2009-11-13

Mitchell, Moe; Garofalo, Reebee

Reebee Garofalo interviews Moe Mitchell during the AAAMC conference, "Reclaiming the Right to Rock: Black Experiences in Rock Music."

Indiana University, Radio and Television Services; McAlpin, Michael

Archives of African American Music and Culture

Bloomington; Indiana; United States

Reclaiming the Right to Rock: Black Experiences in Rock Music

Archives of African American Music and Culture

English

All requests for copying and publishing materials must be submitted in writing to the Archives of African American Music and Culture. Some publication requests may also require the written permission of the interviewer, interviewees, and/or performers.

2 video files (mov, 40 min., 2 sec.) : sound, color ; 10.3 GB + 1 transcript (9 pages), 1 videocassette (HD miniDV : sound, color)

A graduate of Howard University, Moe Mitchell has established himself as an activist and musician in the underground punk scene. His band Cipher, founded in 1996, is committed to opening critical spaces in underground music to reawaken the legacy of dissent in today's hardcore, weaving together elements of hardcore and metal with melodicism and politically radical lyrics to form a provocative, probing treatment of race, gender, and class. Mitchell was one of the four artists profiled in James Spooner's 2003 documentary Afro-punk, which explored issues of race identity within the punk scene. Cipher was formed in 1996 by longtime friends who wanted to bring something new to underground music. Elements of hardcore and metal are woven with politically radical lyrics to form a provocative, probing treatment of race, gender, and class. Cipher's most recent album, Children of God's Fire (2005), was released to critical acclaim as "an unrelenting, neo-revolutionary musical statement, transcending genres and provoking thoughts." As one reviewer put it, "In front of ambitiously bruising slabs of hardcore, Cipher front man Moe Mitchell ponders everything from patriarchy to the pharmaceutical industry." Cipher released their second album, The Joyous Collapse, in late 2009.

Other: DVF 1030; Other: DVF 1031