Man Is the Bastard

Man Is the Bastard was an American hardcore punk band from Claremont, California. They existed from 1990 to 1997, releasing mostly split records, extended plays, and compilation albums on obscure labels from around the world. Along with contemporaneous bands such as Crossed Out, No Comment, and Capitalist Casualties, Man Is the Bastard are often recognized as one of the most prominent acts of the 1990s powerviolence movement, with some critics even citing them as originators of the genre. After their dissolution, members went on to form various other musical projects, most notably being the noise group Bastard Noise, which originally started out as a side project of the band under the name Man Is The Bastard Noise.

Since disbanding, Man Is the Bastard’s members have been involved in a number of different musical endeavors. Vocalist and bassist Eric Wood occasionally performs in the Los Angeles area as Bastard Noise, while bassist Aaron Kenyon and drummer Joel Connell continue to play in a variety of progressive rock acts such as Frank Booth Youth, Bastard Lounge, Controlling Hand, Lux Nova Umbra Est, and Umbra Vita. Vocalist Andrew Beattie has since continued doing vocals within the hardcore punk/powerviolence genre, performing in such bands as Controlling Hand, Low Threat Profile, Infest, as well as Dead Language, a supergroup featuring members from No Comment, Iron Lung, Brainoil, and Cave State. Beattie’s current band, Dead Mans Life, performs in the Los Angeles area, and his solo band, Institute of Infinite Sorrow, is still active today.