Welcome To The Official Website For Dead Kennedys

Fri 12/8 7:00 pm ET, This week, Faction is proud to welcome punk rock royalty for Hostile Takeover. With a pedigree going back to 1978 in San Francisco, the Dead Kennedys have embodied the revolutionary energy of punk for almost three decades. And on Friday night, the band will have their way with the Faction airwaves, picking the music and speaking directly to listeners, no holds barred and completely uncensored. Click here listen!
Rebroadcast: Sat., Dec. 9th @ 1 am ET.

11.29.06 - Dead Kennedys #3 on Kerrang's top 50 Best Punk Albums of All Time

Kerrang Magazine has decided to make a list of what they think are the top 50 best punk albums of all time. Though the magazine's choices are sometimes controversial, most of the inarguably important records easily made the list, including contributions from the Sex Pistols, Fugazi, Stooges, Rancid, Stiff Little Fingers, The Clash, Nirvana, Dead Kennedys and Minor Threat as well as some more controversial fodder like Blink-182, Green Day, Get Up Kids and AFI.

1. Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols (1977)
2. Green Day Dookie (1994)
3. Dead Kennedys Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables (1980)
4. Nirvana Nevermind (1991)
5. The Offspring Smash (1994)
6. Rancid ...And Out Come the Wolves (1995)
7. Discharge Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing (1982)
8. The Clash The Clash (1977)
9. The Damned Machine Gun Etiquette (1979)
10. Ramones Ramones (1976)
11. NOFX Punk in Drublic (1994)
12. Fugazi Repeater (1990)
13. The Clash London Calling (1979)
14. Blink-182 Enema of the State (1999)
15. The Stooges Fun House (1970)
16. Black Flag Damaged (1981)
17. Minor Threat Complete Discography (1989) [Compilation]
18. The Stooges Raw Power (1973)
19. The Undertones The Undertones (1979)
20. The Offspring Americana (1998)
21. Bad Brains Rock for Light (1983)
22. Buzzcocks Love Bites (1978)
23. NOFX So Long and Thanks for All the Shoes (1997)
24. The Ruts The Crack (1979)
25. Crass Feeding of the 5000 (1978)
26. The Vandals Hitler Bad, Vandals Good (1998)
27. Operation Ivy Energy (1989)
28. Refused The Shape of Punk To Come (1998)
29. Rocket From the Crypt Scream Dracula, Scream! (1995)
30. The Exploited Punks Not Dead (1981)
31. Cro-Mags Age of Quarrel (1986)
32. Quicksand Manic Compression (1995)
33. The Descendents Milo Goes to College (1982)
34. Sublime Sublime (1996)
35. The Misfits Static Age [1978] (1997)
36. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones Let's Face It (1997)
37. Bad Religion Suffer (1988)
38. Less Than Jake Hello Rockview (1998)
39. Dwarves Are Young and Good Looking (1997)
40. Supersuckers The Evil Powers of Rock 'N' Roll (1999)
41. Social Distortion White Light White Heat White Trash (1996)
42. The Get Up Kids Something to Write Home About (1999)
43. Green Day Nimrod (1997)
44. Will Haven El Diablo (1997)
45. Stiff Little Fingers Inflammable Material (1979)
46. Napalm Death Scum (1987)
47. A.F.I. Black Sails in the Sunset (1999)
48. Poison Idea Feel the Darkness (1990)
49. G.B.H. Leather, Bristles, Studs and Acne (1981) [EP]
50. Killing Joke Killing Joke (1980)

11.21.06 - Dirk Dirksen The Pope of Punk passed away in his sleep.

Dirk who booked and managed The Mabuhay Gardens, gave not just the D.K.'s, but so many other band their starts, and gave people in the world a whole different look at punk and theatre that many never would have experienced had it not been for him. His drive, (he was at The "Fab Mab" seven nights a week for years), his set of standards, (give people a SHOW but give bands a chance), and his sense of humor ("Go home to the gutters you came from" he would taunt the audience at the end of the night) all made him an unforgettable and irreplaceable man. If Dirk hadn't given us our initial shows, we would still be D.K's but not the same D.K,'s.

One cannot put a value on his advice and friendship over the years, both
during the Mabuhay and On Broadway years and after. His gruff exterior was
mostly theater, for the man had a good soul.

He will be sorely, sadly missed. The place just won't be the same without
him around, but we are all better from having known him.

As he would always say, "onward and upward."

11.07.06 - East Bay Ray on Top 25 Guitarists in the Bay Area

In a recent article, InsideBayArea.com rated the Top 25 guitarists in Bay Area (San Francisco Metro) history. Dead Kennedys front man East Bay Ray is listed as number 19, with other guitar greats such as Neil Young, Carlos Santana, and Kirk Hammett.

"Jello Biafra got all the press. But it was the guy beside him in the Dead Kennedys - East Bay Ray - who had the bigger hand in drawing up the blueprint for the second wave of American punk."

Click Here to read the article

05.18.06 - Dead Kennedys To Headline Two European Festivals

Having spent the last few months playing to enthusiastic and full house crowds at Irving Plaza in New York, the House of Blues in Los Angeles, and the historic Fillmore in San Francisco, Dead Kennedys are excited to announce several tour dates in Europe, including a headlining slot at Hellfest 2006 in Nantes, France and the Furia Sound Festival in Paris, France.

The tour begins on June 22nd in Zurich, Switzerland and then travels to Bregenz, Austria, and then headlining on Saturday at the Furia Sound Festival in Paris, playing with Fishbone and GBH, and finally to Nantes on June 25, where Dead Kennedys will share the Hellfest main stage with other legendary bands such as Motorhead, Agnostic Front, Alice In Chains, Obituary and, well... Korn.

For more information, visit the tour dates section.

The band would also like to thank all the people who showed up to the USA shows. With governments seemingly running amok (who have you been calling? the National Security Agency wants to know) , the band is glad that the message of questioning Big Brother is being brought to more and more people.

03.22.06 - East Bay Ray featured in the April 2006 issue of "Guitar Player."

The April 2006 edition of Guitar Player magazine features a spot on East Bay Ray of Dead Kennedys about production strategies! The article includes an interview with East Bay Ray in which he discusses recording techniques in general and recording electric guitar in particular, the recording sessions for "Fresh Fruits for Rotting Vegetables," what equipment he uses, and more! Pick up a copy today and check out page 132! You can also view the feature by clicking here.

02.28.06 - Fab Mab Class Reunion at the Filmore

‘FAB MAB CLASS REUNION' AT THE FILLMORE IN SAN FRANCISCO

TO FEATURE THE MUTANTS, THE AVENGERS, FLIPPER AND

Former Booker of Now Defunct Mabuhay Gardens Dirk Dirksen to Serve as Master of Ceremonies for April 8th, 2006 ‘Class Reunion' to Celebrate San Francisco Music and Art Scene

LOS ANGELES, CA. & SAN FRANCISCO, CA. (February 27, 2006) - The historic San Francisco music venue The Fillmore ( www.thefillmore.com ), will host the “Fab Mab Class Reunion,” a celebration of the San Francisco music and art scene on April 8th, 2006 featuring live performances from Bay Area punk bands The Mutants, The Avengers, Flipper and Dead Kennedys. The show is all-ages, doors are at 8pm and tickets are $25.

Master of Ceremonies for the evening will be none other than ‘the pope of punk' Dirk Dirksen, who produced shows at the now defunct Mabuhay Gardens, a.k.a. the Fab Mab, from which the reunion takes its name. Known the world over as the birthplace and center of San Francisco punk rock, the Mabuhay (which was originally a Filipino restaurant and nightclub in North Beach) became ‘the' place to see not only punk rock but anything from drag queen performances to the Sun Ra Arkestra when Dirksen began putting on shows in 1974 until its demise a decade later in 1984.

“I was acting as the steward for the performers and giving them a place to experiment,” said Dirk Dirksen regarding his days producing shows at the Fab Mab. “The San Francisco creative scene is in a constantly evolving state, I was just one of the grains of sand being swept along. I see this more as a class reunion, rather than being just about the bands or the club.”

The “Fab Mab Class Reunion” is the brainchild of Stephen DePace, drummer of the influential punk band Flipper, who wanted to celebrate the pioneers of the San Francisco punk rock scene – the hub of which was the Fab Mab. In addition to the bands on the “Fab Mab Class Reunion” bill, many popular bands from the early days of punk including Black Flag, The Damned, Devo, The Ramones and others would share the stage with less well known local acts like The Vktms, Ralph Eno and Sluts-A-Go-Go. The Mab was to San Francisco what CBGB's was to New York.

Tickets are available for purchase at all Ticketmaster outlets including Tower Records, Wherehouse Music, Ritmo Latino, select FYE stores, select Save Mart locations and Tix Bay Area in Union Square. Call (408) 998-TIXS, (415) 421-TIXS, (510) 625-TIXS, (925) 685-TIXS, (707) 528-TIXS, (916) 649-TIXS or (559) 485-TIXS to charge by phone. Tickets may be purchased on-line at www.bgp.com . All dates, acts, and ticket prices are subject to change without notice. A service charge is added to each ticket price. Tickets available for purchase at The Fillmore Box Office with no service charge on show nights from 7:30 - 10:00 P.M. or on Sundays between 10 A.M. and 4 P.M.

01.26.06 - East Bay Ray, the guitarist for Dead Kennedys, is featured in the January 2006 issue of "Guitar World."

Guitar World's January 2006 edition features a spot on East Bay Ray of Dead Kennedys! The feature includes an interview with East Bay Ray where he speaks about his style of guitar playing, the recent reissue of "Fresh Fruits for Rotting Vegetables", what equipment he uses, music, and more!

01.01.06 - Spin Lists DK in Top Reissues

Spin Magazine's January 2006 edition names 25th Anniversary reissue of "Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables" to its Top 10 reissues of 2005. "Fresh Fruit" was named # 7 best reissue alongside such good company as Bob Dylan, RUN-D.M.C., Ray Charles, and the Kinks.

The special reissue of “Fresh Fruit” features the band’s original album on compact disc as well a new bonus DVD documentary of previously unseen archival live footage and new interviews about the record. The 55 minute bonus DVD includes some of the earliest known live footage of Dead Kennedys performing tracks such as ‘California Uber Alles’ at the San Francisco venue Mabuhay Gardens, ‘Kill The Poor’ from Sproul Hall on the U.C. Berkeley campus a mere two months after the band formed, ‘Holiday in Cambodia’ shot during the band’s only live date in France, ‘Viva Las Vegas’ from the Mabuhay and a newly edited two-camera shoot of ‘Funland at the Beach’ from the Mabuhay as well.