Dead Kennedys

:This page is about the band; see Kennedy family for the political dynasty, or The Kennedy Curse, which inspired the name "Dead" Kennedys

Reformation

In 2001, Ray, Peligro and Flouride reformed the group with Brandon Cruz taking Biafra's role as vocalist (due to the breakdown in communications detailed above). There has been much debate as to whether this is a reformed Dead Kennedys, or some form of tribute band, however they have played under the group name "Dead Kennedys" as well as the variant "DK Kennedys" (to make the distinction between the original line up including Biafra and possibly to avoid futher lawsuits such as the one filed against the new lineup of the Doors without Jim Morrison). Many promoters simply advertise them as "Dead Kennedys" regardless, and promotional material has featured pictures of Biafra. The reformed group has played across the continental United States, Europe, Asia, South America, and the Russian Federation.

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More recently, Cruz was replaced by Jeff Penalty as lead vocalist. The new line-up has released two live albums on Manifesto Records of old performances - Mutiny On The Bay, an edited-together compilation of various live performances of varying quality from the San Francisco area, and Live At The Deaf Club, a recording of a 1979 performance at the Deaf Club in San Francisco. Incidentally, the latter performance was former bandmember 6025's final show with the band. These releases have caused more conflict among the band members and have been denounced by Jello Biafra as an attempt to cash in on the Dead Kennedys' legacy, who accuses the releases of being of poor sound quality and claims to not be receiving royalties from their sale or the sale of any Manifesto Records releases. The other band members deny Biafra's accusations of greed, despite having licensed Dead Kennedys music, traditionally an expression of anti-corporatism, for use with such corporate creations as Tony Hawk Pro Skater and The Manchurian Candidate.

Related Topics:
Jeff Penalty - Mutiny On The Bay - Live At The Deaf Club - Tony Hawk Pro Skater - The Manchurian Candidate

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