The Mission Of Burma Wiki

or: Where does an animal get its soul ?

What is Mission of Burma!?

'The Obliterati' is now in stores. You can buy it from eMusic or iTunes or at your neighborhood record store or even the big-ass ones. Great review on http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/m/mission-of-burma/obliterati.shtml too.... filed under "recommended music".

We have also started compiling a list of bands who have covered Burma songs. That page is here.

This is an official wiki (aka Chalkboard) for the band Mission of Burma, a post-punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, USA comprising guitarist Roger Miller, bassist Clint Conley and drummer Peter Prescott, with Bob Weston (originally Martin Swope) as tape manipulator and sound engineer. They were first active from 1979-1983, then reformed in 2002. Miller, Conley and Prescott share singing and songwriting duties, with Miller perhaps being the primary contributor. Conley's "That's When I Reach For My Revolver?" is arguably the group's best-known song.

The original Mission Of Burma played freely with no wave bands, hardcore bands like SSD and The FUs at places like Gallery East, Media Workshop and The Underground.

The band's original releases came out on Ace Of Hearts; the demos later came out on Taang!, the CD reissues of the Ace Of Hearts releases on Ryko, and the new post 2002 albums, EPs, and singles on Matador.

Like many of their post-punk and no wave contemporaries, Mission of Burma's efforts are largely concerned with extending punk's original vocabulary without losing its essential rebellious spirit. What makes Burma's approach so distinct is their formal musical training and grounding in modern classical music (Miller had formally studied piano and composition in college) and to a lesser extent their faith in the sound of late 1960s and early 1970s proto-punk pioneers (and Michigan contemporaries) MC5 and the Stooges.

Using rapid shifts in dynamics, unconventional time signatures and chord progressions along with distinctive tape effects, Mission of Burma challenge the prevailing idioms of punk without losing its power and immediacy. On a purely intellectual level, Burma's approach is similar to that of Glenn Branca (another early Burma contemporary) and later Branca disciples Sonic Youth; however, the result is anything but a cold academic exercise ( ).

While in early years Burma's audience was limited, today Mission of Burma is widely acknowledged as one of the first groups to achieve the potential of modern alternative / independent rock, fusing punk and experimental music into some of the most influential music to come out of the American punk/no wave scene and making them one of the most important bands of the post-punk movement.

What is a Wiki?

A wiki is a website that anyone can edit, add to, or change. You can even upload pictures and videos. NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED, though feel free to register anyway. This particular wiki is devoted to Mission Of Burma and "slow-leaking" 8 songs from the new album, ' The Obliterati ', by releasing a new stream every 3 days (all eight tracks are now available). Oh, and you can also click on one of the etchings in the player above to see a detailed view and download wallpaper of the etchings.

There are tons of sub-pages in this Wiki with everything from bios on the band members to the evolving discography, set lists, and discussions on influences and contemporaries, and tons of links to more sites for additional information. Click here to see all the pages, take a survey, or create your own page on any topic you wish.

Questions about how to use a wiki

Learn more about this site

Pointers for Specific Items of Interest

If you're here for the recent Brazilian shows, click here: terra.net

If you're here for the premiere of the band documentary, Not A Photograph, and check out that project's website.

There are many sub-pages on this site: check out and correct the discography, the Brazilian page at terra.net and so much else. And check out the eight singles streaming at the top of this page, mirroring the subscription service that a lucky few signed up for last February.

In the meantime, we hope to honor such longtime and dedicated Burma fans as Eric Van, Sharon Lai, Burmakitty, Sheri Hausey, Bob Colby, the official Mission Of Burma site edited by Mark Donohue, the very popular (and official) MySpace Mission Of Burma page, and others whom we hope you will add.

Buy links for all records still in print or upcoming.