10 Songs That Made Me Fall In Love With Punk

We recently caught up with Jay Kellom, vocalist of Georgia based punk act Karbomb, to get his take on the songs that got him in to punk rock. Check out his list here.

1. The Replacements – “Bastards of Young”

As soon as the guitar kicked in with that opening line, I knew I was going be hooked. So sloppy and rough vocals, it’s exactly what the song needed. I couldn’t get the chorus line out of my head for days, which was surprising because I couldn’t remember a fucking thing when I was young. The video is priceless, and then Against Me had to rip it off.

2. Propagandhi – “Mate Ka Moris Ukun Rasik An”

Propagandhi… this song single handily showed me that punk can be more than just a few chords and simple lyrics that rhymed. The way the words are written is like an essay, and Chris just fits them in perfectly. I practiced my guitar playing on the regular, but after hearing this song; I made sure it was for hours a day, every day. I wanted to be able to do everything on that record.

3. Jawbreaker – “Accident Prone”

It took me awhile to get on the Jawbreaker train to be honest. It wasn’t till I was on tour with my old band that someone popped “Dear You” in. The record is genius, but the song Accident Prone, is so stellar. The huge build up that bled into the last chorus got me so fucking hyped every time I heard it. It was one song I would listen to before hitting the stage most nights while we were on the road.

4. NOFX “You drink, you drive, you spill.”

Let’s be honest, you can’t play the type of music I play and not have a life changing NOFX song in your repertoire. The first time I had ever heard the cut time beat in a song. I was mind fucked. I thought it was so fast, I didn’t think it was possible to stay that tight. I was just a young lad, with a taste for beer and skating, and this song just struck a chord. Later down the road I realized, they’re not fast at all, just the drummer, it’s actually standard rock tempo. It gave me hope, I thought, “Well fuck, I don’t need to know how to sing to be in a band!”

5. Fugazi “Waiting Room”

Yeah, it’s their most popular song to date, fuck it! That bass line is still sick to this day. When that chorus cuts in, loud, gross, and so expected, “I don’t want the news,” I can’t help but to scream the words.

6. Jimmy Eat World – “Table for Glasses”

I didn’t want to pick a favorite song off this album (Clarity), cause they are all fucking insanely killer. This one is a slow number, but the contrast of the verses and chorus make it so epic for me. This record was my, “Driving all night to get home” album while I was on tour. After 6 weeks of nothing put fast, loud, and craziness, I needed something to calm me down.

7. Buzzcocks – “I Don’t Mind”

While most of my friends during middle school and high school were listening to Greenday, (which I did too) and A New Found Glory (which I didn’t) I started to go backwards in the journey of punk rock, and inevitably stumbled across Buzzcocks. I t was on a mix tape…. (Blast from the past,) that a lady friend of mine made for me. This was the first song on the tape, and to be honest, I didn’t know if I liked it or not. I would have to say, by the 45 sec mark, I totally got what they were doing. It just clicked. Till this day it’s in most of my play lists.

8. 7 Seconds – “Clinched Fists, Black Eyes”

Second band I heard do cut time, and the reassurance that I don’t need to know how to sing. I just need to say what I mean and to scream it. They never had a good sounding record, but still brilliant. I got this cassette and pretty much ran it till it died. Rewinding this song so many times it killed it. My first band I started was a complete rip off of 7 seconds. The other fellas didn’t know. We were called 24/7secs. Yeah I was special.

9. D.R.I. – “God Is Broke”

Touching on thrash. The guitar lead that separates each break I thought was so tough. I heard this song through another mix tape. It was from a church fellow, imagine that. His parents made him go to church every Sunday and Wednesday, so therefore he grew hatred for the whole institution, we became quick friends. He played this song for me and my jaw dropped. This is where my love of thrash and hardcore was birthed.