Biography
Drawing from the intense hardcore surge of the early 1980s, Richmond, Virginia's Honor Role assembled in 1983 as a standard punk trio before rapidly expanding into a singular quartet that produced dark, inventive post-punk. Their wiry, inspired recordings never earned matching recognition.
Centering on guitarist/vocalist Pen Rollings and drummer Steve Schick, the initial lineup put out a brisk and somewhat affected nine-song 7" titled It Bled Like a Stuck Pig in early 1984. The group's real advance arrived later that year once Bob Schick, Steve's brother, came aboard as vocalist, freeing Rollings to channel all his focus into his increasingly distinctive guitar lines. With Jeremy Bunn handling bass, they issued their first fully realized effort, the "Judgement Day"/"Anonymous Cave" 45, which appeared in June 1985 on Eskimo/No Core Records, the same local label behind their debut EP. Chip Jones soon took over the bass position from Bunn, after which the band performed many East Coast dates, among them support slots for pioneering acts including the Minutemen, Hüsker Dü, Sonic Youth, and Ian MacKaye's post-Minor Threat outfit Embrace. The quartet tracked both the "Purgatory" 45 and their debut album The Pretty Song alongside noted Richmond producer John Morand. The material showed a band operating at peak capacity: tracks such as "Throwing Rocks," "My Place," and "Purgatory" anchored themselves in hardcore through Schick's lyrics, yet his fluid, coiled vocal style set against the taut, hypnotic guitar patterns woven by Rollings proved electrifying.
In late 1987 the band swapped drummers, installing Seth Harris in place of Steve Schick. Armed with a deal from indie mainstay Homestead Records, they went on to create their strongest work. The clanging "Lives of the Saints No. 135 (Naked Wife)" delivered searing invective, while the ensuing album Rictus pursued personal demons along seldom-traveled paths, with Rollings in particular deploying a scorching, technically demanding yet viscerally unsettling guitar approach. By the time Honor Role disbanded in late 1989, their impact could be heard across several post-punk fronts, most clearly in the work of Washington, D.C. standard-bearers Fugazi, who frequently shared bills with them. Schick later played in Coral and Dynamic Truths, while Rollings forged an overloaded, crushing instrumental style through his projects Butterglove and Breadwinner.
Centering on guitarist/vocalist Pen Rollings and drummer Steve Schick, the initial lineup put out a brisk and somewhat affected nine-song 7" titled It Bled Like a Stuck Pig in early 1984. The group's real advance arrived later that year once Bob Schick, Steve's brother, came aboard as vocalist, freeing Rollings to channel all his focus into his increasingly distinctive guitar lines. With Jeremy Bunn handling bass, they issued their first fully realized effort, the "Judgement Day"/"Anonymous Cave" 45, which appeared in June 1985 on Eskimo/No Core Records, the same local label behind their debut EP. Chip Jones soon took over the bass position from Bunn, after which the band performed many East Coast dates, among them support slots for pioneering acts including the Minutemen, Hüsker Dü, Sonic Youth, and Ian MacKaye's post-Minor Threat outfit Embrace. The quartet tracked both the "Purgatory" 45 and their debut album The Pretty Song alongside noted Richmond producer John Morand. The material showed a band operating at peak capacity: tracks such as "Throwing Rocks," "My Place," and "Purgatory" anchored themselves in hardcore through Schick's lyrics, yet his fluid, coiled vocal style set against the taut, hypnotic guitar patterns woven by Rollings proved electrifying.
In late 1987 the band swapped drummers, installing Seth Harris in place of Steve Schick. Armed with a deal from indie mainstay Homestead Records, they went on to create their strongest work. The clanging "Lives of the Saints No. 135 (Naked Wife)" delivered searing invective, while the ensuing album Rictus pursued personal demons along seldom-traveled paths, with Rollings in particular deploying a scorching, technically demanding yet viscerally unsettling guitar approach. By the time Honor Role disbanded in late 1989, their impact could be heard across several post-punk fronts, most clearly in the work of Washington, D.C. standard-bearers Fugazi, who frequently shared bills with them. Schick later played in Coral and Dynamic Truths, while Rollings forged an overloaded, crushing instrumental style through his projects Butterglove and Breadwinner.
Albums
