Suicide Commandos

History

The Suicide Commandos formed in Minneapolis in 1975 as a punk rock trio with Steve Almaas on bass and vocals, Dave Ahl on drums and vocals, and Chris Osgood on guitar and vocals. After two 7-inch EPs in 1976 and 1977, the band released Make a Record on Blank Records, a Mercury Records label, in 1977. The band's last shows at the Longhorn Bar in December 1978 became the live album The Suicide Commandos Commit Suicide Dance Concert, released on Twin/Tone Records in 1979 in a run of 1,000 numbered copies. The band broke up around 1980. The 1977 song Burn It Down inspired a Chuck Statler short film that later showed at the Museum of Modern Art. The Suicide Commandos came back for later shows, headlined the Minnesota State Fair in 2007 and recorded Time Bomb, their first studio album in 38 years, released on Twin/Tone in 2017. Minneapolis named November 7, 2009, Suicide Commandos Day, and the band has a star on the First Avenue mural. The band played a farewell show at First Avenue in March 2026.