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Music

Chromosome Damage Continue Ohio’s Long History of Producing Misanthropic and Degenerate Hardcore Punk

The Columbus band produce a Fiji Water-like quality of puerile hardcore punk.

Image: Levi Marshall

Mention Ohio hardcore punk and people usually start banging on about Cleveland and it’s long history of producing belligerent and obnoxious bands. But Chromosome Damage prove that the Forest City doesn’t hold a monopoly on scuzzy degenerate Ohio noise.

Based in Columbus, the five-piece ply in the trade of rolling around piss and beer stained floors while shouting and playing damaged musical instruments very loudly. It’s basically the music equivalent of three tall cans of cheap beer mixed with 10 mg of that shit they give you in Emergency for a softball game arm fracture.

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They’ve just released Punk Points a cassette on Rustbelt Hammer and will be recording a 7” in the coming months.

Listen to “Look At Yourself ” from the tape and read a short interview we recently did with guitarist Joe Styles.

Noisey: Is your song “Piss Poor Attitude” reflective of the band?
Joe Styes: Every day is shit. Embrace the void.

Has your singer legally changed his name to Matt Tard?
Matt Tard is a criminal and we want to respect his privacy. How are you treated at Cleveland’s Now That’s Class venue?
Now That’s Class sells Mad Dog 20/20 at the bar and we respect that. Cleveland treats us like queens and is way better than Columbus. The cocaine is of higher quality, the bands are better, Happy Dog puts Dirty Franks to shame, and the Cleveland Indians would beat the shit out of the Columbus Clippers. Cleveland is easily one of the best cities to play. You recorded the album on a 70s tape recorder. Was this because of budget or retro coolness?
After playing a house show we were partying at some sleazy bar with Lars Frederickson and one of the guys from that 70s TV show, Emergency! At around 8:30 AM, we came out of a blackout having signed a contract with Rustbelt Hammer, agreeing to record a tape on analog. Cocaine was running like snot out of our noses and Tim Armstrong was giving us a ride to his meth clinic. A 70s reel to reel is like the Fiji water of recording equipment and Morte from Kill the Hippies recorded us. Kill The Hippies is the greatest Ohio band since Devo. What is the best Poison Idea album?
Pick Your King sounds like one giant song but it’s a really good song. I like their later stuff better though.

‘Punk Points’ is available from Rust Belt Hammer and here.

Catch Chromosome Damage at these shows:
April 22 – Cleveland at Now That's Class
May 14 - Cincinnati at Northside Yacht Club
June 2 - Columbus at The Bone Dome
June 18 - Cincinnati at the Nest
July 5 - Columbus at Legion Of Doom
July 22 - Detroit at The Painted Lady
July 23 - Cleveland at Casa Blanco