Bloodsport

Bloodsport were a lesser-known part of Chicago's post-hardcore punk scene of the '80s, which produced bands like Naked Raygun, the Effigies, and Big Black. Following the demise of his first band Strike Under, guitarist Chris Bjorklund got together with vocalist Dave Bergeron, bassist Tom Woods, and drummer Joe Haggerty (Haggerty's brother John played guitar in Naked Raygun). Drawing from a musical palette similar to that of the Effigies (the Ruts, Killing Joke, the Stranglers, Minor Threat, etc.), Bloodsport issued their only album, I Am the Game, on the prominent indie label Homestead in 1985. Dave Bergeron subsequently left the band, and while they continued to play as a trio, their recording career was effectively over. In 1987, Bjorklund and Haggerty joined a revamped version of the Effigies, with Bjorklund on bass; the following year, Woods also signed on as the bassist, and Bjorklund returned to guitar. The Effigies disbanded in 1990, and Haggerty united with his brother John in the punk-pop outfit Pegboy. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi