ONE LIFE CREW ANNOUNCES TWO REUNION SHOWS; ONE VENUE SENDS THEM PACKING

At a show at the Odeon in Cleveland back in ’95, Mean Steve of One Life Crew responded to those speaking out against their hatemongering by thanking them for the publicity. Well, here’s hoping the public puts him in sheer bliss. Now we can respond to the emails that we are sure to get over screwing with this band with just one statement: We heard it all before, and we don’t care. How many times does a scene that often prides itself in promoting unity have to do this dance with this stupid band? Unity does not mean you make concessions for those who repeatedly cause division. And it damn sure does not mean you bring them around people who do not want to have anything to do with them. One Life Crew is many things, most of them the last thing you will see performing at the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia. After antifa contacted the church to let them know that they were promoting a show for June 6 there, the church sent us a statement saying no such show is happening. Now we should say here that this doesn’t mean they won’t perform somewhere. We have done this dance enough times to know that it just means that they will move it elsewhere, especially given all the time in the world they have to find a new place. Of course, folks have that same amount of time to let people know how much of a hatemongering POS band they are, and given the fact that not only they have the date in their hometown of Cleveland, not to mention the possibility of other shows that can be booked, you can bet that is just what antifa around the country going to do. Hey, they may still be able to pull off a show or two, but it won’t be without going through a few anti-racist hoops!

One People’s Project

A hate band that generated controversy in the 90s with song lyrics and comments that were seen as racist, misogynist and homophobic, and once co-released a record with a reputed neo-Nazi band, is sparking more controversy with their announced reunion shows, one of them prompting the venue to shut its doors to the band.

One Life Crew, a straight-edge hardcore band based in Cleveland, Ohio announced on its MySpace profile two reunion shows, one on June 5 in Cleveland at Peabody’s Café in the club area of town known as the Flats, and another on June 6 at the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia on Chestnut St. where a number of punk shows are held. This show is even mentioned on the NBC Philadelphia website.

When word got out that the band was scheduled to play in Philadelphia, activists there immediately began contacting the administrators, board, and parishioners of the Church. An email from Rev. Nathan C. Walker, Minister of First Unitarian Church, was recently sent to One People’s Project with a short statement: “Thanks for bringing this to our attention. One Life Crew is not scheduled to perform at the First Unitarian Church.”

The band first came under fire for a song called “Pure Disgust” from the album Crime Ridden Society that many saw was an attack on Hispanic immigrants. After a few other controversial incidents and interviews, their label Victory Records was hounded by many in the hardcore scene to drop them from their roster, which they eventually did, as well as ceased sale of the album, after the band allegedly started a riot at the Cleveland Hardcore Fest in 1996.

Recognizing the reputation they have built, the band has repeatedly denied they were racist, noting anti-racist songs such as “Our Fight” found on the Crime Ridden Society album, which was originally done by lead singer “Mean” Steve Murad’s former band Confront, and “Behind the Hoods”, an anti-Klan song. There is also at least one Jewish and one Turkish member in the band. This however, did not prevent them in 2005 from releasing Necessary Vengeance, a split 7-inch with the neo-Nazi band Empire Falls, who performs regularly at white power concerts, most recently the Uprise concert in Pennsylvania in February. That record is currently being sold on the National Socialist Movement’s website, and the band also commands a fan base among neo-Nazis, some of whom have said on internet discussion boards that they may attend the upcoming shows. Because of this, many who are familiar with the band see the anti-racist songs as simply alibis whenever the charge of racism comes up, and they also note the attacks on Arab Muslims, the gay community and women that are prominent in the band’s music.

To date, there hasn’t been any other news on the Cleveland date, and no other dates have been announced.

Lyrics to “Pure Disgust”

Don’t come over here
we don’t need or want you
a country for Americans
vultures won’t rule
in your rat land
you belong and rot
D.P. worthless scums
should all die enraged
Dirty fucking leaches
you must GET OUT
don’t use this country
for free HAND OUTS

Bringing your infections
don’t infect our people
we pay out of our pockets
not for your fucking free rides