Western Addiction

Western Addiction was a punk rock band based in San Francisco formed in 2003 by four veterans of the punk scene who claimed they were sick of all the pop punk and emo and longed for the days of a thriving hardcore punk community. All four members work for Fat Wreck Chords.

From the Fat Wreck web site:

Do you remember when punk rock didn’t rely on prefixes? Like, you didn’t have to say ‘streetpunk’ or ’crust punk’ or ”political punk” or ’shit punk’ or ’art punk’ or ’pop punk’? Simpler, more straightforward times. Not easier times, just times where punk wasn’t shoved into smaller and smaller holes. That’s what Western Addiction strive for. Fun times. Thinking-while-rockin’ times. Pre-MTV musical genocide times. Vital times. Black Flag and Circle Jerks.

Here’s the Cliffs Notes bio: All four members of Western Addiction work at Fat Wreck Chords. That’s where they met.

Slightly longer version: All four members have been around punk music for quite awhile. All of them, except Jason, have been, or are currently in, other bands. Yet all four members work, in different capacities, with punk musicians and labels on a daily basis. They all go to shows. They all show their support. They’re neck deep America’s thriving punk scene.

That said, Western Addiction are realistic, grounded, and paying their way. They just know how to get things done because they already know the ropes. Such knowledge and access has allowed them to play with such punk stalwarts TSOL, The Adicts, The Adolescents, and the Swingin’ Utters.

They also move quickly. After the initial time it took the band to gel, recording tracks came in a flurry. Cognicide, their first LP, is their third release. First came a 7’, Remember to Dismember (Fat), then a Split 12’ EP with New Mexican Disaster Squad (No Idea), followed by a song contributed to Protect: A Benefit for the National Association to Protect Children.

This November, they’re going on tour to Japan to help support NOFX. Later on, they’ll be vanning down the California coast with Propagandhi. Don’t you fret. They’ll be more than stoked to play backyard parties, basements, art galleries, community spaces, you name it. For Western Addiction, it’s simple. They have a laser-directed idea of what they want to do: make and play good punk music. Nothing more, nothing less.

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