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Unrest.

MEMBERS

Phil Krauth,

Tim Moran, (-1986)

Mark Robinson,

Chris Thomson, (1987)

Dave Park, (1987-89)

Justin Chearno, (1990)

Bridget Cross, (1991-)

HOMETOWN

Washington, D.C.

MOST POPULAR

Imperial f.f.r.r.

GREATEST HITS

Cherry Cherry
The Hill
Isabel
June
Make Out Club
She Makes Me Shake Like...
Yes She Is My Skinhead Girl

ALSO

UNREST on Bandcamp

UNREST on Wikipedia

DESCRIPTION

Unrest was a towering pillar of the American indie rock community throughout the early '90s -- from the tongue-in-cheek garage noise of their earliest efforts to the shimmering, manic pop thrills of their later, most enduring work, the band was a paragon of DIY virtue, perfecting a genre-hopping eclecticism and knowing, ironic lyrical outlook that virtually defined the sound and feel of college rock in the pre-grunge era. Mark Robinson, Tim Moran, and Phil Krauth formed Unrest while students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. The most popular line-up featured Bridget Cross with Mark and Phil.

RELATED ARTISTS

AIR MIAMI (Bridget/Mark)

Bridget / Kathi / Doug - PANAX (Bridget)

COTTON CANDY (Mark)

FANG WIZARD (Mark)

FLIN FLON (Mark)

MAYBE IT'S RENO (Bridget/Mark/Phil)

PHIL KRAUTH

TONE (Phil)

WILLIAM & VIVIAN (Mark/Phil)

Phil, Mark, Tim [L to R]
in a stairwell at Wakefield High School, Arlington, Virginia
Photo by Tim's mom?

Phil, Bridget, Mark
on the front steps at Teen-Beat 97
Photo by [unknown]

Phil, Bridget, Mark
in Southwest, D.C., for Spin magazine
Photo by John Falls

Dave and Phil
in the West Broadway subway station, New York City (1988)
Photo by Mark Robinson

Mark and Phil
at Noise N.Y. studio while recording the "Malcolm X Park" album (1988)
Photo by [Dave Park?]

UNREST's first single on sale at Olsson's Books and Records, Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
Photo by Mark Robinson

Phil, Mark, Bridget
at Chaos House
Knoxville, Tennessee (1992)
Photo by Mark Robinson

Phil, Bridget, Mark
in Southwest, D.C., for Spin magazine
Photo by John Falls

Phil, Bridget, Mark
in their hotel's lobby
London, England
1993
Photo by James "Jim" Greer

Bridget, Mark, Phil
in the office at Teen-Beat 97 (1992 or '93)
Photo by Erin Smith

Bridget, Mark, Phil
in Babyland at National Memorial Park, Virginia (1993)
Photo by Erin Smith

LINE-UPS

1983-

Phil Krauth,

Tim Moran,

Mark Robinson

1984 SCHOOL TALENT SHOW

Tajinder Chadha,

Phil Krauth,

Tom Krauth,

Tim Moran,

Mark Robinson

1986

Chris Thomson,

Phil Krauth,

Tim Moran,

Mark Robinson

1987-

Phil Krauth,

Dave Park,

Mark Robinson

1990

Justin Chearno,

Phil Krauth,

Mark Robinson

1990 U.S. TOUR

Justin Chearno,

Tom Hoffmann,

Mark Robinson

1991-

Bridget Cross,

Phil Krauth,

Mark Robinson

ADDITIONAL LIVE PLAYERS

Richard Baluyut,
Melissa Berkoff,
Ethan Buckler,
Karl ---,
Brendan Canty,
Tajinder Chadha,
Michael Duane,
Mike Fellows,
Eric Golden,
David Grubbs,
Sohrab Habibion,
Tom Hoffmann,
Tom Krauth,
David Pajo,
Reg Shrader,
Erin Smith,
Ed "Ed Shred" Wenn

ADDITIONAL STUDIO MUSICIANS

Andrew Beaujon,
Molly Burnham,
Brent Sigmeth

MORE FILMS

Cath Carroll

Cath Carroll [live]

Cherry Cherry [live]

Cherry Cream On

So Sick [live]

So So Sick

FILM

I DO BELIEVE YOU ARE BLUSHING

Directed by Mike Shushan in Jersey City and Hoboken, New Jersey, 1992.

MAKE OUT CLUB

Directed by David Roth in Chicago, Illinois, 1993.

ISABEL

Directed by James Brummell in New York, New York, 1992.

BIOGRAPHY

Unrest formed in 1983 at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia (just outside of Washington, DC). They began as an improv instrumental band, taping every practice and never playing the same thing twice. Material seemed to be influenced by everything from punk to funk to Ennio Morricone. Unrest issued several recordings (often in cassette form) via frontman Mark Robinson's DIY label Teen Beat.

ANOTHER BIOGRAPHY

The flagship act of frontman Mark Robinson's own TeenBeat label, Unrest was a towering pillar of the American indie rock community throughout the early '90s -- from the tongue-in-cheek garage noise of their earliest efforts to the shimmering, manic pop thrills of their later, most enduring work, the band was a paragon of DIY virtue, perfecting a genre-hopping eclecticism and knowing, ironic lyrical outlook that virtually defined the sound and feel of college rock in the pre-grunge era. Robinson, bassist Tim Moran, and drummer Phil Krauth formed Unrest while students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, VA; borrowing their name from a Henry Cow record, the fledgling trio soon made its debut on the first TeenBeat release, the 1985 cassette compilation Extremism in the Defense of Liberty Is No Vice. Comprised of 25 tracks (two of which were bootlegged from a Section 25 show at the Washington, D.C. venue the 9:30 Club), the tape was released in an edition of about 60 copies, and sold primarily to Robinson's classmates; among the featured acts were Jungle George & the Plague, led by another Wakefield student, Andrew Beaujon, who later led the much-acclaimed Eggs and briefly tenured with Unrest as well.

Teen-Beat itself would over time emerge as one of the most respected American independent labels of its period, evolving from the Xeroxed covers of early cassette releases to a prolific flow of beautifully designed releases inspired by Robinson's abiding affection for the lavish packaging of the British imprint Factory; the company's ever-changing roster reflected its founder's diverse tastes, issuing recordings from artists spanning from Versus to Gastr del Sol to Blast Off Country Style. TeenBeat's sophomore release, the Unrest! cassette, followed in the spring of 1985; recorded live to two-track cassette on a boom box in Moran's living room, the tape was soon trailed by another cassette, Lisa Carol Freemont, serving early notice of the prodigious output which defined the band's career -- at the same time, Robinson and Krauth even collaborated in another band, Clarence.

All of Unrest's releases catalogued Robinson's ever-shifting lyrical and musical obsessions, which (especially at the outset of the group's existence) often resulted in jarring track-to-track juxtapositions embracing everything from punk to funk. The band's more radical experiments make their unofficially self-titled 1987 full-length debut easier to admire than actually enjoy: the LP was pressed in an edition of 1,050, each with a cover hand-decorated by friends -- since every cover was different, each copy had its own title. Bassist Dave Park signed on for Unrest's second album, Malcolm X Park -- although the disc as a whole lacks focus, the lovely pop entries "Can't Sit Still" and "Christina" hint at the brilliance of later efforts. Silent in 1989 but for the "Catchpellet" single, the trio resurfaced a year later with their third LP, Kustom Karnal Blackxploitation, highlighted by their interpretation of the Heathers soundtrack's satiric protest anthem "Teenage Suicide." With the 1991 single "Yes, She Is My Skinhead Girl," Unrest achieved indie rock sainthood -- a joint release with the K Records label, its skittering, oddly propulsive pop approach signaled the band's creative breakthrough, also earning strong critical notices. However, it was the arrival of bassist Bridget Cross that truly fortified the Unrest sound -- a onetime member of Velocity Girl, her throbbing, insistent rhythms closely evoked the pioneering bass lines of New Order's Peter Hook, complementing Robinson's own Factory Records fixation and offering the perfect counterpoint to the frenzied strumming of his guitar work.

The 1992 album Imperial f.f.r.r. remains Unrest's defining moment, a sprawling yet laser-focused pop masterpiece boasting the single "Cherry Cream On." The follow-up, 1993's Perfect Teeth, arrived as a joint release with the 4AD label -- featuring onetime Miaow frontwoman Cath Carroll on the cover (a longstanding Robinson heroine, she'd later issue a solo album on Teen-Beat) and Duran Duran's Simon LeBon as producer, the record's highlight, "Make Out Club," even earned airtime on MTV. The EP Animal Park appeared in early 1994, but at the peak of their success, Unrest then disbanded -- while Krauth mounted a solo career, Robinson and Cross reunited in the short-lived Air Miami. Robinson then went on to issue a series of solo records, variously credited to projects including Olympic Death Squad and Flin Flon.

- Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

INTERVIEW ON THE PERFECT TEETH ALBUM

"In a lot of ways, Unrest were the epitome of the best aspects of D.C.'s indie rock culture of the '80s and '90s. Smart, excitable kids with good ideas and boundless enthusiasm, ambitious without any concrete reasons to be, these Arlingtonians remained undaunted in their efforts to make music - exciting, interesting, catchy-as-hell music – and give people outside of their immediate social circle a chance to hear it. Unrest's catalog (several LPs and numerous singles, EPs, and compilation tracks) represents a sprawling stylistic map of beloved inspirations and far-ranging experimentalism, veering from raucous hardcore to homespun acoustic folk to noisy art rock to heavy metal homage to poised, flawlessly crafted pop masterpieces in the UK mold. And by founding Teenbeat Records, Mark Robinson - Wakefield High graduate and Unrest's singer, guitarist, and lead audio architect, as well as the mastermind behind Grenadine, Air Miami, and Flin Flon _ ushered in one of American indie rock's most revered labels while simultaneously providing D.C. with an outlet for the more overtly poppy sounds of the local scene. 1993's Perfect Teeth LP, Unrest's last, is perhaps the greatest distillation of the group's vision and abilities. Its 11 tracks find the band, which was Robinson, bassist/vocalist Bridget Cross, and drummer Phil Krauth, operating at the top of its game, perfecting the pristine (but never sterile), endlessly listenable approach introduced on 1992's must-have Imperial f.f.r.r. full-length, and closing out Unrest's impressive decade-plus run in fine style. A mix of indie pop burners and subdued, thoughtful sonic meditations, Perfect Teeth is bulletproof.

"We definitely loved New Order and Joy Division," Robinson said while speaking with DCist recently about Unrest's many influences. "Especially New Order, of course, [who] were very pop. But you can just go back and look at the older Unrest stuff, and while it doesn't seem as poppy as the later stuff, it's just because there were less pop songs, but the pop songs were definitely there. It's just that we were into so many different things that we kind of tried to play all these different styles as well;. I don't think anything was ever conscious about that, we just kind of tried to do the music that we wanted to do, or do the sonic experiments that we wanted to do." Perfect Teeth definitely falls squarely on the poppier spectrum of Unrest's output. The slower songs, like the shimmering pastoral opener "Angel I Will Walk You Home," with its delicate chords and ethereal vocals courtesy of Cross, and the stately "Soon It Is Going To Rain" (surely one of the loveliest indie pop songs ever laid to tape), rub shoulders comfortably with madly-strummed treble-kickers like the Factory Records scenester / Miaow frontwoman-checking "Cath Carroll" (that's her Robert Mapplethorpe portrait on the album cover), the explosive "Make Out Club," and the hip-sprung, fleet-wristed "So Sick." Elsewhere, "West Coast Love Affair"'s breezy, effortlessly catchy melody and nimble rhythms conjure up bossa nova via Columbia Pike, while "Food & Drink Synthesizer" and "Breather X.O.X.O." keep one foot firmly planted in the theoretical. Throughout the album, chords blur and bend (read the liner notes, "Unrest uses only Sears Silvertone brand guitar amplifiers because they want the best") while the bass pushes the melody through the speakers and the drums aggressively mark time and add momentum. According to the band, no guitar effects or synthesizers were employed during the recording of Perfect Teeth, giving the LP an organic aspect nicely balanced by the precision of the compositions.

Like Imperial f.f.r.r., Perfect Teeth was released in conjunction with legendary UK label 4AD, which throughout the 1980s and early '90s was behind a string of influential albums by the Cocteau Twins, Modern English, Dead Can Dance, Bauhaus, the Pixies, Lush, the Breeders, and others. "What I really liked about them, kind of like Factory, they cared a lot about the packaging and design [of their releases]," Robinson said. "Except 4AD was much more cohesive; they seemed to stick to their house designer more often."

To engineer the record, Robinson chose Brian Paulson, who had recently worked on Slint's epic Spiderland LP and would go on to produce albums for the likes of Superchunk, the Wedding Present, and Wilco. "I definitely loved [Paulson's] recordings," Robinson said. "[His approach] just sounded fresh; it was very natural sounding."

"He wasn't someone that would make you do take after take," Cross added. "He let us do whatever we wanted. We liked that. I'm not sure how the record company felt about it. For some reason I remember him being like a vampire. Maybe we recorded at night a lot or maybe he was really punk rock, I can't remember."

"We recorded at this place that I think Simon suggested," remembers Robinson. "It's called Pachyderm, in the middle of nowhere in Minnesota. And it was a pretty posh studio. You actually stay there, you live in the studio, so we went there for a week…. Just a few weeks earlier, Nirvana had been in there recording In Utero. And then there was an indoor heated swimming pool in the house, which was nice."

The band wasn't quite used to such luxury. "The first day," says Robinson, "they just could not get the equipment working, and we were used to paying for studio time ourselves, so we were getting really, likewe're like, man, we're wasting all this and the equipment's not even working, and we're not recording. So we actually didn't even record that first day until pretty late at night. That's why I think a lot of the songs — I remember 'Cath Carroll' in particular - I think the reason that it's so crazy fast is that we were just really kind of anxious to record."

Adds Cross, "The whole Perfect Teeth recording experience was very surreal. Pachyderm Studios had all these stories: Kurt Cobain sessions, Jimmy Hendrix's Electric Ladyland sound board in the studio.... Was any of it true? Does it matter? The studio was adjacent to a deluxe Playboy-like mansion with an indoor pool, amazing furniture, and acres of gardens complete with large mushrooms carved from wood.... One afternoon we went for a walk by the river that ran by the property and saw flocks of wild turkeys. We thought all the snow and cold and turkeys were really exotic."

Looking back at Perfect Teeth today, Robinson says the only thing he regrets is that the band members, himself included, were probably involved in the mixing a little too much. "All the Unrest records are so different, at least to me," Robinson continued. "They probably sound exactly the same to everyone else. [We] would record, like, 20 songs for each record. And I sometimes think, 'Oh, how would the album have been different if we had chosen other songs to be on the album?' But in general, we probably chose the best songs to be on the record."

"Listening to Perfect Teeth today for me," observes Cross, "is like being in a dream and hearing a distant soundtrack with flashes of images and emotions. A very distant dream."
- Brandon Gentry, DCist,2009

DISCOGRAPHY

SINGLES

Unrest
Catch of the Day
Catchpellet
Yes She Is My Skinhead Girl
Cherry Cherry
A Factory Record
Isabel Bishop
Bavarian Mods and Other Hits
West Coast Love Affair
So Sick / Vibe Out!
Cath Carroll
split single with Underground Lovers
Angel I'll Walk You Home
split tour single with Stereolab
Make Out Club
Make Out Club (Re-Mix)
Light Command
split single with Heidi Berry
Animal Park

ALBUMS

Unrest
Lisa Carol Freemont [L.C.F.]
Tink of S.E. [and numerous other titles]
Malcolm X Park
Twister
Kustom Karnal Blackxploitation
Chocolate City Cherry
Fuck Pussy Galore (and all Her Friends)
An Imperial Full Frequency Range Recording
Perfect Teeth
B.P.M.
Newcastle, August 2, 1993
Washington, DC, February 24, 2005
England, 1992

COMPILATIONS

Extremism...
The Trouble with Harry
Magic Ribbons, Volume One
The Pre-Moon Syndrome
Rutles Highway Revisited
Teriyaki Asthma Volume VI
Teen-Beat Fifty
Afternoon Delight!
Fortune Cookie Prize
Teen-Beat 100
Inclined Plane
Soluble Fish
Lollapalooza '93
International Hip Swing
The 13 Year Itch
Trademark Of Quality
Buy This Used Compact Disc
Play Free Music
Mai Pen Rai
The Machines 1990-1993
The Bob No.47
All Virgos Are Mad
Wakefield: Volume 2
Wakefield: Volume 3
Wakefield: Volume 4
Wakefield: The Teen-Beat Boxed Set
Teen-Beat Subscribers' CD, 2003
Teen-Beat 20th Commemorative
Süddeutsche Zeitung Diskothek 1992
Speed Dating
2010 Teen-Beat / Other Music Sampler
Teen-Beat Holiday Card 2010/2011

SOUNTRACKS

Girls Town
Mod Fuck Explosion
Passenger Side

ALSO

Unrest station wagon(s)
Unrest metal jewel box
Unrest, Mark E. poster
Invoking Osiris tee-shirt
Live at the Tube Bar tee-shirt
Unrest tee-shirt
Cherry Cream On video shoot
Imperial f.f.r.r. coffee mug
Unrest and Teen-Beat agreement with 4AD
Perfect Hairdo comb & Perfect Teeth toothbrush
Perfect Teeth coffee mug
Malcolm X Park [compact disc]
Kustom Karnal Blackxploitation [compact disc]
Teen-Beat 20th Anniversary Celebrations
The production of "Imperial f.f.r.r." Deluxe Edition
Teen-Beat Graphica Exhibition
UNREST: Teen-Beat 26th Anniversary
UNREST: Teen-Beat 26th Anniversary badges
Unrest 2010

RELATED

Air Miami
Bridget / Kathi / Doug
Clarence
Cotton Candy
Flin Flon
Flowers of Discipline
Maybe It's Reno
Mark Robinson
Fred & Ginger
Phil Krauth
Pigeons
Tone
Velocity Girl
William & Vivian

SONGS

Afternoon Train
Angel I'll Walk You Home
Bavarian Mods
Ben's Chili Bowl
Between Us
Black Power Dynamo
Breathe In
Breather X.O.X.O.
Breather X.X.X.
Buckley Hugo
Butch Willis is a Psychopath
Caitlinbums
Can't Sit Still
Can't Sit Still (acoustic)
Capezio Bowler
Capitalist Joyride
Castro 59
Cath Carroll
Cath Carroll (10cc Mix)
Cats
Champion Nines
The Chastity Ballad
Cherry Cherry
Cherry Cream On
Chick Chelsea Delux
Christina
Click Click
Come Sail Away
Coming Hot and Proud
Communist Tart
Dago Red
Dago Rising
Dalmations
Deaf
Disco Magick
Do it Now
Egg Cheer
Electrico
Enola Gay
Equator 77
Eyeball from the Socket of Davis
Feeling Good Fixation
Firecracker
Fly to France
Folklore
Food and Drink Synthesizer
Four Foot High Stone Wall
The Foxey Playground
Frutti Column
Fuck You G.I.
Full Frequency
Future History
The Gas Chair
Give Me Yr Eyes
God Gave Rock & Roll to You III
Goodbye
Green
Die Grunen
Gustave
Happy Birthday
Headringer
Hey Hey Halifax
Hey London! (London's Theme)
The Hill
The Hill, part two
Hi-Tec Theme
Holiday in Berlin, part 1
Holiday in Berlin, part 2
Hope
Hydro
Hydrofoil
Hydrofoil One
Hydrofoil No.3
Hydroplane
I Do Believe You Are Blushing
I Hate Ms. Toivanen/Wshingtn
I Love Calvin
Imperial
In the Garden
International Nautical Miles
Invoking the Godhead
I've Come for Your Daughters
Isabel
Isabel (7" Version)
Islands
Iwo Jima
Judy Says, part I
Judy says, part II
June
Kill Whitey
Konfusion
Lady Chatterly
Laughter
Light Command
Live on a Hot August Night
Lord Shiva
Los Desasosiego
Love to Know
Loyola
Lucifer Rising
Make Out Club
Malcolm X Park
Manhattan
Man Hole Burn
Midnight for Two
Mod Fuck Explosion Theme
Nation Writer
Neal We Love You
91st Century Schizoid Man
Northwest Territory
Nova Scotia
Obliteration
Oh Yeah C'Mon
Oils
Oily
OK
Over the Life
A Picnic at Hanging Rock (The Hill, part three)
Plastic Film
Ragged (Cltd Hsbnd)
Ragged (nkd t)
Range Recording
Real Enemy
Rigormortis
The 'S' Street Shuffle with a Beat
Scorpio Rising
Scott & Zelda
Sex Machine
Shag
She Makes Me Shake Like a Soul Machine
She is Today
Six Layer Cake
So Sick
So So Sick
So So So Sick
So You Want To Be a Movie Star
So You Want to Be a Rock'n'Roll Star
Solid State
Soon It Is Going to Rain
Straight Edge
Stranger in My Own Hometown
Strutter
Stylized Ampersand
Sugarshack
Suki
Sweet Home Alaska
Sweet Wakefield
Teen Bt
Teenbeat Part 65
Teenbeat Theme 1991
Teenage Suicide
Time
The Tundra
Twist 66
U.F.O.
[Unrest Incidental Piece]
Usually on Fridays, a Hamburger
Velvet Spit
Vibe Out!
Vibe Out! / Hydrofoil (medley)
Volume Reference Tone
Wednesday and Proud
West Coast Love Affair
Wharton Hockey Club
When It All Comes Down
Where Are All Those Puerto Rican Boys?
Wild Thang
Winona Ryder (XY Version)
Winona Ryder (XX Version)
Woody Allen
Yes She Is My Skinhead Girl
Zim-Zum