypso-and-reggae soaked label ever issued. It effectively echoes the early trans-garage weirdness of concurrent Devo, before Bowie and Eno got their claws out. Island didn’t even bother to release it in the US, which is okay, because that initial failure convinced Anderson to move the band to San Francisco, where they solidified the line-up with Rich Stim on vocals and horns, and Dave Mahoney on drums. The combo then promptly connected with avant-garde pioneers The Residents, and their label, Ralph Records.
The resulting album is MX-80’s masterpiece. Out of Control (1980 Ralph) is a great, trans-genre rock album. Anderson’s idiom went against the grain of the era, first in his stylish use of effects, but mostly by the simple fact that he took solos, which were mostly verboten within the aesthetic goosesteps of punk. He also eschewed punk’s abject formalism; he instead attacked his instrument in bursts of kung-fu clarity and staccato precision. Thirty years ago, this made him seem weird. Listening back, he was just wildly innovative, and tracks like “I Walk Among Them” and “Someday You’ll Be King” still bristle with hooks.
MX-80 followed with Crowd Control (1981 Ralph), then departed for an extended hiatus. Anderson continued with an outstanding solo career, with projects that included: Brutality I...America/Iran (1987 Quadruped); an appearance on Henry Kaiser’s Devil in the Drain (1987 SST); he also joined with Sopheia on O-Type’s Mommy (1994 Electro Motive Records). Anderson also participates in a reunited MX-80, and is still capable of igniting controversy. Yes, We’re an American Band (2005 Family Vineyard) is a cover of that particular Grand Funk Railroad song, reduced to a weird, throbbing cross between 16 RPM industrial and short-bus rap; Anderson keeps things lively with flamenco guitar solos. Maybe picking up MX-80 Sound was a prescient move by Island Records after all. Although, the rumor mill has it that music-industry titan and Island head Chris Blackwell didn’t authorize the signing, and when he first hear the record, heads rolled. What, he wanted Bruce Anderson and MX-80 to sound like label mate Bob Marley? Not likely.
