Those Unknown

Those Unknown are one of the most influential, albeit understated, bands in modern punk rock. Blending heartfelt lyrics, hooky melodies, and an unabashed desire to convey the grassroots realism of the Irish-American working class experience, the band left an indelible mark on their descendants, including the now-famous Dropkick Murphys. Borne out of the early 1990s NJ Oi! scene, the band's material was fused with the post-modern angst of Stiff Little Fingers, the edgy dubs of Lee "Scratch" Perry, and the fiery political rhetoric of Allen Ginsberg. More ideologically akin to Anti-Flag and Oi Polloi than Sham 69, the band's slew of material released (and not released) between 1991 and 1996 comprises some of the best music in the history of American Streetpunk. From the early anthem Cries of a Nation, with its reverberating chorus, to the later revolutionary zeal of Decadence and the Grave and To the Daunted and Dispossessed, the group's jams occupied a solitary niche in a conservative locale. Despite claims by closed-minded critics that the band were "red" and "left-wing," in part due to Rich Owens' truth-saying column in Maximum Rock 'N' Roll, Those Unknown managed to drive a righteous chord deep into the consciousness of underground music, always identifying more with the disdain of everyday life than the general apathy that has affected much of punk rock during their tenure. Today, the band's message is more prevalent than ever, as is evident by the strength of demand for their recent re-issues on TKO Records .