State of Alert (often abbreviated to S.O.A.) was an American hardcore punk group formed in Washington, D.C., in October 1980, and active until July 1981.[1] S.O.A. was fronted by Henry Rollins, then using his original surname Garfield.[2]
History
S.O.A. was formed in October 1980, after the members of a previous group, the Extorts, lost their vocalist Lyle Preslar and hired Rollins, then known by his birth name Henry Garfield.[1] The original lineup consisted of Rollins (vocals), Michael Hampton (guitar), Wendel Blow (bass) and Simon Jacobsen (drums).
During December 1980 and January 1981, the group recorded the 10-song 7-inch EPNo Policy at Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, Virginia, produced by Skip Groff and engineered by Inner Ear owner Don Zientara. It was released on Dischord Records in March 1981, as the label's second release.[3]No Policy was financed by Rollins, as Dischord was tied up in releasing Minor Threat's debut EP.[4]
Circa April 1981, drummer Jacobsen was replaced by Ivor Hanson. At the time, Hanson's father was a top admiral in the US Navy and his family shared living quarters with the vice president in the Naval Observatory. The band held their practices there and had to be let in by Secret Service agents.[5]
S.O.A. played a total of nine concerts in and around the eastern United States. Among them:
Rollins later described their performances: "All of them were 11 to 14 minutes in duration because the songs were all like 40 seconds... and the rest of the time we were going, 'Are you ready? Are you ready?' Those gigs were poorly played songs in between 'Are you readys?"[7]
No Policy was later included, in its entirety, on the Dischord compilations Four Old 7-inchs on a 12-inch (1984) and Dischord 1981: The Year in Seven Inches (1995). In 2014, Dischord issued a 7-inch EP of early demos, titled First Demo 12/29/80.[9]
