Posts tagged as Punk Rock
Punk Love For The Electric Prunes
In 1983 I sat cross-legged on the floor of my room, headphones tight against my ears, and placed a record on the platter. The stack of albums next to me was a prime collection of early American hardcore punk—The FUs, Minor Threat, Youth Brigade, 7 Seconds, Crucifix, Negative Approach—but the vinyl that eagerly met the needle was something different. READ MORE
I Hope These Punk Rock Bands Are Not Influencing Oregon's Farmer-Foodie Culture
"Now, Mr. Jones, 30, and his wife, Alicia, 27, are among an emerging group of people in their 20s and 30s who have chosen farming as a career. Many shun industrial, mechanized farming and list punk rock, Karl Marx and the food journalist Michael Pollan as their influences. The Joneses say they and their peers are succeeding because of Oregon’s farmer-foodie culture, which demands grass-fed and pasture-raised meats." READ MORE
The Problem of Conveying Punk Rock in Washington, DC
In the 90s music history We Never Learn, Eric Davidson (of the late scuzz-thrash combo New Bomb Turks) makes the case for what he calls "gunk punk." The term is as tossed-off and derelict as it sounds. A group of punk drifters from the late-80s took a heady mélange of horror comics and sci-fi b-movies, a fuck-all approach to recording, Cramps-worship (or -hate), Russ Meyer and Bettie Page, the Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs classic "Woolly Bully," and mixed them into an amphetamine and beer gumbo under the tutelage of figureheads like Billy Childish and Tim Warren. (The latter's "Back From The Grave" compilations-a Nuggets for forgotten weirdo rock curios from the 60s-were touchstones.) READ MORE
The Northside Festival: It Turns Out Punk Is Dead--To Hipsters
Breaking: Williamsburg threw an indie-style music festival over the weekend, and it seemed pretty well-attended! The organizers at L Magazine did a nice job mixing heavily-sweated acts with lesser-known artists (never an easy balance). Though I continue to believe the lo-fi grind of the Woodsist label is in large part an aesthetic counterfeit job–Neil Young's worst-reviewed 70's record, Journey Through the Past, reconciled wispy pot-headed-ness with nods to gravitas a lot better, which is maybe different from saying it did so "well"–it's certainly claiming a lot of mind-share at the moment. (The label's showcase at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Saturday night was solidly packed from the drop.) Apparently the scuzzier sound put over by Wavves was also a big draw (and it got the typically smart Jon Caramanica treatment in the Times as a reward). READ MORE
Stolen: The Skull Of 14th Century German Pirate Klaus Störtebeker
The 600-year-old skull of the famed German pirate Klaus Störtebeker, has disappeared from Hamburg's history museum. It's a valuable item. The guy was a total rockstar. READ MORE
It's Been 30 Years Since The Release Of The Only Album That Matters
The Clash's London Calling came out thirty years ago today. It still stands as punk rock's crowning achievement. In fact, it's probably as responsible as any other work for the fact that the term "punk rock" seems kind of silly now. The Clash were a punk band, coming out of England with the Sex Pistols in the late '70s. But the music on London Calling ranges from reggae to rockabilly to snazzy pop tunes. It's thoughtful and refined, even gentle at times, and delivered with as much subtlety as spit. It rages and sneers, too, to be sure, but even in that, it proves the futility of thin definition and sub-categorization. It's all just rock n' roll, really, right? London Calling is just some of the very best of the stuff ever recorded. (Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go do a tango about the use of flying buttresses in gothic cathedrals.) Oh, and for perspective, 30 years before London Calling's release, it was December 14th, 1949, Elvis Presley hadn't recorded any songs and no one knew what "rock n' roll" was. So now rock has been dead and reborn for longer than it was alive in the first place. Or something.
"Just Like Punk, Except It's Twitter"
Did you know that social media is the new punk rock? It is true! So says some Australian PR company. Watch the video if you want proof. Also, you know what else was just like punk rock? READ MORE
