Stäläg 13’s history can be traced all the way back to 1981 when original vocalist Ron Baird founded the band in Oxnard, California. Along with Dr. Know, Agression, and Ill Repute, Stalag 13 is considered one of the Big 4 Nardocre bands, influencing bands throughout the world with their take on fast and melodic hardcore

The band was heavily influenced by East Coast Hardcore (Minor Threat, SSD, Bad Brains and DYS among others) and are arguably the first West Coast hardcore punk band to espouse Straight Edge themes in their lyrics. Stäläg 13 are defined by two core hallmarks, their Positive Mental Attitude and their intense and high energy live shows.

From its inception Stäläg 13 played live often, gathering a large and loyal following in Southern California, before venturing out on tours of the Western United States. Stäläg 13 recorded two early demo-tapes in 1982 and 1983 before recording their highly influential album ‘In Control’ in 1984, which was their only official recorded output during their brief, yet powerful, career in the 1980s. ‘In Control’ has stood the test of time, due to the high quality of the recording as well as the prowess of the musicians playing and the insightful and thought-provoking lyrics.