We recently caught up with Lagwagon vocalist Joey Cape to get his take on the songs that got him in to punk rock.  Check out his list here.

1. Ramones – “I Just Want To Have Something To Do”

“The Ramones were the first Punk band I called my favorite band. I got “Road To Ruin” and went out and bought all the other Ramones records previously released. I choose this song because it was my first favorite Ramones song. Not there best in retrospect now. But the song was a catalyst for me. I now consider Ramones to be my all time favorite punk band.”

2. Agent Orange – “Bloodstains”

“This was the first song on “Rodney On The ROQ, Vol. 1″ It had this Brook Shields Spoken intro. Such a juxtaposition to the coolest dark heavy riff. Priceless! I was a 15 year old and at the time this seemed like the punkest thing I had heard. It still sounds bad ass now.”

3. Adolescents – “Kids of the Black Hole”

“What can I say about Adolescents. The blue debut album is simply my favorite L.A. punk album. It is timeless. Rikk Agnew’s octave chords, Casey Royer’s swinging drum beats and Tony Cadena perfect young punk tortured voice. It has unparalleled energy.”

4. Descendents – “Bikeage”

“My first favorite Descendents tune. So catchy. Great lyrics. “Milo Goes To College” is still my favorite album by them. Descendents took what I loved about Buzzcocks and Stiff Little Fingers and made it more complex and somehow more pop. Simply the first best Pop Punk band. Hands down.”

5. Dead Kennedys – “Police Truck”

“D.K. are the only political punk band that made me want to inquire politically when I was a kid. Jello Biafra made me curious. Haha. They were also exceptional musically. No one has ever sounded like them. The Dickies may get close but D.K. own a Punk dialect in my opinion. And hey, they put S.F. on that map when L.A. was controlling the Cali Punk scene.”

6. Circle Jerk – “I Just Want Some Skank/Beverly Hills“

“At the time this came out, I was one of those rare kids who preferred the Jerks to Black Flag. “Group Sex” is a mile marker in my life. It’s still one of my goto records when I need to punk out. Keith Morris looked and sounded like what I imagined I would look like if I truly didn’t give a shit. I was a drummer at the time and I thought Lucky’s drums were insane. This record is strong from start to finish and flows perfectly. The whole thing rules.”

7. Black Flag – “Revenge”

“Black Flag. Duh! It’s Black Flag. So many great records, bad ass front men, and killer songs. “Jealous Again” was simply my introduction to them and “Revenge” made me want to break things. I thought Ron was the coolest singer in Punk next to Keith Morris of the Circle Jerks. At the time I didn’t realize Morris had already been in Flag.‘

8. T.S.O.L. – “Abolish the Government / Silent Majority”

“Another Southern Californian band that I loved. T.S.O.L. seemed faster then the other bands somehow, kind of relentless with Todd Barnes rapid ride bell 8th notes. He was a great drummer. Jack Grisham’s vocals sounded like a drill sargeant but haunting like a horror movie. T.S.O.L. was darker than the other bands, especially on their second record “Dance With Me”. This E.P., their debut record is still my favorite of T.S.O.L.s”

9. Stiff Little Fingers – “Suspect Device”

“Stiff Little Fingers first 3 albums are three of my favorites but I discovered those records through a collection L.P. called “All The Best” released in 1983. “Suspect Device” was the first song on that record so it was my introduction to them. Imagine hearing that song at age 16. It has so much energy and just kills from beginning to end. I think SLF are the first pop punk band with gritty vocals. Definitely one of the most import punk bands. Amazing song writing”

10. Sex Pistols – “Holiday in the Sun”

“I know it’s cliche to bring the Sex Pistols in but, hey, I was given “Never Mind The Bollocks…” when it was released in the states by a weird friend and it changed my life. Steve Jones guitar made me reconsider my musical taste and in my opinion, John Lydon still has the punkest attitude in his voice to date. This is an indisputable classic. A perfect punk record that was one of the records that started it all, at least for me.”

11. Misfits – “Astro Zombies”

“I couldn’t leave out the Misfits, so I picked 11 bands. I think they are responsible for an entire sub genre, horror music. Misfits wrote some of my favorite punk songs and “Astro Zombies” was one of them. “Walk Among Us” was the first record I got by the Misfits. It kinda scared me and I liked that because I liked Horror movies.”