History 3

We recorded a demo as a three piece in the late summer or fall of 1982. This was produced at Tullen Sound Recording in Morristown, N.J. on big, fat 2” tape. We sent the demo into  Pat Duncan’s show at WFMU East Orange where it can still be heard today. Through the fall of 1982, we played weird NJ gigs (Performance art parties thrown from various people’s houses & parties at Dave’s Mom’s house) as well as A7 in Manhattan and the Showplace in Dover, N.J. My age was a real problem for the band; I remember sneaking into the Showplace and literally jumping on stage before a gig one time. Around summer of 1983, the Out Group went on hiatus. Dave (on bass) and I goofed around with Joe Petty in a band called Ground Zero, while Sean worked a summer job landscaping. In the fall of 1983, we reformed with Syd Sludge out front again. This would be our last effort as a band. We recorded a demo at Bleeker Street Studios in N.Y.C. Looking back on this recording,  It’s pretty evident we had evolved. The band was much tighter and with Syd on vocals, we were freed-up to concentrate on playing. Dave was splitting time between the Out Group and Agnostic Front, so his drumming chops were very polished. Gigs around this time included A7, The Squat Theatre (Midtown Manhattan), Patrick’s (with AF) in Brunswick, N.J., The Showplace in Dover and a great hardcore club in Bridgeport, CT called “Anthrax”. During this time we supported several bands including Bad Brains, DRI, Agnostic Front, Murphy’s Law, Sand in the Face and Jerry’s Kid’s.

Syd was quickly becoming a legendary front man as well, engaging unsuspecting audience members with high-energy goofball antics.  My personal favorite was the “mock-violent forcing of the microphone up ass routine”. Even now, Syd’s sick stage theatrics make me burst into laughter when I think about them. His relentless abuse of equipment was equally amusing as well. The soundman would provide a perfectly normal SM-58 microphone and it would look like a fucking rugby ball by the time the set was finished. We quickly grew accustom to bringing our own microphones with us when we played. Syd was entertaining, funny and charismatic all in his own way — a genuine person with a big heart. The band split for good in spring of 1984. In many ways, the end of the Out Group marked the beginning of Mental Abuse. Sean was heading to college and I couldn’t expect to have everyone cart my ass to and from rehearsals as I was still too young to drive. The kind of commitment Dave was hoping for I couldn’t deliver on due to both age and circumstance. Actually, it amazes me that we were even a band to begin with. Nothing ever seemed to go in our favor, yet we continued to play and record even in the worst of situations. Regardless, we had some great times and I’m proud the Out Group is a part of NY/NJ Hardcore Punk history. - Chris Rogers (with help from Sean Rogers), Spring 2002

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