SSD

The origins of SSD trace back to its initial identity as Society System Decontrol, later shortened to SS Decontrol. The group earned recognition for introducing the straightedge movement into Boston’s hardcore and punk circles. Drawing motivation from the cohesive Washington, D.C., hardcore community, eventual leader and guitarist Alan Barile assembled Society System Decontrol with vocalist David Spring, known onstage as Springa, bassist Jamie Sciarappa, and drummer Chris Foley. Their first demo, How Much Art, appeared shortly after the band’s inaugural official performance in 1981. A pattern of favoring EP releases soon emerged, launched by 1982’s The Kids Will Have Their Say! on the group’s own XClaim! label and widely viewed as one of the foundational early straightedge recordings. Subsequent tours, bolstered by their traveling Boston Crew supporters, helped SSD establish a presence in the developing national straightedge scene. The year 1983 brought second guitarist Francoise Levesque into the lineup alongside the EP Get It Away!. Now operating simply as SSD, the band delivered its more metal-influenced How We Rock on Modern Method in 1984. Their longstanding preference for EPs ended with 1985’s Break It Up, the final release before the group disbanded in November of that year. A dedicated audience endured over time, prompting Taang! and Alan Barile to compile the 1981–1985 recordings into the 1992 CD collection Power. Several members stayed active in music afterward, with Barile forming Gage, Foley drumming for assorted bands and solo artists, Sciarappa joining Slapshot on bass, and Springa performing with Razorcaine and Die Blitzkinder.