On November 4 — which will undoubtedly be a momentous, historic Election Day — the original lineup of the legendary punk band BAD BRAINS will be revisiting its own history. The group will perform in its hometown of Washington, D.C., where, in 1979, the band found itself the subject of an "unofficial" ban by many of the city's performance venues (a move that inspired their song classic song "Banned in D.C."). It will be the first time in years BAD BRAINS will perform in the nation's capital, and the mystique of being "banned in D.C." will surely add significance to this performance.

Upcoming BAD BRAINS shows:

Nov. 04 - 9:30 Club, Washington, D.C.
Nov. 05 - Irving Plaza, New York, NY
Nov. 06 - Irving Plaza, New York, NY
Nov. 09 - Waterloo Park, Austin, TX
Dec. 06 - Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles, CA
Dec. 07 - House Of Blues, San Diego, CA

The first video off the new BAD BRAINS album, "Build a Nation", can be viewed below. SYSTEM OF A DOWN bassist Shavo Odadjian directed the effort, which is a video combination of two songs, "Give Thanks and Praises" and "Jah Love". Shot at the Sasquatch Festival and also Portland Oregon by famed cinematographer Danny Hiele (U2, GREEN DAY, KANYE WEST), the concept captures and merges punk and reggae. Thus the main punk video, "Give Thanks and Praises", is seen merging into the dub reggae of "Jah Love". It's a concept Shavo felt did justice to the band as being innovators of punk rock.

"Build a Nation" was released on June 26, 2007 via Megaforce Records. The group's first proper studio CD in over a decade features all the original members: HR, Darryl Jenifer, Dr. Know and Earl Hudson.

Produced by longtime fan, Adam Yauch of the BEASTIE BOYS, "Build a Nation" is a return to form for the band that helped define American punk and hardcore music. It also represents the first studio album, outside BEASTIE BOYS albums, to be recorded at the BEASTIE BOYS' "Oscilloscope" laboratories and studio compound in New York City.