In March 1979, legendary hardcore band Bad Brains drove to the wrong address on their way to Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, Virginia. When they arrived, there was only an hour left on their booking, but they used the short time they had to record six songs, which became the earliest studio recordings of the band.
Ever since, the songs have circulated unofficially on tapes traded among fans. Now, the project will be officially released for the first time, recently mixed by Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat, Fugazi & Dischord Records). ‘Are You Ready: The First Studio Recording (Inner Ear – March 1979)’ drops November 6th via Trust Records. The first single is the original studio recording of their fan-favorite hit, ‘Pay to Cum’, recorded more than a year before the song became the band’s debut 7″. Bassist Darryl Jenifer calls it “sheer, straight-ahead three-chord mayhem with a few breaks and a stop.”
“The riff for ‘Pay to Cum’ started as a stream of punk-rock vibes fueled by the Ramones, the Damned, and Return to Forever,” bassist Darryl Jenifer says. “It was a gift that served as a springboard into our sound — sheer, straight-ahead three-chord mayhem with a few breaks and a stop. The title actually meant nothing to us; it was just a fun-loving play on words.”
On November 5th, Jenifer and MacKaye will be in conversation at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in their hometown of Washington D.C, discussing the original session and the band’s formative years. On November 6th for release day, an exhibition of archival Bad Brains material will open, and it will remain on view through November 22nd.