Individually, the members of The Jars were discerning
record collectors, radio DJs, fanzine editors and record
store clerks well versed in prog, kraut, garage rock and
bubblegum, long before punk rock and new wave had
entered the cultural landscape. The Jars combined all these
influences to create their own brand of “avant-garage
psycho-pop,” helping spearhead the original Berkeley
Punk / New Wave scene. Between 1979 and 1982, The
Jars released two successful singles and made appearances
alongside dozens of notorious local and internationally
known acts such as Roky Erickson, Angry Samoans,
the Dickies, the Flamin’ Groovies, Dead Kennedys, the
Suspects, the Mutants, the Contractions and MX 80.
Make Love Not War combines their singles with ten
previously unheard studio tracks and live performances,
acting as a document, firming up The Jars place in Berkeley
new wave and punk rock history. Time is long overdue that
these tracks were freed from the vaults, dusted off and
funneled into the ears of listeners.
