Middle Class (band)

Middle Class
Origin	Santa Ana, California, USA
Genres	Punk rock Hardcore punk
Years active	1977–1982, 2010-Present
Past members	Mike Atta Jeff Atta Bruce Atta Matt Simon

The Middle Class are an American punk rock/hardcore punk band established in 1977 in Santa Ana, California. The band consisted of Jeff Atta on vocals, Mike Atta on lead guitar, Mike Patton on bass, and Bruce Atta on drums. The band achieved major success in the hardcore punk scene of Southern California. Their first shows were in 1978 in various Los Angeles clubs and ballrooms.

They were included in the 2006 documentary American Hardcore. The band's most popular release was Out of Vogue EP, released in 1978, particularly known for its extremely fast title track.

The Middle Class are generally considered one of the first bands to play hardcore punk. Once after a show, the band was approached by a young spectator by the name of Keith Morris, who said that he was going to start a band of his own. The band would turn out to be the legendary Black Flag, another band credited with originating the style.

They pioneered a shouted, fast version of punk rock which would shape the hardcore sound that would soon emerge from scores of like-minded bands, primarily throughout California and Washington, D.C. at first, but which eventually found its way all across America and became the predominant style of punk for a number of years long after the band's breakup.

The first record featured just the title track along with three other songs, but the band also produced several demo recordings in 1977 and 1978. After this they released the Scavenged Luxury 7" in 1980 which showcased a slightly more mellow sound. 1982 saw the release of their first full-length album, the darker and relatively sedate Homeland. Their first seven inches were re-released on the compilation album Blueprint for Joy along with several live tracks and songs they contributed to the Tooth and Nail compilation.

In the mid-1980s the Atta brothers briefly formed a band with former Bags vocalist Alice Bag, the Cambridge Apostles. Bassist Mike Patton went on to produce The Adolescents' first album, guitarist Mike Atta now owns and operates a vintage furniture and clothing shop in Fullerton, California called "Out Of Vogue," Jeff Atta runs an art gallery next door, and drummer Bruce Atta went on to UCLA to major in Philosophy and now teaches philosophy at Cal State University at Los Angeles. Middle Class reunited in 2010 and played sold out shows in Los Angeles in 2010 and 2011.

Discography

• Out of Vogue 7" (1978)
• Scavenged Luxury 7" (1980)
• Homeland (1982)
• Blueprint for Joy (compilation, 1979)

External links

• "Suddenly In Vogue again: The Middle Class may have been one of the most influential bands ever" by Matt Coker, OC Weekly, December 5, 2002.