Nomeansno (sometimes stylized as NoMeansNo or spelled No Means No) was a Canadian punk rock band formed in Victoria, British Columbia and later relocated to Vancouver. They issued ten LPs, one collaborative LP, numerous EPs and singles, and gained an international audience following extensive touring. Critic Martin Popoff described their music as “the mightiest merger between the hateful aggression of punk and the discipline of heavy metal.” Nomeansno’s distinct hardcore punk sound, complex instrumentation, and dark, “savagely intelligent” lyrics inspired subsequent musicians. They are often considered foundational in the punk jazz and post-hardcore movements,[4] and have been cited as a formative influence on the math rock and emo genres.

Formed in 1979 by brothers Rob and John Wright, the group began as a two-piece punk band influenced by jazz and progressive rock. They self-released their debut Mama LP in 1982. Adding guitarist Andy Kerr in 1983, the group signed with the Alternative Tentacles imprint and continued to expand their audience. Kerr departed in 1992 after five LPs with the band, and the group returned to its two-piece formation for the Why Do They Call Me Mr. Happy? album.

Guitarist Tom Holliston, and briefly second drummer Ken Kempster, joined in 1993, and Nomeansno continued touring and recording extensively while operating their own Wrong Records label. After three further LPs, they left Alternative Tentacles and issued their final album, All Roads Lead to Ausfahrt, in 2006. They were inducted into the Western Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2015, and announced their retirement the following year.

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