Shock-u-py!

Election fever is here and even more of a circus than usual, so who better to jump in and stir up trouble than Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine? Their new EP SHOCK-U-PY! is the perfect soundtrack for the fall political melee. Biafra explains: “Here’s our tribute inspired by the Occupy movement. Not just ‘occupy’—SHOCK-U-PY!—since my favourite kind of resistance can have theatre, pranks and other creative sabotage—nonviolent, of course!” The SHOCK-U-PY! EP includes the exclusive track “Barackstar O’Bummer” not appearing on his upcoming album, plus Biafra’s remix of “We Occupy,” a DOA song for the uprising that Biafra guested on. “We both go way back in the direct action side of things so I’m honoured Joe Keithley asked me to sing on this song.” “Occupy may be out of the corporate news machine right now” says Biafra, “but that hardly means that it’s gone away and it won’t go away until the problems go away. To me, it’s a reigniting of the anti-corporate ‘spirit of Seattle’ but this time it’s bigger because times are more severe.” The Guantanamo School of Medicine will be touring worldwide to support the SHOCK-U-PY! EP as well as their forthcoming full-shebang album, White People and the Damage Done. The EP is the first recording to feature Andrew Weiss on bass (Ween, Rollins Band, Butthole Surfers) and the powerhouse drums of Paul Della Pelle (from Philadelphia hardcore legends Ruin, Helios Creed, Nik Turner’s Space Ritual and more). The rest of the Guantanamo School of Medicine are the familiar faces of Mr. Biafra on vocals and tuneage; Ralph Spight (Victims Family, Hellworms) on guitars, vocals and keyboards; and Kimo Ball on still more guitars.