D Generation

D Generation (also known as DGen) are an American glam punk band formed in 1991 in New York City. They released three albums and several EPs, to much critical acclaim, before breaking up in 1999. In 2011 the band reunited for a series of shows in Europe and the United States. In 2016, the band reunited again and, on July 29, 2016, they released their fourth album, Nothing Is Anywhere.^[1] The group's sound blurred the lines between punk rock, glam rock and garage rock.^[2]

History

The original line-up for D Generation consisted of vocalist Jesse Malin (who had previously played with New York band Heart Attack during the late 1980s), guitarists Danny Sage (also an ex-Heart Attack member), John Carco on bass, Howie Pyro on guitar, and drummer Michael Wildwood (Danny Sage's brother). The band had not yet been named, although much of the material would later be performed and recorded by D Generation. The line up did not last. After bassist John Carco quit (later to join forces with Dee Dee Ramone), Malin and Pyro (who had switched to bass) continued to play, naming the band and adding Richard Bacchus on guitar, and Sage and Wildwood left briefly to finish up their previous projects and were replaced for a brief time by Georgie Seville and Belvy K respectively. Sage and Wildwood soon returned, solidifying the line-up that would last for the majority of their career.

Debut release

The band first signed with Chrysalis Records, with whom they released their debut album D Generation. Despite a generally favourable critical reaction, the album failed to garner high sales.

The second D Generation album, titled; No Lunch

No Lunch and touring

Feeling that Chrysalis was not supporting them and their debut release properly, the band abandoned their contract and moved to Columbia Records, releasing their second album, No Lunch on the label in 1996. The Cars frontman Ric Ocasek produced the record. Around this time D Generation played shows supporting such bands as Social Distortion, Ramones, and KISS. Shortly after, Bacchus left the band, and was replaced by ex-Murphy's Law and Agnostic Front member Todd Youth. The band toured Europe with Green Day in early 1998.

Through The Darkness and band split

D Generation then recorded their third album, Through the Darkness, this time with David Bowie and T.Rex producer Tony Visconti. However, once again the album failed to reach the sales that were hoped for, despite scoring the lead-off single on the soundtrack of the film The Faculty just a few months prior.

Just prior to the tour in support of that album, Youth and Wildwood left to form the short-lived but critically acclaimed^[3] Chrome Locust with bassist Jim Heneghan (formerly of Richard Bacchus's Vásquez), and released one self-titled album. For the tour, the band recruited drummer Joe Rizzo and Richard Bacchus briefly returned on guitar, and was then replaced during the band's last few dates by Jim Wallerstein. The band toured the US with The Offspring and The Living End,^[4] before playing their final show in their hometown at Coney Island High on April 24, 1999.^[5] This show was recorded by Greg Di Gesu from the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, and has since remained unreleased. After this, D Generation broke up.

Post-D Generation

After the demise of D Generation in 1999, Michael Wildwood formed the critically acclaimed Chrome Locust with guitarist Todd Youth and bassist Jim Heneghan, releasing only one self-titled record. Wildwood then toured with New Jersey's Monster Magnet and played on their album Monolithic Baby!. In 2005, Wildwood joined Atomic#76. The group disbanded in 2007.

Both Wildwood and Sage lent their hands to help Hurricane Katrina victims, backing up Deborah Harry at a benefit in 2005.^[6]

Danny Sage recorded a solo album in 2002 (which has remained unreleased) and released two EPs, the self-titled Danny Sage and Don't Look Down, in 2003 and 2007, respectively, and has performed live.

Jesse, Howie and Joe Rizzo formed the band PCP Highway with guitarist Esko Poldvere. The band recorded a number of demo tracks and toured the east coast of the United States. During the beginning of 2000, Howie Pyro was invited to join Glenn Danzig's band (which then included former D Generation member Todd Youth on guitar). Pyro accepted and PCP Highway disbanded; a planned album, titled Dreamless, was never released.

Meanwhile, Bacchus was performing with his new project, Vasquez, which included Eric Kuby on drums and former Hanoi Rocks bassist Sami Yaffa (who replaced original bassist Jim Heneghan when he left to join Chrome Locust). This group released an independent EP, entitled Two Songs.

Malin began playing a series of solo shows and released a self-produced EP titled 169 in 2000. However, by the end of that year, Malin had re-teamed up with Esko and Joe Rizzo, along with bassist Johnny Pisano, to form a new band which was initially called Tsing-Tsing (a handful of shows were played under that name) and then re-christened Bellvue. Together they released one album, To Be Somebody in April 2001 on Goldenseal Records. This album was re-released in October 2001 with a slightly different tracklist. The following year, Bellvue disbanded, and Jesse revived his solo career, releasing the Ryan Adams-produced The Fine Art of Self Destruction in late 2002, followed by The Heat in 2004. He released his third album, Glitter in the Gutter, on March 20, 2007. The fourth album, "On Your Sleeve", was released on April 2008. It consists entirely of famous rock covers, such as "Wonderful World" by Sam Cooke and "Walk on the Wild Side" by Lou Reed.

Currently, Bacchus is recording and touring with his band The Luckiest Girls. He released an album produced by Hanoi Rocks / New York Dolls bassist Sami Yaffa titled Jet Black and Beautiful on Stay Gold Records, an independent CD titled The Bicycle Diaries, and a split 7" on Old Grey Cat Records.^[7]

Howie Pyro and Todd Youth have also both left Danzig. Howie currently hosts the weekly Intoxica Radio show on LuxuriaMusic Internet Radio. Todd has continued to play with a number of acts, including Ace Frehley and has sporadically played in Jesse Malin's touring band over the past several years.

Reunion and Nothing Is Anywhere

On April 17, 2008, the band (consisting of Mailn, Pyro, Bacchus, Sage and Wildwood) re-formed for a one-off performance at the John Varvatos store in New York City (located in the space of the former CBGB) as part of a VH1 Save The Music benefit, during which they played a three-song set.

In April 2011, almost 12 years after their final show, the band announced that they would re-form to play shows in September of that year in New York City, Los Angeles and Spain. The band also performed a sold-out London show on September 5 as well as the 2011 Riot Fest Chicago in October 2011 and Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, TX in November 2011.^[8] As a warmup for their New York City shows, the band performed on September 15 at the Wonder Bar in Asbury Park, NJ.
Following these dates the band opened two shows for Guns N' Roses in December 2011 on their US tour stops in Auburn Hills, MI and Cincinnati, OH.

On December 13, 2011, Jesse Malin stated, in an interview with Rolling Stone, that the band will be going into rehearsals for a new album in January 2012.^[9] It was later announced, via various tweets from the band's Twitter page, that the band had entered the studio to start work on a new album to be produced by Ryan Adams, however the material from those sessions has remained unreleased.

On April 18, 2015, D Generation released a 10" single titled Queens of A for Record Store Day that featured two new songs ("Queens of A" and "Piece of the Action"). These songs were the band's first release of new music since 1999. D Generation's first album in seventeen years was released on July 29, 2016 and is titled Nothing Is Anywhere.^[1] It was produced by guitarist Danny Sage.

Discography

Albums

• D Generation - (1994)
• No Lunch - (1996)
• Through the Darkness - (1999)
• Nothing Is Anywhere - (2016)

EP

• Prohibition - (1998)

Singles

• No Way Out b/w Guitar Mafia - (1993)
• Wasted Years b/w Waiting For The Next Big Parade - (1993)
• Degenerated b/w No God - (1994)
• No Way Out - (1994) [Version from the DGeneration album]
• She Stands There - (1996)
• No Way Out - (1996) [Version from the No Lunch album]
• Capital Offender - (1997)
• Helpless - (1998)
  • Re-released in 1999.
• Queens Of A b/w Piece of The Action - (2015)

Compilations

• "No Way Out" (1994 version) on "Airheads" Soundtrack - (1994)
• "No Way Out" (1994 version) on Loaded: Volume 1 - (1995)
• "Scorch" on Flipside: R.A.F.R. Compilation - (1995) [Different version than on No Lunch]
• "No God" on A Small Circle of Friends: A Tribute To The Germs - (1996)
• "I Got Nuthin'" on We Will Fall (A Tribute to Iggy Pop) - (1997)
• "Dying For A Living" on Old Skars and Upstarts - (1998)
• "Helpless" on Explore - (Columbia Records sampler - 1998)
• "Helpless" on "The Faculty" Soundtrack - (1998)
• "Hatred" on "Universal Soldier II: The Return" Soundtrack - (1999)
• "Prohibition" on A Fistful Of Rock N Roll: Volume 4 - (2000) [Different version than on the Prohibition EP]

Demo Tapes

• D-Generation - (1992) [13 track, cassette only release, distributed in limited quantities by the band. The 4 songs that appeared on their two, 1993 singles were taken from this recording; some songs were later re-recorded for their debut album].

Members

References