MDC

MDC are an American punk band formed in 1979 in Austin, Texas. They later relocated to San Francisco and have also been based in Portland, Oregon. Early on they used the name The Stains, then shifted to MDC, a set of initials they have reinterpreted in different ways over the years, most commonly as “Millions of Dead Cops.”

The band is known for hardcore punk built around sharp riffs, quick tempos, and lyrics aimed at political power, policing, war, and social hypocrisy. They released music through Alternative Tentacles with support from Jello Biafra’s label network, and frontman Dave Dictor also wrote editorials for Maximum Rocknroll during the 1990s.

How The Band Got Started

The group began in the late 1970s under the name The Stains. They played their first gig under that name in August 1980 and were part of the early Austin hardcore push alongside bands like The Dicks and Big Boys. In 1981 they released a single as The Stains, pairing an early version of “John Wayne Was a Nazi” with “Born to Die.” Both songs later appeared on MDC’s debut album.

From Austin To San Francisco

By 1982 the band had moved to San Francisco and renamed themselves MDC. That move put them in the middle of a growing hardcore network of bands, labels, and touring circuits. They released their debut LP Millions of Dead Cops on their own imprint, R Radical, with Alternative Tentacles helping with distribution.

The album set the template for what MDC would do best, fast hardcore with blunt targets. Songs like “John Wayne Was a Nazi,” “Corporate Death Burger,” and “I Remember” aimed directly at American myths, corporate power, and police violence, with no gentle phrasing and no interest in making anyone comfortable.

Early Tours And A Blowup On The Road

In 1982, MDC took part in Rock Against Reagan activities. During that stretch, tensions erupted with Bad Brains after their singer H.R. learned that Big Boys vocalist Randy Turner was gay, leading to a confrontation and a bitter split from the bill. The fallout fed into MDC’s song “Pay to Come Along.”

Later in 1982, MDC toured Europe with Dead Kennedys, which helped widen their audience outside the U.S., especially in the UK.

What “MDC” Meant, And Why It Kept Shifting

In 1983, the band started downplaying the “Dead Cops” meaning, arguing that the phrase was often taken as a literal call to violence instead of a provocation meant to spark political discussion. Around the same period, they released the Multi-Death Corporations EP, distributed in the UK by Crass Records, with artwork and liner notes focused on corporate power and violence tied to politics in Central America.

Not everyone bought the pivot. Critics inside punk circles accused the band of changing the name for practical reasons, including pressure from people they worked with overseas. MDC kept moving forward anyway, which might be the most MDC thing possible.

Mid-1980s Records And Broader Songwriting

Smoke Signals arrived in 1986 and showed a wider range than the debut, including moments that nodded to older rock styles. The next years brought more releases and more touring, including This Blood’s for You (with a cover of Cream’s “Politician”) and the live album Elvis In the Rhineland, recorded during a 1988 European run.

1990s Lineup Changes, Big Records, And A Pause

The 1990s opened with shifting personnel and the 1991 album Hey Cop! If I Had a Face Like Yours… That era included guitar work by Bill Collins and a guest bass appearance from Matt Freeman. In 1993, Shades of Brown landed with a mix that included the hip hop leaning track “Real Food, Real People, Real Bullets.”

That same period included a tour of the former Soviet Union, with the band described as the first American punk act to tour Russia. After more European and U.S. touring, the band slowed down in the mid-1990s, with fewer releases and fewer shows. MDC’s initial run ended in 1995, followed by several years of inactivity.

Return In The 2000s

Dave Dictor brought MDC back in 2000 with a new backing lineup. The band released Magnus Dominus Corpus in 2004 and marked their history with touring, including anniversary runs that brought earlier members back onstage for select dates.

2010s Protest Songs And New Albums

In 2016, MDC released a video tied to a new recording of “Born to Die,” aimed at protesting Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. The slogan “No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA” became a widely heard chant at demonstrations, and the band publicly reacted when Green Day used the line during a televised performance. That attention helped spark MDC’s next batch of material, leading to the 2017 album Mein Trumpf.

Members

Current lineup

• Dave Dictor, vocals (1979–1995, since 2000)
• Russ Kalita, guitar (since 2008)
• Barry d’live Ward, guitar (since 2017)
• Mike Smith, bass (since 2007)
• Erica Liss, bass (1992–1995, since 2023)
• Adam Crisis, drums (since 2023)

Selected former members

• Al Schvitz, drums (1979–2022)
• Ron Posner, guitar (1979–1986, 2002–2016)
• Gordon Fraser, guitar (1986–1987)
• Eric Calhoun, guitar (1987–1990)
• Bill Collins, guitar (1990–1992, 2016–2017)
• Chris Wilder, guitar (1992–1995)
• Michael Donaldson, bass (1979–1982, 2003–2007; died 2007)
• Franco Mares, bass (1982–1990)
• Matt Freeman, bass (1990–1992)
• Matt Van Cura, bass (2000–2002)
• Al Batross, drums (2000–2002)

Discography

Singles and EPs

• The Stains: “John Wayne Was a Nazi” 7-inch (1980)
• Millions of Dead Cops: “John Wayne Was a Nazi” 7-inch (1981)
• Multi-Death Corporations EP (1983)
• Millions of Dead Children EP, also known as Chicken Squawk (1984)

Albums

• Millions of Dead Cops (1982)
• Smoke Signals (1986)
• Millions of Damn Christians (1987)
• Metal Devil Cokes (1989)
• Hey Cop! If I Had a Face Like Yours… (1991)
• Shades of Brown (1993)
• Magnus Dominus Corpus (2004)
• Mein Trumpf (2017)
• Millions of Dead Cowboys (2020)
• War Is a Racket (2023)
• The Last War (2025)