Void

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.

The band formed in 1979 with manic lead singer John Weiffenbach, guitarist Bubba Dupree, bassist Chris Stover, and drummer Sean Finnegan. Many keys to their cult following included Bubba Dupree’s guitar style and wild performances, and John Weiffenbach’s frenzied behavior. In November 1980 they cut a demo tape at Inner Ear Studios produced by Alec MacKaye , 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 fall of 1983, with violence at their shows being a factor in the breakup. In 1992, Eye 95 Records released their November 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 1980–1984 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 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.

Discography:

Albums and EPs:
Void/Faith split LP/CD (Dischord, 1982)
Potion For Bad Dreams LP (recorded 1983; unreleased)

Compilations
«Dehumanized», «Authority» and «My Rules» on Flex Your Head LP/CD (Dischord, 1982)
«Get Out Of My Way» on Bouncing Babies LP (Fountain of Youth, 1984)
«Get Out Of My Way» on Lost & Found 7» (Lost & Found, 1990)
«Who Are You» on Punk Anderson’s Favourites bootleg 2xCD (Starving Missile, 1994)
«Dehumanized», «Black, Jewish and Poor» and «Authority (take 1 and 2)» on 20 Years of Dischord 3xCD (Dischord, 2002)
«Who Are You/Time To Die» on the American Hardcore Soundtrack (Rhino Entertainment, 2006)
Condensed Flesh 7» EP (Eye 95, 1981)