Erik started making music at a young age, but it wasn’t until age 16 that he started playing shows with his punk band, The Orphans. Influenced by “Fresh Fruit”-era Dead Kennedys and “Worlds Apart”-era Subhumans, the band had released a 7” (“Anthems for Doomed Youth,” 1996) before half of them were even old enough to drive. They officially disbanded in 2000 and Erik continued to make music…digging into the past for a more traditional sound to mix with punk ideals. The result was “Mirth,” a demo of acoustic punk influenced by medieval danses and raucous Romany dust-raising ditties (2000). The tape was rough and scratchy - yet it was clear that there were solid anthems buried under that hiss, which was evident by the scope of the tape, spanning city and state. Logically, a live show was expected – and despite the drums and extra instrumentation on the tape (all layered on a four-track recorder), there was no band. Over the years, seeing “Mischief Brew” on a flyer meant you were just seeing Erik Petersen with an acoustic guitar or mandolin. There was no PA in the beginning, just a roomful of West Philly’s finest rabble-rousers singing along to the “Mirth” songs. And for quite some time, this is how things stayed until it was necessary to deliver a proper recording.
“Bellingham & Philadelphia” (2003) is a split LP/CD with Washington state’s roving songcrafter Robert Blake. Meanwhile, Fistolo Records (the label Erik co-founded and runs with his wife Denise) released the “Bakenal” CDep. It was hard to believe that all the songs were recorded in the same session and split between two releases, as they were completely different experiences soundwise. “Bellingham” was more Phil Ochs/Bob Dylan-style political folk, while “Bakenal” delivered gypsy-punk swing, Poguesy drinking songs, and even a drunken tango. Two years of touring followed, from punk bars to basement shows. Meanwhile, Erik visited the studio here and there to record a few acoustic tracks for the Orphans discography (“Raise the Youth,” 2004), and the Mischief Brew “Oh Sweet Misery b/w All About the Class War” single (2005).
For an official full-length, Mischief Brew needed a non-traditional studio (by punk standards), since the songs required a more varied instrumentation to bring forth the gypsy melodies and circus beats. Impressed by the work of Israeli producer Tamir Muskat (Balkan Beat Box, Firewater, Big Lazy…), Erik visited the Brooklyn studio that he runs. Vibromonk has produced records by such festive acts as Gogol Bordello, World/Inferno Friendship Society, Firewater and more…the kind of place that knows how to mic a marimba. For this record, a backing band was assembled consisting of bass, drums, accordion, clarinet, and junk percussion. Guest appearances by Sturgeon (Leftover Crack), Peter Hess (Guignol), and Franz Nicolay (World/Inferno, The Hold Steady) bring the album even more character. “Smash the Windows” (2005) includes the folk-punk anthems “Nomads Revolt” and “Roll Me Through the Gates of Hell” – but also the epic tale “The Gypsy, The Punk, and The Fool” and the klez/ska rendition of “A Liquor Never Brewed.” The album closes with “Departure Arrival,” a sweet folk lament about leaving the comforts of home for uncharted cities and towns. “Departure” was also featured on “Up the Stairs and Through the Hall,” a 2xCD compilation of independent artists and bands from Philadelphia.
But wait, there’s more! Meanwhile, Mischief Brew released a split 7” with David Dondero (an influence on Bright Eyes) and another with -Bread & Roses (Boston-based labor folk at its best). The newest recording, “Songs from Under the Sink,” is a batch of anarcho-folk songs written between 1997-2002…finally put on LP and CD once and for all. If it had to all fit under one banner, it would read, "Carnivalesque!"
All Our Comrades
Mischief Brew Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every soul every hand
From the clerk to the crook
From the pawn to the rook
Trace the path route to route
Scrape the muck from the boot
And i found that somehow
All the comrades
With this beat from a drum
With the shot of a gun
From my mouth from my mind
From a heart out of minds
Every act of revolt
From your dream and awoke
Rub the eyes
Just to find
All the comrades
Every soul every hand
All the comrades
Every heart every land
All the comrades
The song "All Our Comrades" by Mischief Brew is an anthem that speaks to unity and revolution. The lyrics suggest that no matter who we are or where we come from, we are all comrades in a struggle against oppression. The first verse describes the diverse range of people who make up this community: "From the clerk to the crook, from the pawn to the rook." Despite their differences, they are all connected by the struggle: "Trace the path route to route, scrape the muck from the boot, and I found that somehow all the comrades."
The second verse picks up the pace with references to drums and guns, emphasizing the urgency of the struggle. The lyrics suggest that the revolution comes from within: "From my mouth, from my mind, from a heart out of mind." And again, the idea of unity is emphasized: "Every act of revolt, from your dream and awoke, rub the eyes just to find all the comrades."
Line by Line Meaning
All across every land
Everywhere we go, every place we look
Every soul every hand
Every person, every working hand
From the clerk to the crook
From the lawful worker to the criminal
From the pawn to the rook
From the common person to the privileged elite
Trace the path route to route
Follow the journey, keep moving
Scrape the muck from the boot
Clean the dirt from your shoes
And i found that somehow
Realized that in some way
All the comrades
All our fellow revolutionaries in this struggle
With this beat from a drum
Hear the rhythm of our united march
With the shot of a gun
The force of our resistance, if necessary
From my mouth from my mind
From my words, from my thoughts
From a heart out of minds
From our passionate hearts, not just our intellect
Every act of revolt
Every action taken in defiance of the status quo
From your dream and awoke
From the moment we came to consciousness about the system
Rub the eyes
Awaken and open up to the truth
Just to find
Only then we can realize
All the comrades
All of us, fighting towards the same goal
Every soul every hand
Every person, every working hand
All the comrades
All our fellow revolutionaries in this struggle
Every heart every land
All over the world, every passionate heart striving towards change
All the comrades
All of us, fighting towards the same goal
Contributed by Ava L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.