Void was a Washington D.C.-based hardcore punk/crossover thrash band. They were one of the first hardcore outfits to fuse hardcore and some heavy metal in a way most hardcore and metal fans could accept, paving the way for bands such as The Melvins. They were one of the first local bands popular in the D.C. scene that was from outside the Beltway, hailing from Columbia, Maryland, a suburb located between D.C. and Baltimore.
History edit:
The band formed in 1980 with manic lead singer John Weiffenbach, guitarist Jon "Bubba" Dupree, bassist Chris Stover, and drummer Sean Finnegan. Many keys to their cult following included Bubba Dupree's chaotic guitar style and wild performances, and John Weiffenbach's violent lyrics and frenzied behavior. In November 1981 they cut a demo tape at Inner Ear Studios produced by Alec MacKaye of The Faith, and were picked up by Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson's label Dischord Records. In February 1982 they made their vinyl debut on Dischord with three songs on the Flex Your Head compilation. That spring they went into the studio to cut twelve songs that were released in September 1982 as half of the Faith/Void split album released by Dischord Records.
By 1983, Void were incorporating more metal influences into their sound, drawing a crowd that became increasingly violent and their shows became even more chaotic. In the summer of 1983 they recorded an as yet unreleased album for (then) Detroit based Touch and Go Records. According to Touch and Go, they still periodically attempt to get permission to release the album, but to this day that permission is denied by Dupree. Void disbanded in the winter of 1983, with violence at their shows being a factor in the breakup. In 1992, Eye 95 Records released their December 1981 Inner Ear demo tape as the Condensed Flesh EP.
Drummer Sean Finnegan died of a massive heart attack on Wednesday, January 30, 2008, at age 43. He was working by himself at his beach house on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Sean played in Void while they were active from 1980-1983 and was recently working on the set of the HBO production, The Wire.
Dischord Records announced that in October 2011 they would be releasing a new Void compilation album called "Sessions 1981-83," a 34 track CD, LP and MP3 featuring:
20 unreleased tracks recorded in 1981 at Hit and Run Studios in Rockville, Md.;,
10 tracks recorded in 1981 at Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, Va.;,
2 tracks recorded in June 1982 at Inner Ear Studios (out-takes from the Faith/Void LP);,
2 live tracks from 1983.
and Slipknot, produced the record in Los Angeles. Full track listing forSurfing the Void: Echoes The Same Space Surfing The Void Valley Of The Calm Tr...
