Editing Dead Kennedys (section)

=== Formation of the band (1978–1979) ===
Dead Kennedys were formed in June 1978 in [[San Francisco, California]], when [[East Bay Ray]] (Raymond Pepperell) advertised for bandmates in the newspaper ''[[The Recycler]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Nathaniel |last=Lay|url=https://newnoisemagazine.com/news-dead-kennedys-celebrate-40-years-with-limited-edition-vinyl-set/|title=NEWS: Dead Kennedys Celebrate 40 Years With Limited Edition Vinyl Set|website=[[New Noise Magazine]]|date=November 15, 2019|language=en|access-date=August 11, 2023}}</ref> The original band lineup consisted of East Bay Ray on lead guitar, [[Klaus Flouride]] (Geoffrey Lyall) on bass, [[Jello Biafra]] (Eric Reed Boucher) on vocals, [[Ted (musician)|Ted]] (Bruce Slesinger) on drums and [[Carlos Cadona|6025]] (Carlos Cadona) on rhythm guitar. This lineup recorded their [[The 1978 Demos|first demos]]. Their first live show was on July 19, 1978 at Mabuhay Gardens in San Francisco, California. They were the opening act on a bill that included DV8 and Negative Trend with The Offs headlining.[https://oldpunkflyers.tumblr.com/image/149937616131]

Dead Kennedys played numerous shows at local venues afterward. Due to the provocative name of the band, they sometimes played under pseudonyms, including "The DK's", "The Sharks", "The Creamsicles" and "The Pink Twinkies". ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' columnist [[Herb Caen]] wrote in November 1978, "Just when you think tastelessness has reached its [[nadir]], along comes a punk rock group called 'The Dead Kennedys', which will play at Mabuhay Gardens on Nov. 22, the 15th anniversary of [[John F. Kennedy's assassination]]." Despite mounting protests, the owner of Mabuhay declared, "I can't cancel them NOW—there's a contract. Not, apparently, the kind of contract some people have in mind."<ref>Caen, Herb (November 17, 1978) "On the Rotunda." ''San Francisco Chronicle.''</ref> However, despite popular belief, the name was not meant to insult the Kennedy family, but according to Ray, "the assassinations were in much more poor taste than our band. We actually respect the Kennedy family. . . . When JFK was assassinated, when [[Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.|Martin Luther King was assassinated]], when [[Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy|RFK was assassinated]], the [[American Dream]] was assassinated. . . . Our name is actually homage to the American Dream."<ref>{{Cite web |first=Lincoln A. |last=Mitchell|url=https://lithub.com/dead-kennedys-in-the-west-the-politicized-punks-of-1970s-san-francisco/|title=Dead Kennedys in the West: The Politicized Punks of 1970s San Francisco|website=Literary Hub|date=October 22, 2019|language=en|access-date=August 4, 2020}}</ref>

6025 left the band in March 1979 under somewhat unclear circumstances, generally considered to be musical differences. In June, the band released their first single, "[[California Über Alles]]", on Biafra and East Bay Ray's [[independent label]], [[Alternative Tentacles]]. The band followed with a poorly attended [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]] tour, being a new and fairly unknown band at the time, without a full album release.