The Unseen
Encyclopedia
The Unseen is an American punk rock
band that was formed in 1993 in Hingham, Massachusetts
. One of the more prominent bands to revive street punk
, The Unseen were originally called The Extinct.
, Massachusetts. Along with other street punk bands, they set out to revive the English street punk sound of the 1980s.
The quintet also released a best-of compilation for the European market in June 2000 titled Totally Unseen: The Best Of The Unseen
, which contained two previously unreleased tracks.
The group's solid early line-up consisted of trip on bass and vocals, Scott on lead guitar, Civitarese on drums and vocals and Paul Russo on second guitar and vocals as well as drums and bass during live shows when the band switched instruments for certain songs. Most shows would begin with Russo and trip singing lead and then the show would end with Paul playing drums and Civitarese singing lead. Russo went on to play in The Pinkerton Thugs
as well as a solo project called The Strings.
Mark Unseen (real name: Mark Civitarese), who played drums on the band's first few albums, became the lead singer after Paul Russo's departure. He also formed and currently runs ADD Records. He briefly joined the Boston punk group A Global Threat
as a second singer, and recorded the full-length What The Fuck Will Change?
and Until We Die
before deciding to concentrate on his duties with The Unseen. However shortly after his departure he and Unseen guitarist Scott along with Mike Graves and Peter Curtis (then both members of A Global Threat) formed Self Destruct. They released only one 7-inch EP entitled Violent Affair and played fewer than 10 shows but the musical style and lyrical content displayed on their one record would have great influence on all Unseen music to follow, helping to shape their future sound with Civitarese as lead singer. Civitarese has recently started a punk rock band called Ashers which has played a few shows.
There has been some controversy concerning the band, including allegations that in recent years they have "sold out
". Also that the band should have called it quits after losing Paul Russo and therefore their strong political message (Paul Russo wrote and sang most of 'Lower Class Crucifixion' and "So This Is Freedom?'). Most widely cited is the fact that The Unseen have produced music videos to air on commercial music video channels such as GMTV2
, an avenue looked-down upon in the underground street punk
scene which also goes against the political message of the first few albums. Darkbuster
, a band from The Unseen's area of origin, even released a joke song called "I Hate The Unseen". Members of Darkbuster and The Unseen are friends.
They have toured Europe, North America, Australia, Japan, and Mexico with many punk bands from The Bouncing Souls
and Rancid
to decidedly more hardcore outfits like Hatebreed
and Sick of It All
. Since the departure of Russo, the band has used many replacements on tour such as members from The Virus
, Strike Anywhere
, and F-Minus
, however, recently, on their MySpace
page, The Unseen have included a fifth band member, Jonny, an ex-guitarist of A Global Threat who was in the band at the same time as Civitarese.
2006 also saw the release of Tripp's book So This Is Readin'?, which details the life and hardships of being in an underground band with dry comedy. It started as a lengthy band history on the band's website, but after a few amusing "chapters" he was contacted by a publishing company to release it in book form.
In May 2006, The Unseen announced on their official website that they would begin writing their sixth studio full-length album during the summer of that year. The album, titled Internal Salvation
, came out on July 10, 2007. The first song released from that album is a track titled "Right Before Your Eyes" which was followed up by the track "Break Away", for which the band shot a music video. In support of the new album, the band joined the thirteenth Warped Tour
in 2007 and launched a US–Canada tour in March 2008.
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band that was formed in 1993 in Hingham, Massachusetts
Hingham, Massachusetts
Hingham is a town in northern Plymouth County on the South Shore of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and suburb in Greater Boston. The United States Census Bureau 2008 estimated population was 22,561...
. One of the more prominent bands to revive street punk
Street punk
Street punk is a working class-based genre of punk rock which took shape in the early 1980s, partly as a rebellion against the perceived artistic pretensions of the first wave of British punk. Street punk emerged from the Oi! style, performed by bands such as Sham 69, Angelic Upstarts, Cockney...
, The Unseen were originally called The Extinct.
History
The Unseen was formed in Hingham, Massachusetts in 1993. They then moved to BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts. Along with other street punk bands, they set out to revive the English street punk sound of the 1980s.
The quintet also released a best-of compilation for the European market in June 2000 titled Totally Unseen: The Best Of The Unseen
Totally Unseen: The Best of the Unseen
Totally Unseen: The Best Of The Unseen is a greatest hits album by the punk rock band The Unseen, released in 2000.-Track listing:#"Are We Dead Yet" - 2:58#"Alone" - 2:05#"What Are You Going to Do" - 2:19#"Stay Gold" - 1:43#"There's Still Hope" - 3:54...
, which contained two previously unreleased tracks.
The group's solid early line-up consisted of trip on bass and vocals, Scott on lead guitar, Civitarese on drums and vocals and Paul Russo on second guitar and vocals as well as drums and bass during live shows when the band switched instruments for certain songs. Most shows would begin with Russo and trip singing lead and then the show would end with Paul playing drums and Civitarese singing lead. Russo went on to play in The Pinkerton Thugs
Pinkerton Thugs
The Pinkerton Thugs are a punk band from Kennebunk, Maine. While the band officially became the Pinkerton Thugs in March 1996 , the band has been together since July 1994 under a number of different names...
as well as a solo project called The Strings.
Mark Unseen (real name: Mark Civitarese), who played drums on the band's first few albums, became the lead singer after Paul Russo's departure. He also formed and currently runs ADD Records. He briefly joined the Boston punk group A Global Threat
A Global Threat
A Global Threat was an American street punk band, formed in Bangor, ME in 1997. They released four full-length LPs as well as many 7" EPs and have toured extensively throughout the United States.- History 1997–2000 :...
as a second singer, and recorded the full-length What The Fuck Will Change?
What The Fuck Will Change?
What The Fuck Will Change? is the first studio album by A Global Threat. It was originally released in 1999 by Step 1 Records and was re-released in 2002 by Punk Core Records with two more tracks.- Track listing :# "Religious Scam"# "Idle Threats"...
and Until We Die
Until We Die
Until We Die is the second studio album by A Global Threat. It was released in summer 2000 on GMM Records. The album is out of print and difficult to find...
before deciding to concentrate on his duties with The Unseen. However shortly after his departure he and Unseen guitarist Scott along with Mike Graves and Peter Curtis (then both members of A Global Threat) formed Self Destruct. They released only one 7-inch EP entitled Violent Affair and played fewer than 10 shows but the musical style and lyrical content displayed on their one record would have great influence on all Unseen music to follow, helping to shape their future sound with Civitarese as lead singer. Civitarese has recently started a punk rock band called Ashers which has played a few shows.
There has been some controversy concerning the band, including allegations that in recent years they have "sold out
Sell Out
The first release by Boston hard rock band Halfcocked. It came out in 1998 on Curve of the Earth Records.-Track listing:#"Crash" – 3:24 #"Holly Wood" – #"Return of the Living Dead" – #"Superstar" –...
". Also that the band should have called it quits after losing Paul Russo and therefore their strong political message (Paul Russo wrote and sang most of 'Lower Class Crucifixion' and "So This Is Freedom?'). Most widely cited is the fact that The Unseen have produced music videos to air on commercial music video channels such as GMTV2
GMTV2
CITV Breakfast is a British digital television station owned by ITV Breakfast Limited, a consortium of ITV plc. It broadcasts every morning between 06:00 and 09:25 . It was designed to complement its sister channel GMTV, and offered children's programming every day...
, an avenue looked-down upon in the underground street punk
Street punk
Street punk is a working class-based genre of punk rock which took shape in the early 1980s, partly as a rebellion against the perceived artistic pretensions of the first wave of British punk. Street punk emerged from the Oi! style, performed by bands such as Sham 69, Angelic Upstarts, Cockney...
scene which also goes against the political message of the first few albums. Darkbuster
Darkbuster
Darkbuster is a punk rock band hailing from Boston, Massachusetts, known largely for their songs about the joys of heavy drinking, which have earned them a strong following in the American Northeast....
, a band from The Unseen's area of origin, even released a joke song called "I Hate The Unseen". Members of Darkbuster and The Unseen are friends.
They have toured Europe, North America, Australia, Japan, and Mexico with many punk bands from The Bouncing Souls
The Bouncing Souls
The Bouncing Souls are a punk rock band from New Brunswick, New Jersey, formed in 1987. By the time of their acknowledgment by the national punk rock scene, they had reignited a "pogo" element to New Jersey punk rock by playing fast light-hearted songs, a model followed by various other local...
and Rancid
Rancid (band)
Rancid is an American punk rock band formed in Berkeley, California in 1991. Founded by Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, both of whom previously played in the ska punk band Operation Ivy, Rancid is credited—along with Green Day and The Offspring—for reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the...
to decidedly more hardcore outfits like Hatebreed
Hatebreed
- History :Hatebreed was formed in 1994 in Bridgeport, Waterbury and New Haven. They began by recording a three song demo and selling it to locals. Those three songs would eventually be released on a split seven inch with New York's Neglect in 1995...
and Sick of It All
Sick of It All
Sick of It All is an American hardcore punk band from Queens, New York. Formed in 1986, the band consisted of brothers Lou Koller on vocals and Pete Koller on lead guitar, Rich Cipriano on bass, and Armand Majidi on drums. There have been only two member changes since their inception, with Max...
. Since the departure of Russo, the band has used many replacements on tour such as members from The Virus
The Virus
The Virus was a street punk band from Philadelphia, United States. Now defunct, their former singer Mike Virus went on to perform in the band Cheap Sex...
, Strike Anywhere
Strike Anywhere
Strike Anywhere is a punk rock/melodic hardcore band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1999 after the demise of frontman Thomas Barnett's previous band, Inquisition, they took their name from the Inquisition song "Strike Anywhere". Their music is characterized by fast tempos, catchy melodies, and...
, and F-Minus
F-Minus
F-Minus was a hardcore punk band formed in 1995 in Huntington Beach, California. Started by Jen Johnson and Brad Logan. F-Minus was known for their dueling male and female vocals in songs that were sometimes as short as 12 seconds . One of their noted primary influences is Nausea, where the vocal...
, however, recently, on their MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page, The Unseen have included a fifth band member, Jonny, an ex-guitarist of A Global Threat who was in the band at the same time as Civitarese.
2006 also saw the release of Tripp's book So This Is Readin'?, which details the life and hardships of being in an underground band with dry comedy. It started as a lengthy band history on the band's website, but after a few amusing "chapters" he was contacted by a publishing company to release it in book form.
In May 2006, The Unseen announced on their official website that they would begin writing their sixth studio full-length album during the summer of that year. The album, titled Internal Salvation
Internal Salvation
Internal Salvation is the sixth full-length studio album of American streetpunk band, The Unseen. It was released on July 16, 2007 and is their second album released on Hellcat Records .-Track listing:...
, came out on July 10, 2007. The first song released from that album is a track titled "Right Before Your Eyes" which was followed up by the track "Break Away", for which the band shot a music video. In support of the new album, the band joined the thirteenth Warped Tour
Warped Tour
The Warped Tour is a touring music and extreme sports festival. The tour is held in venues such as parking lots or fields upon which the stages and other structures are erected. The BMX/skateboarding shoe manufacturer Vans, among others, has sponsored the tour every year since 1995, and it is...
in 2007 and launched a US–Canada tour in March 2008.
Members
- Mark Civitarese (Mark Unseen) - Drums, Vocals (1993–2003), Lead Vocals (2003–present)
- Tripp Underwood - Bass Guitar, Vocals (1993–present)
- Scott Unseen - Lead Guitar, Vocals (1993–present)
- Pat Melzard - Drums (2002–present)
- Jonny - Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals (2006–present)
Past members
- Paul Russo - Vocals, Rhythm Guitar, Drums, Bass (1995–1997, 1998–2003)
- Brian "Chainsaw" Riley - Rhythm Guitar, Vocals (1997–1999)
- Marc Carlson - Vocals (1993–1995)
- Brad Logan
Studio albums
- Lower Class CrucifixionLower Class CrucifixionLower Class Crucifixion is an album by the Massachusetts-based punk rock band The Unseen, released in 1998.-Track listing:#"Children of the Revolution" - 3:04#"Too Young to Know...Too Reckless to Care" - 1:54#"Alone" - 2:03#"Social Security" - 2:02...
(1997) (originally released by VML Records, re-issued in 1998 by A-F RecordsA-F RecordsA-F Records is an independent record label originated by the band Anti-Flag, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. This label was created to help expose more political punk rock bands to a greater audience...
) - So This Is Freedom (1999) (A-F Records)
- The Anger & The TruthThe Anger & The TruthThe Anger and the Truth is the third full-length album by the Boston street punk band The Unseen.-Track listing:# "Live in Fear" # "Something to Say" # "Give In to Hate" # "1,000 Miles" # "The Anger and the Truth"...
(2001) (BYO RecordsBYO RecordsBYO Records is a Los Angeles, California based independent punk rock record label created by Shawn and Mark Stern, two of the three brothers of the seminal California punk rock band Youth Brigade . BYO stands for Better Youth Organization and aims to promote punk and other alternative youth...
) - ExplodeExplode (album)Explode is the fourth full-length studio album by American streetpunk band, The Unseen, released on June 3, 2003.-Track listing:#"False Hope"#"Your Failure Is My Revenge"#"Explode"#"Don't Look Back"#"Negative Outlook"#"Tsunami Suicide"...
(2003) (BYO Records) - State of DiscontentState of DiscontentState of Discontent is the fifth official and first album on Hellcat Records by the punk group The Unseen. It was released on May 9, 2005 internationally and a day later in the United States. It was produced by Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion fame and Ken Casey of the Dropkick Murphys...
(2005) (Hellcat RecordsHellcat RecordsHellcat Records is an independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. The label, an off-shoot of Epitaph Records, was started as a partnership between Brett Gurewitz carp Bad Religion, the owner of Epitaph, and Tim Armstrong of Rancid, the latter of whom is generally responsible for...
) - Internal SalvationInternal SalvationInternal Salvation is the sixth full-length studio album of American streetpunk band, The Unseen. It was released on July 16, 2007 and is their second album released on Hellcat Records .-Track listing:...
(2007) (Hellcat Records)
Collections
- Totally Unseen: The Best Of The UnseenTotally Unseen: The Best of the UnseenTotally Unseen: The Best Of The Unseen is a greatest hits album by the punk rock band The Unseen, released in 2000.-Track listing:#"Are We Dead Yet" - 2:58#"Alone" - 2:05#"What Are You Going to Do" - 2:19#"Stay Gold" - 1:43#"There's Still Hope" - 3:54...
(2000) (Step-1 Records) - The Complete Singles Collection 1994-2000The Complete Singles Collection 1994-2000The Complete Singles Collection 1994–2000 is an album by punk rock band The Unseen, released in 2002 . It collects all of their early singles and previously unreleased material from 1994 to 2000.-Track listing:...
(2002) (Punkcore Records)
7" Vinyl
- Too Young To Know... Too Reckless To Care (1995 Rodent Popsicle Records)
- Protect And Serve (1996 VML records)
- Raise Your Finger Raise Your Fist (1996 VML records)
- Tom and BootBoys Split (1998 Pogo 77 records)
- Boston's Finest - Split with Toxic Narcotic (1998 ADD/Rodent popsicle records)
Music videos
- '"False Hope" from ExplodeExplode (album)Explode is the fourth full-length studio album by American streetpunk band, The Unseen, released on June 3, 2003.-Track listing:#"False Hope"#"Your Failure Is My Revenge"#"Explode"#"Don't Look Back"#"Negative Outlook"#"Tsunami Suicide"...
- "Scream Out" from State of DiscontentState of DiscontentState of Discontent is the fifth official and first album on Hellcat Records by the punk group The Unseen. It was released on May 9, 2005 internationally and a day later in the United States. It was produced by Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion fame and Ken Casey of the Dropkick Murphys...
- "You Can Never Go Home" from State of DiscontentState of DiscontentState of Discontent is the fifth official and first album on Hellcat Records by the punk group The Unseen. It was released on May 9, 2005 internationally and a day later in the United States. It was produced by Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion fame and Ken Casey of the Dropkick Murphys...
- "Break Away" from Internal SalvationInternal SalvationInternal Salvation is the sixth full-length studio album of American streetpunk band, The Unseen. It was released on July 16, 2007 and is their second album released on Hellcat Records .-Track listing:...
- "Paint It Black" from State of DiscontentState of DiscontentState of Discontent is the fifth official and first album on Hellcat Records by the punk group The Unseen. It was released on May 9, 2005 internationally and a day later in the United States. It was produced by Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion fame and Ken Casey of the Dropkick Murphys...
, a cover of the song by The Rolling StonesPaint It, Black"Paint It, Black" is a song released by The Rolling Stones on 13 May 1966 as the first single from their fourth album Aftermath. It was originally titled "Paint It Black" without a comma. Keith Richards has stated that the comma was added by the record label, Decca.The song was written by Mick...
.
In popular culture
- A poster for The Unseen is featured in the 2007 American comedy Superbad, appearing on the bedroom wall when the Michael CeraMichael CeraMichael Austin Cera is a Canadian actor best known for his roles in Arrested Development, Youth in Revolt, Superbad, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and Juno. Cera received the 2008 Canadian Comedy Award for best male performance for his work in Superbad.-Early...
character is having sex. - The Unseen are featured as background music in two skits for the TV series JackassJackass (TV series)jackass is an American reality series, originally shown on MTV from 2000 to 2002, featuring people performing various dangerous, crude, ridiculous, self-injuring stunts and pranks...
. - Mark Unseen makes a cameo appearance in the music video "Used to Be" by fellow Boston punk band The Have Nots.
- Atlanta based rapper Pill wears a t-shirt for The Unseen in his music video "Glass."
External links
- Interview with Mark Unseen
- Interview with Mark of Unseen
- The Unseen on MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....