Violent Apathy at St. Andrews Hall on July 31, 2010. Left to right: J.C. Graves, Tommy Fuller, Eliot Rachman, and Kenny Knott. (Richard (Dick) Bowser present, not shown)
Violent Apathy is an American hardcore band that formed in March 1981 at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States, and sparked the Kalamazoo hardcore scene. The original band was three high school friends from Jackson, Michigan (Kenny Knott, Richard "Dick" Bowser, and Jim Forgey) along with Eliot Rachman, another WMU student who hailed from East Lansing. Rachman had worked on the 1980 United States Census in Lansing, MI with members of The Fix and the original publishers (Tesco Vee and Dave Stimson) of Touch and Go magazine. He introduced the other members of the band to the then very new music of the Fix, the Necros, and Negative Approach, and all three bands provided a great deal of support and encouragement to VA.[1][2][3]
Violent Apathy, through many lineup changes,[4] played numerous shows throughout Michigan, particularly in Detroit, Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Kalamazoo. The band played outside of Michigan only twice, both in 1983, once in Indianapolis and once in Chicago. The Chicago appearance, however, was supposedly attended by a young Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters and described as a formative experience for him in the book Come as You Are by Michael Azerrad. The band's sound also evolved considerably during its three and a half year life, moving from primitive thrash to a slower, more rock-oriented sound.[5]
Logo based on stylized abbreviation of the band’s name.
Students for Progressive Action
Another significant contribution of singer Kenny Knott and Eliot Rachman was the formation in 1982 of Students for Progressive Action (SPA). Originally started as a scheme for local musicians to get paying gigs from the University. SPA grew quickly and brought many shows to Kalamazoo between 1982 and 1986. Some of the bands that played at SPA shows included Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Saccharine Trust, The Minutemen, Butthole Surfers, Naked Raygun, Discharge, Misfits, Samhain, Minor Threat, and many others. Violent Apathy and many other southwest Michigan bands typically provided opening support at SPA shows.[6]
Legacy
Violent Apathy drummer Eliot Rachman.
Members of Violent Apathy have also been involved in a myriad of other musical endeavors.
Kenny Knott was part of the band Just Say No, who recorded three albums on the Go Ahead Records label,[7] in the late 1980s and went on to front The Monokulators[8] in Lansing, MI.
Tommy Fuller played in Spite from 1984 to 1985,[9][10] and in Black Spring[11][12] during the 1990s and currently runs a brewery in Lawton, Michigan.
Rachman and Forgey were part of the original Meatmen.[13] Rachman played with the Virelles, a group that eventually mutated into the God Bullies,[14][15][16] another Kalamazoo legend. Also, Bowser and Rachman were part of a band called Dick and the Balls. Rachman also played with the Memphis Pilgrims after moving to New York City.
Knott and Bowser are currently two thirds of the space/noise rock outfit Dr Xeron and the Moogulators.[2][14][17][18][19]
In June 2007, Violent Apathy reunited for a twenty fifth anniversary reunion tour. Their first public appearance in twenty five years was in Detroit, Michigan at the 2500 Club.[20] This was followed by appearances in Kalamazoo,[21]Chicago, and Lansing.[2]
