In 2006 Sahan Jayasuriya was working at the beloved (and now gone) Atomic Records. There, Jayasuriya’s boss suggested he check out a record titled Cows and Beer (1982) by Die Kreuzen, (dee CROI-zen, German for “the crosses”), a Milwaukee band active from 1981-1992 that mixed punk and metal sounds into a blistering hardcore. The band wasn’t a household name, but their unique sound paved the way for a wide range of musicians – Neko Case, as well as members of Soundgarden, Sonic Youth, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Fugazi, and Garbage all spoke to Jayasuriya about Die Kruezen’s influence.

After meeting members of the band at the record store, Jayasuriya began work on Don’t Say Please: The Oral History of Die Kreuzen (published by Feral House), about ten years ago. The book focuses on the band in th

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