Life Sentence

Life Sentence was a hardcore punk band formed in the suburbs of Chicago by guitarist Eric Brockman, formerly of the Anti-Bodies. After jamming with different people, Life Sentence formed what many considered it's original line-up, consisting of Brockman, vocalist Ray Morris, bassist Joe Losurdo, and drummer Tom O'Connor. In 1986, the band released their first record, a self-titled 12" which was produced by members of Zoetrope. Morris was fired before the recording was complete, allegedly kicked out of the band's van in the middle of nowhere in Arkansas while the band was on tour, so the recording was completed with Brockman and Losurdo handling the singing. The record received positive reviews and the band's popularity was spurred on by endorsements from famous friends in bands like Dirty Rotten Imbeciles and Corrosion Of Conformity. Metallica's James Hetfield even had a Life Sentence sticker on his guitar. Unfortunately, all was not well in the band and the group split into two camps, one featuring Brockman and the other featuring Losurdo and O'Connor, with both groups picking up new members and playing around Chicago as Life Sentence. The matter eventually went to court and Brockman emerged with the rights to the name. He continued with the band, issuing an LP in 1989 and a 7" EP in 1991. Although 1991 saw the last recorded material released, Brockman continued to use the name for a number of years, backed by an ever-changing rhythm section, until substance abuse got the best of him and he disappeared from the music scene, leading to years of speculation as to Eric's fate. In 2008, Brockman reemerged, announcing that he was putting together a new version of Life Sentence. The band played a few shows around Chicago in 2009 before vanishing again. Brockman passed away in March of 2016.