Punk Performers & Theories Of Ideology ('Punk Mass' 1970 - )

Punk Performers & Theories Of Ideology ('Punk Mass' 1970 - ) Sept 28, 2019 22:48:20 GMT

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Post by petrolino on Sept 28, 2019 22:48:20 GMT

* Punk's pulse lurks deeper underground but is set to be illuminated by the glow of the warm California sun ...

* As Alice Bag discusses in an an interview I've posted in this thread, the thriving punk scene garnering the most attention today is the latino punk scene, though it's been raging since the beginnings of the west coast punk scene. I was first alerted to the existence of these bands by Californian guitarist Kim Shattuck, back when I was at school. The trouble was, though I could find singles and odd songs from some of the better known bands, hearing albums posed a greater challenge here in England (and some prominent bands never seemed to get to recording an album during their early incarnations). I wasn't at all surprised to see 'The New York Times' covering Los Angeles' latino ("chicano" / "latinx") punk scene in detail for a 2018 article as it's simply never gone away. The same can be said for Californian punk in general.

Twenty years ago, New York took back the reigns through the emergence of bands like Interpol, the Strokes, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Sleigh Bells. These rock bands incorporated different musical styles into their act but they also drew diligently upon the state's proud punk history. Today, the same thing is happening in California with one major difference : none of the bands has had an international breakthrough yet, or had a major hit on the Billboard Hot 100, as far as I'm aware.

"Chicanos have played a defining role in punk rock since its inception. In fact, Michigan's ? and the Mysterians are a strong contender for the first band to be labeled “punk rock.” A little closer to home, East Los's Cannibal and the Headhunters were part of the first wave of 1960s garage punk. The band scored an early hit with “Land of a Thousand Dances,” the first with the “na na na na na na” refrain. But once punk proper hit with all its safety pins and mohawks, L.A. was home to two rival punk scenes: One in Hollyweird, another in East Los.
Unlike the Hollywood punk scene, extensively covered in the book We Got The Neutron Bomb: The Untold Story of L.A. Punk, the Chicano punk scene has largely gone unreported even today. However, Scion's iQ Project Museum is attempting to address the untold story of East L.A. punk.
Bands like X and an early version of The Go-Gos hung their hats at Hollywood's Masque club. But the Chicano punk rock scene of East L.A. revolved around the Vex. A project of Self Help Graphics (still active and hosting Chicano powerviolence standard bearers Despise You on April 6, 2012), The Vex provided a platform for bands like The Plugz, The Brat and The Zeros, who were known as the “Mexican Ramones” and featured a young El Vez. Backyard shows and private parties with other popular venues for Eastside Los Angeles punk.
Los Angeles Chicano punk was about more than just brown skin. The bands displayed a consciousness of La Raza in words, sounds and images. Unlike Hollywood, this scene wore Chicano identity on their sleeves, incorporating Spanish lyrics, Mexican imagery and mariachi influences into the music. Los Illegals refused to display hackneyed Mexican imagery like velvet Elvis paintings, preferring instead a more authentic, street-level public persona as punk rock pachucos.
There was no Berlin Wall between Hollywood and East Los. Once a firm bridge was built between the two scenes, however, the writing was on the wall. X headlined 1980's “Punk Prom,” which brought the two divergent scenes in close contact at long last.
Now the predominantly white scene of Hollywood knew about The Vex, with bands eagerly lining up to play the newest hot spot in the Los Angeles punk scene. Soon after, a riot at a Black Flag show destroyed the venue, both physically and logistically.
The Chicano punk scene continued on, however. The Plugz eventually morphed into Cruzados, while Los Illegals continue to play today and The Zeros occasionally reunite when Robert Lopez isn't doing his El Vez thing. For its part, East Los Angeles is home to a vibrant underground punk rock scene of backyard shows not too different from those held in East Los 30 years ago."

- Nicholas Pell, LA Weekly

"Somewhere deep in the polluted heart of Los Angeles — maybe East LA or Boyle Heights or South Central—there’s probably a backyard punk show going off right now. At first, it might look like any other punk gig: Kids with mohawks, dye jobs, and spiked collars moshing, drinking, and having a good time. But look a little closer and you might notice that the drummer is sitting on a lawn chair, not a drum stool. There’s no mic stand, so the singer/guitarist’s buddy is holding the mic for him. Oh, and pretty much everyone here is brown: These are Latino punks with their own scene, their own bands, and no need or desire for attention from the mainstream — or even, sometimes, the wider punk community. Before long, a police helicopter circles overhead, its spotlight strafing the crowd. Then the ground troops move in: LAPD’s boys-and-girls in blue run crowd control and dispersion tactics. Maybe they’re polite about it; maybe they’re not. You just never know how the night will end.
Filmmaker Angela Boatwright captured all of this and more in her new documentary, Los Punks, which will make its New York premiere on May 26, 2016 and become available on iTunes the following day. After spending years as a NYC-based photographer working with metal bands and skateboarders, Boatwright moved to LA in 2012 and went to her first backyard punk show the following year. She initially started filming the punks for short video webisodes sponsored by Vans. Before long, she found herself making a feature-length documentary with financial support from the famous footwear company. “It’s a self-sustaining scene,” she says of the previously hidden culture she spent three years shooting. “At the shows, you might see a Bad Religion or a Black Flag shirt here and there, but for the most part people are wearing the shirts and patches of the backyard bands. They support each other. It all goes back to family and community.”

- J Bennett, VICE

Mexico's Le Butcherettes are frequent visitors to California

It's hard to put a tag on rock 'n' roll bands and I've never been one for applying labels outside of the need to communicate. If somebody asked me for some heavy rock I'd point them in the direction of Magic Wands, Deap Vally and Starcrawler. For something off-kilter, I'd say to try Gothic Tropic and Lemon Twigs. For some thumping psychedelia I'd suggest A Giant Dog and Sweet Spirit. For art rock built upon low fidelity grooves, I'd point towards Snail Mail and Soccer Mommy. And if they were looking for cosmic dream pop I'd say to look no further than Quilt, Japanese Breakfast and Lo Moon.

'Bendover' - A Giant Dog

Sweet Spirit - 'Baby When I Close My Eyes'

Now, a few of these bands I've mentioned were either formed in California or are now based there, so on balance, I do think it's the state to be in right now. I could also make a strong case for Florida, New York, Maryland and others, but there's just so much going on in California at the moment, you're sure to find something you like if you're a rocker. But I always look out across America to discover new sounds as it excites me to do this. Here's just some of the bands currently sating my appetite for the joys of punk abandon.