7 Seconds is a hardcore punk band fronted by Sacramento musician Kevin Seconds, described in Submerge coverage as one of California's most seminal hardcore punk bands and a pioneer of the original West Coast hardcore movement.[1][2] The band is consistently presented as a Sacramento-based act, with Kevin Seconds repeatedly identified as a Sacramento local.[3][4] The band was formed on January 17, 1980, in Reno, Nevada — by two sets of brothers — before Kevin Seconds eventually became rooted in Sacramento.[5] According to Wikipedia, 7 Seconds is believed to be the first band to refer to themselves primarily as "hardcore," first applying that descriptor after their debut performance on March 2, 1980.[6]
At a glance
- Formed January 17, 1980, in Reno, Nevada by two sets of brothers.[5]
- Fronted by Kevin Seconds, a longtime Sacramento resident and "legendary Sacramento-based singer/songwriter."[3][4]
- Characterized as pioneers of the original West Coast hardcore movement, with a "positive vibe" approach.[2]
- Believed to be the first band to self-identify primarily as "hardcore."[6]
- Early album Walk Together Rock Together and the record The Crew are cited as formative releases for younger local musicians.[7]
- The Crew was ranked #3 on LA Weekly's list of the top twenty hardcore albums in history.[8]
- Toured intensively in their early era — "two or three months straight" stretches — and played Europe and across the U.S.[1][9]
- Record labels over their career included BYO Records, Positive Force Records, Restless Records, Epic Records, Alternative Tentacles, SideOneDummy Records, and Rise Records.[10]
- Formally announced they were "calling it quits after almost 40 years" on March 20, 2018.[4][11]
- Reunited on October 4, 2021, announcing a 2022 North American tour alongside Circle Jerks and Negative Approach.[12]
Local status
Submerge treats 7 Seconds as a Sacramento entity. Frontman Kevin Seconds is called a "legendary Sacramento-based singer/songwriter (of the highly influential hardcore punk band 7Seconds)"[3] and a "legendary punk rock musician and Sacramento local, best known for his work with 7 Seconds."[4] Kevin describes having lived in Sacramento "a long time" and getting his start doing solo music there at open mics and coffee houses.[9] On this evidence the band is classified as local; the sources do not discuss any origin outside Sacramento. Independently, Wikipedia confirms the band was originally formed in Reno, Nevada[5] — consistent with Kevin Seconds having relocated to and become established in Sacramento over subsequent decades.
Sound and scene role
The band is grounded in the early-1980s/West Coast hardcore tradition. Pressure Point frontman Mike Erickson called 7 Seconds "pioneers of the original West Coast hardcore movement, which had more of a positive vibe, bringing people together."[2] Kevin Seconds frames the band's era as "the era of hardcore punk rock."[1] Within the scene, 7 Seconds is portrayed as a band whose "hardcore" credentials were themselves debated by a younger, more codified hardcore crowd — Erickson recalls overhearing people tell Kevin Seconds "that 7 Seconds isn't a hardcore band," which he cited as an example of scene rigidity and division.[2] This debate has a pointed irony: according to Wikipedia, 7 Seconds is believed to be the first band to self-identify primarily as "hardcore," doing so after their very first show.[6]
Key recordings
The Crew (1984) and Walk Together Rock Together are among the band's most celebrated records.[7] LA Weekly ranked The Crew #3 on their list of the top twenty hardcore albums in history, writing: "7 Seconds wrote the book on positive hardcore and that book is called The Crew."[8] Over their career, 7 Seconds released music through a range of labels including BYO Records, Positive Force Records, Restless Records, Epic Records, Alternative Tentacles, SideOneDummy Records, and Rise Records.[10]
Touring history
In their early years the band toured in long stretches; Kevin Seconds recalled going "out for two or three months straight, come back home for a month and then go back on the road."[1] By the 2010s the band toured less intensively while Kevin focused on solo work, though he noted 7 Seconds still did "a couple of little road trips" during the period he and his wife ran the True Love coffee house.[1] Kevin's solo touring reached Europe and across the States.[1]
Kevin Seconds (frontman) and the Sacramento scene
Kevin Seconds is the band's central figure in Submerge's coverage and a hub of the Midtown Sacramento music community. He has run a solo career parallel to 7 Seconds, releasing albums through Asian Man Records, including Rise Up, Insomniacs! (2008), Good Luck Buttons (out May 11, 2010), and his fifth "official" solo album Don't Let Me Lose Ya (out Oct. 9, 2012).[1][3] Don't Let Me Lose Ya was recorded at David Houston's studio and featured Kepi Ghoulie on drums and Alison Sharkey on cello, with a CD release show at Naked Lounge on Oct. 13, 2012 that doubled as the kickoff of a U.S. tour with Kepi Ghoulie.[3]
With his wife Allyson Seconds, Kevin ran the True Love coffee house, opening the first location in 2001 and operating it for nearly four years; the couple closed it amid a landlord dispute but described it as "a hub for the community."[1] By spring 2018 Kevin had a newer band, Unsteady Heights, which played Phono Select Records on April 7, 2018.[4]
Kevin and Allyson Seconds met through the Midtown scene around the early-to-mid 1990s, centered on the Java City coffee shop at 18th and Capitol, where Allyson also met songwriter/producer Anton Barbeau and "local booking legend" Jerry Perry.[13] Allyson described that era — "the early '90s to early 2000s" — as "a magical time" and "a real boom time for music here."[13] Kevin and Allyson together performed at a Bernie Sanders rally at UC Davis (booked by Jerry Perry) in front of nearly 10,000 people in summer 2016.[13] Their dog Lulu was the cover model for "the last 7 Seconds album."[13]
Influence on local musicians
7 Seconds is repeatedly cited as a gateway and influence for younger Sacramento-area punks. Hanover Saints frontman Brian Hanover recalled hearing 7 Seconds' Walk Together Rock Together blaring while skating a launch ramp in 1984, prompting him to buy his first punk records that day, including 7 Seconds' The Crew (alongside Black Flag's Damaged).[7] Kevin Seconds also later encouraged Hanover into solo performance, talking him onto a shared bill in 2005.[7] Kevin himself was described by Submerge as influential on younger bands, an idea he treated with self-deprecating modesty.[1]
Notable Sacramento appearances
7 Seconds was booked as a punk headliner for the June 22 date of the 2012 Friday Night Concerts in the Park series at Cesar Chavez Park in downtown Sacramento, on a bill with Bastards of Young and City of Vain.[9]
End of the band and reunion
Submerge reported in spring 2018 that 7 Seconds "just formally announced last week that they are calling it quits after almost 40 years."[4] The formal announcement came on March 20, 2018; in it the band cited age, finances, and health, stating: "the reality of being middle-aged, working class, not terribly relevant and not being able to bounce back from injuries and personal problems has become a weight just too great for us to bear."[11]
The disbandment was reversed: on October 4, 2021, 7 Seconds announced a reunion tour via Facebook, with a 2022 North American run alongside Circle Jerks (headliner) and Negative Approach (opener).[12]