REDD KROSS
Now You're One of Us: The Incredible Story of Redd Kross
by Jeffrey and Steven McDonald with Dan Epstein
(Omnibus Press)
Published 10th October
When I lived in Los Angeles, Redd Kross were the hometown band. Everyone loved them. Everyone knew they were doing something special. Across town there was the likes of the super-brilliant Thelonious Monster and the Muffs and the punk scene. Down the 405 was the SST thing with The Minutemen, Joe Baiza and Saccharine Trust, let me quickly reference my Trouser Press guide, circa 1991 fourth edition. Ahh, all the much warranted Joe Baiza entries. There were so many scenes. But everyone knew Redd Kross were the business.
'To me, Redd Kross will always be one of the most important bands of the last 30-40 years.' Thurston Moore
There are any number of notorious rocknroll brothers (and sisters) of course, Jeff and Steve MacDonald are among the finest of them. They founded Redd Kross as kids, down the 405 freeway in their Los Angeles suburb of Hawthorne. Jeff was 15 and Steve 11 when they got the band going and soon were opening for punks like Black Flag, and went on to be one of the most influential rock bands of all time. I think in some ways they informed the International Pop Overthrow movement, that still influences Los Angeles labels like Big Stir Records to this day. When I talked to Rex and Christina from Big Stir they said, “We tend to think that if you're gonna say "LA scene", "pop" and "guitars" in the same sentence, Redd Kross would be the first band you think of, and rightly so.”
“It’s our 45th anniversary,” says Steven MacDonald, “but we’re still defining who we are. And it feels like the beginning of something. It’s so exciting to us that there’s still more to discover. We’re publishing the memoir, the movie’s coming out, we’re releasing a new album – and getting the machine started up again makes me nervous, and that’s thrilling. Our third act is going to be badass.
Now You’re One Of Us: The Incredible Story of Redd Kross is published by Omnibus Press in October. Written by the brothers with esteemed music journalist, Dan Epstein, it’s a wild, star spangled tale. Redd Kross are Hollywood adjacent, after all.
Redd Kross UK Dates
October
8th Exchange, Bristol
9th The Cumberland Arms, Newcastle
10th Arts Club, Liverpool
11th Gorilla, Manchester
12th Zumhof, Birmingham
13th The Boat Club, Nottingham
November
12th Dingwalls, London
Essential Information
Main image by Wanda Martin