Mood Of Defiance In A Box

Mood Of Defiance formed in 1981 out of the ashes of short-lived experimental San Pedro synth group, Kindled Imagination. After deciding to start her own band, Rachel Mason sometimes known as Screaming Rachel Bitch or Hatha—recruited her Kindled Imagination bandmate Richie Wilder (Saccharine Trust, Hari-Kari, Slivers) on drums, put an ad in the Recycler, and when T.A. Black (guitar) and Kevin Ball (bass) replied, the group was solidified. Not long after forming, they recorded a demo in March of 1981 at Media Art in Hermosa Beach with Spot at the helm. This unit played a handful of gigs before Tom and Kevin decided to quit—and were replaced by Danny Phillips and Gary Kail from the band Anti, who would go on to help record a full-length Mod album. Mod called it quits around 1984. From the depths of the tape vaults, light has been shown upon Mood of Defiance's lost first demo recordings (titled In A Box). Rachel Mason's vocals are an aggressive attack as the band's rhythm chug along behind her in that distinctive early '80s Southern California punk style. These recordings serve not only as a lost document of early So. Cal punk rock, but as a reminder that the independent sound of San Pedro music has a strong history with roots that are still growing and being uncovered to this day.