Dispatches from Powerviolence: STD Grabag Switch Gears

It came as shocking news when this first trickled down the pipe to the Belly, but now after mulling it around I kinda see it as a noble thing... Chicago's acid-punk veterans, STD Grabag, have decided to take some drastic strides in their artistic direction. Straight out the gates, the Grabag boys have just incredibly seethed with biting, fuckin gnarblasts of political speed-rips that merges punk/metal/hiphop/experimental sentiments. Whether on their self titled disc or the EPs, the STD camp always went for the throat, and never disappointed.

I shot the shit with Obi J, the enigmatic vocalist for STD, and tried to pry away at some of the rumors I've heard going around about their current state. Adding even more to the allure, he prefaced answering the questions with making sure i understood he was speaking for himself, not the entire band... But as it stands right now, the band seems to be torn on changing their name or not with this new direction (which I myself am torn on, since I think STD Grabag is one of the greatest band names in rock n' roll... wickedness). But the argument stands now because the boys feel like leaving all their back catalogue behind as they continue to forge forward. Instead of just screaming through every ballistic ounce of powerviolence song after song, they really want to explore their experimental sides, and push farther into the psychedelic realms without losing their deep punk roots

So I do understand a bit... the name STD Grabag comes with a hard-slicing rep, and if they were to move in a different direction from all their releases up until now, should they still keep it? ... However, I am really interested in seeing what Obi J's singing pipes sound like, since I thought his screams fuckin ripped, in every sense of the word. But I guess only time will tell... The only thing that seems to be unwaivering in the STDs is the complete revolving door system they have on bassists. But Obi confides that they concreted down a new one, but he shall remain nameless until they are definite he is the one they're looking for on recording songs for the next full length and also on touring.

So kiddies, keep it damn in the Belly, and we'll keep you up to date if anything more comes our way... But as for what's for damn sure, the STDs will be holed up and cranking out new songs into the winter, and hope to be back on the road come January with this new style... But until then, lets bask in their old powerviolence glory:

STD Grabag - end of "Nation of Lies" and "Beautiful" (live)