{"title":"Dead Pioneers","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"dead-pioneers-2","title":"Dead Pioneers","description":"\u003cp\u003eWho were the first punks? Do The Damned have more of a shout than The Sex Pistols? The Stooges or Ramones? Gregg Deal, the acclaimed visual and performance artist behind his new project Dead Pioneers, is making a claim that Indigenous Americans were the first real punks. Deal suggests that the overarching theme of the album is “an introduction to the band itself”. Created with a DIY disposition and the “love of a scene that saves lives”, they reel off a roll call of marginalised groups and protected characteristics: “Indigenous rights, Black rights, Brown rights, Asian rights, Gay rights, Trans rights, Workers rights and beyond…”. This is central to their identity and focus, saying that “with a North American Indigenous person as the vocalist, being unapologetically upfront on the social, political and cultural side of things doesn’t seem necessary, but paramount to the overall tone of the band.” \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis self-titled debut, coming in at a lithe 22 minutes with only one of the twelve tracks exceeding three minutes, is almost over before it begins, but covers a huge amount of ground in that time.  Blistering opener ‘Tired’ sets out their stall; as with the whole album, it is passionate, but never preaching. Capitalised ‘Political Music’ can be hard to land without coming across as hectoring or earnest, but Deal’s literary, humorous lyrics effortlessly cut through complex issues of marginalisation and colonialism. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hassle","offers":[{"title":"LP - Green","offer_id":50474808017227,"sku":"2203293","price":21.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP - Pink","offer_id":50474808574283,"sku":"2221252","price":26.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP - Orange","offer_id":51300084711755,"sku":"R4865-2685","price":26.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":51656500871499,"sku":"R4865-9671","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP - Crystal Clear","offer_id":53259356537163,"sku":"R4865-7197","price":26.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Dead_Pioneers_a49619f2_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727438518"},{"product_id":"pot-american","title":"Po$t American","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003ePo$t American\u003c\/i\u003e is the second full-length album by Dead Pioneers. Written in February and recorded in July, it preempts the 2024 American election but wraps up the fears and frustrations as eloquently and, crucially, humorously as the band's 2023 self-titled debut.    “Currently, we are amidst the gross existence of capitalism, colonialism, white supremacy and the many oppressive forces that have come to inform everything around us” says vocalist and songwriter Gregg Deal. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The title \u003ci\u003ePo$t American\u003c\/i\u003e informs a collective disenfranchisement and disillusionment to the so-called American dream, while moving forward with hope of a desired designation of unity outside those that would use us for their own capitalistic power grab.”   \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe aural palate is broadly the same, but it feels expanded, stronger somehow: drawing on the confrontational writing of Rage Against The Machine, the unapologetic voice of Chuck D and Public Enemy, the storytelling of Johnny Cash, the evolution of Idles, and punk stalwarts including Black Flag, Rollins Band and Dead Kennedys.   \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOverall the resulting feeling across the new album is one of cautious optimism: “Although we didn’t expect the political relevance to become more relevant, we have no illusions to the American dream, or to where we seem to be going. But we have hope that we can get to a better place for people to have what they need.” It is an album that speaks to and for this precise time and place; that perhaps could not exist at any other time. It is an album for now. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hassle","offers":[{"title":"LP - Clear","offer_id":51177032089931,"sku":"2241988","price":26.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":51176646508875,"sku":"2241987","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP+ - Marble Curacao","offer_id":53315277914443,"sku":"R3898-9054","price":34.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Screenshot_2025-01-29_at_12.50.17_0fd9de76_thumbnail_4096.png?v=1738156828"},{"product_id":"bad-indian","title":"Bad Indian","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDead Pioneers\u003c\/strong\u003e vocalist, nationally known Indigenous artist of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, Gregg Deal, started this project as an extension to a performance piece titled \"\u003cem\u003eThe Punk Pan-Indian Romantic Comedy\u003c\/em\u003e\". With the intent to create original music for this performance piece, the Dead Pioneers was born!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWorking closely with guitarist Josh Rivera and drummer Shane Zweygardt, Gregg tried to form something over the Covid lockdown. Original music from Shane and Josh got things flowing, but things clicked when Gregg met Lee Tesche, lead guitarist for Algiers, at an art residency in Florida and became Dead Pioneers bassist. The Dead Pioneers first single \"\u003cem\u003eBad Indian\u003c\/em\u003e\" was born!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHeavily influenced by Gregg’s Indigenous voice, this gave enough information to begin forming songs and the overall sound of Dead Pioneers. Later adding guitarist Abe Brennan to the crew while recording their first self-titled LP at The Blasting Room in Fort Collins, CO.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDead Pioneers is rooted in creating and performing a sound heavily influenced by the punk aesthetic with an edge built on a First Peoples perspective and not afraid to tackle hard political and social issues, standing in solidarity of Indigenous rights, Black rights, Brown rights, Asian rights, Gay rights, Trans rights, Workers rights and beyond.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom original songs to spoken word with punk riffs, Dead Pioneers was created with a love of music, a love of art, love of a scene that saves lives as well as the DIY disposition of just figuring it out and seeing what happens.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alternative Tentacles","offers":[{"title":"Black 7\"","offer_id":51245567213899,"sku":"2240283","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Dead_Pioneers_-_Bad_Indian_7_861d950e_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1739225166"},{"product_id":"po-t-american-wu","title":"Po$t American","description":"\u003cp\u003eDiscover Po$t American by Dead Pioneers on vinyl from Hassle. A politically relevant album reflecting on American society with a mix of punk and storytelling influences.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hassle","offers":[{"title":"Yellow LP","offer_id":51641471107403,"sku":"2242257","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/2242257.jpg?v=1744713936"},{"product_id":"wagon-burner","title":"Wagon Burner","description":"\u003cp\u003eDead Pioneers, the Indigenous fronted punk band from Denver CO, are now preparing to unleash their third album \u003cem\u003eWagon Burner\u003c\/em\u003e, via Hassle Records.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eDead Pioneers is rooted in a 2020 piece called The Punk Pan-Indian Romantic Comedy, a deeply personal work that dealt with vocalist Gregg Deal’s cultural upbringing. Following an embryonic performance of the piece, Deal secured a grant to expand it to include music created especially for the work. “The idea was to mix spoken-word with punk music” explains Deal, who hooked up with drummer Shane Zweygardt and guitarist Abe Brennan during lockdown and began kicking the concept around.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eBut what became Dead Pioneers didn’t truly take shape until Deal connected with bassist Lee Tesche, who you may know from righteous Atlantan post-punks Algiers. Unlikely as it sounds, a conversation between Tesche and Deal about Sleaford Mods evolved into a creative connection that’s now three albums deep; the arrival of guitarist Joshua Rivera made the quintet quorate. “Josh is Mexican-American,” says Deal. “He is also inherently indigenous, under a different set of circumstances within colonialism. But I consider him to be my indigenous brother. We spend a lot of time trying to figure out how all of this fits together.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eA miraculous, natural chemistry made this supposed one-off project an actual band almost as soon as they cut what became their 2023 self-titled debut album (“We approached it like I approach my visual art: execute quickly, first thought is best thought,” Deal says), but they didn’t necessarily take it seriously until, unexpectedly, the outside world did. “I was like, we’ve made this record – what should I do with it? Put it online?” Deal remembers. The response was vigorously positive, and soon came demands to commit this noise to vinyl. A first thousand-copy pressing sold out in minutes. “So then we pressed another thousand,” he adds, still marvelling at it all. “And then they were gone, too.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eWhat followed was “a series of strange accidents” that led to the group signing to Hassle, befriending Jello Biafra and touring with kindred spirits like Pennywise, Propaghandi, even Pearl Jam. “Punk-rock had made everything seem so accessible when I was a kid,” says Deal. “Like, simply having the balls to get up on stage and stage dive and then be carried off by people that become your best friends once they get your feet back on the ground.” Now, punk-rock was reaching out its hands to Dead Pioneers and pulling them onto larger and larger stages. The group returned that favour by simply getting better and better: their second album, 2025’s \u003cem\u003ePO$T AMERICAN,\u003c\/em\u003e was sharper, angrier, funnier than the debut, a riot riveted with punch-a-Nazi thrills.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eAnd now, \u003cem\u003eWagon Burner,\u003c\/em\u003e their fearsome third album. Described by Deal as “more collaborative”, it’s a heavier, harder but also more accessible set, vicious hooks scattered among the punk-rock melee and guest appearances by kindred spirits Cheap Perfume (on the righteous ‘Nazi Teeth’), The Interrupters (on the shout-a-long anthem ‘Never Alone’) and, bringing it back to the group’s beginnings, Sleaford Mods (on the searing slow-burn of ‘The Worst Among Us’). The world might be darkening by the day, but Dead Pioneers are rising to that miserable occasion, casting their empowering light into the gloom.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hassle","offers":[{"title":"LP - Crystal Clear","offer_id":56867693068619,"sku":"R3072-2485","price":26.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":56867693101387,"sku":"R3072-5128","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/uIrd5oga.jpg?v=1774274506"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/de\/collections\/dead-pioneers.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}