OUR GROUP COULD BE YOUR LIFE, MICHAEL AZERRAD

Our Band Could Be Your Life, which takes its title from a line in a Minutemen song and is unanimously considered one of the best books on rock music ever written, recounts the musical journey of thirteen seminal American bands that gave their all in the 1980s. These were turbulent years that coincided with President Reagan's term and his conservative and nationalist policies, and which, musically, gave rise to a particular interpretation of British punk and its "do it yourself" ethos by some bands in the New World who produced an aggressive sound at a dizzying volume and speed.
Extensively documented through interviews with musicians and key figures in the music scene, Azerrad narrates with passion and conviction the journeys of thirteen bands whose sound not only ushered in a new musical trend that would solidify worldwide with the rise of Nirvana and their album Nevermind, but also sparked the emergence of a whole network of record labels, independent distributors, fanzines, university and underground radio stations, clubs and concert venues, and record stores, all born to channel the urgency generated by the new music. Soon, spearheaded by Black Flag, the hardcore movement spread, giving rise to new bands and a new community of fans who followed and supported them on their endless tours.
The thirteen stories included in this monumental book are the unforgettable account of how a group of young people—with little musical knowledge but imbued with the energy and urgency of punk—made their shared dream of playing in a band a reality. Their journey was not without its hardships and obstacles—they lived and traveled in very precarious and extreme conditions—and some plunged into the abyss of rampant alcohol and drug use (others, like Minor Threat, opted for a diametrically opposed approach, the so-called straight edge, which championed a "clean" lifestyle that allowed them to undertake the intense concerts they gave).
Some of the albums they recorded are among the best in rock history, and their influence continues to this day. Many groups disappeared, others sold out to multinational corporations, some of their members died, but their music has endured. The thirteen groups, in order of appearance, are: BLACK FLAG, THE MINUTEMEN, MISSION OF BURMA, MINOR THREAT, HÜSKER DÜ, THE REPLACEMENTS, SONIC YOUTH, BUTTHOLE SURFERS, BIG BLACK, DINOSAUR JR, FUGAZI, MUDHONEY, and BEAT HAPPENING.

• Number of Pages: 560
• Binding: Hardcover
• Approximate dimensions: 15.24 x 3.56 x 22.86 cm