We recently caught up with Alex Helbig, vocalist of LA pop-punk act, Margate, to get his take on the songs that got him in to punk rock. Check out his list here.
“Just want to say that all these bands listed helped shape my musical mind both as a listener and as a musician. The soundtrack to my life could not be complete without my love for both types of music… Punk and Rock. Hahaha a little Blues Brothers jab right there.”
1. McRAD – “Mcshred”
“I was 14 years old and nothing spoke more to me than the Powell Peralta video “Public Domain” and the sound track that Stacey Peralta put together. This song by McRad brought out the Teenage anger n tension in a good way, skating with my friends in a wash or empty pool or abandoned schools all day and night! It was our anthem MCSHRED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!“
2. NOFX – “Moron Brothers”
“I was first introduced to NOFX’s music in 1992 with the song “Moron Bro’s”. I knew right away that I had to learn to play drums to the “Ribbed” Album. This was not an easy task but it had to be done so I tried none the less, took me years haha. With their songs AND personality, they are the blueprint to west coast punk in my opinion. NOFX is a major part of my life’s soundtrack and in some crazy twist of fate in late 2011, my band Margate was the first signing to Mr. and Mrs. El Hefe’s label, Cyber Tracks.
In June of 2012 we embarked on a two week tour of the UK and Amsterdam with NOFX. They were the reason I even started playing punk rock so to work with El Hefe and tour with them was really a dream come true.“
3. 7 seconds –”Young Till I Die”
In 1993 an old girlfriend played me a cover of “99 red balloons” by 7 seconds and I loved it. HOWEVER, what really got me into them was at a neighborhood backyard party, a friend’s band screamed out “Here is some 7 seconds” and they played the song “Young Till I Die”. That was all a teenager needed to hear. I went out in search for the record and played it over and over again. Do I dare say this was and is the perfect punk rock song?? YUP SURE IS!
4 F.Y.P – “It’s Not My Fault You Like Air Supply”.
“This link is the only version on youtube I found of this song. Not a very popular song, I first heard it on the 1994 Board In Orange County comp tape. It’s raw and pure and made me see yet again that in Punk Rock vocals can be off pitch and still be great. I played this song over and over again. Was it the guitars, The drums, the vocals or the Lyrics that got me hooked? I don’t know but whatever it was, I loved it!“
5. Snuff – “Vikings”
“Could barely understand the words but hands down the baddest punk guitar riff intro ever!! I absolutely love it! For years I wondered how they got that sound. Fortunately for me, Snuff was on that NOFX tour with us this summer that I spoke of earlier. It was yet again another dream come true to share the stage and became good pals with those bloody wankers!! I had to know how they got that guitar sound so I asked Loz (their guitar player) to play the “Vikings” intro at a sound check… it was heaven! Whenever I go to record one of my band’s records, I always bring this song to the engineer and producer and say “Can you make it sound like this??” hahaha NO JOKE.“
6. Bad Religion – “Kerosene”
“This is one of the first songs I ever heard from Bad Religion. Every time I hear it, it takes me right back to skating at a friend’s house having that album blasting. What’s not to love about Bad Religion? From the lyrics, to the insane guitar riffs, from the drums to the harmony in the vocals and the rage behind them that screamed out… “Hey! I’ve got something to say!” Not only did they get across a message but they are responsible for most of the intelligent words in my vocabulary haha.“
7. Bad Brains – “Sailin’ On”
“Incomparable pure raw aggression in melody and riffs that shouldn’t go together but are an AMAZING combo! My buddy Dave and I would always make each other mix tapes eager to outdo the other with rare and awesome songs, it was like a mix tape battle hahaha. He would always put Bad Brains on his mixes and I was hooked. I loved that a band like this could have the hard core feel but still have deep words with melody and soul. The transitions in the songs were like nothing I had ever heard. NONE can imitate their sound nor can anyone sing like HR.“
8. Voodoo Glow skulls – “DOG PILE!”
“In the early and mid 90’s there was Punk, There was Ska and then there was VOODOO GLOW SKULLS! This song made me want to dog pile everyone in sight and rip my room apart with pure aggression. You can’t begin to understand till you see them live. When they play this song, the energy on the floor and on the stage is like a megaton explosion!“
9. Operation Ivy – “Bombshell”
What can I say, Op Ivy has grit! “Bombshell” has such a great feel to it and so fun to play on the drums. The bass lines are rediculously so good! Not trying to change the world with this, just talkin’ about a hot chick! Spoke to this teen for sure!! Its a great sing along, “OH YEAH!!!!!!!”
Reminds me of my wife every time I hear it.
10. Operation Ivy – “Knowledge”
I had to put two songs because OP IVY songs were about a minute long and I couldn’t choose between these two classics! The fuel for teen angst comes out in their well written songs. “I know things are gettin tougher when you can’t get the top off the bottom of the barrel!” And then the chorus: “All I know is that I don’t know, All I know is that I don’t know nothin! thats Fine!!!” SOOOOO GOOD!!! OP IVY was a crowd band, music celebrated in UNITY!
11. Blink – “M+M’s”
“How can something so bad be so good?? Because it’s Blink and no matter what age you are, you can always be a kid laughing at cock and fart jokes when you crank the album “Cheshire Cat”. I can’t imagine growing up without Blink 182. This album never gets old and always had me loving the fun in Punk. Long live Scotty!”
12. U.K. SUBS – “Stranglehold”
“We were stoked to play some shows in the UK with the SUBS this year and by far one of my favorites is this classic from 1979 “Stranglehold”. The guitar lines and the group vocals just cut right through me. LOVE IT!!! Thanks Charlie, Jet, Jamie and Alvin, always killing it on stage! Some of the nicest guys ever! I actually got to fill in for their drummer (hard shoes to fill) during sound check with the band… That was Amazing!! What I love the most is that they’re music really makes the energy and comradery of the classic UK PUNK movement stay alive! I wear my U.K. Subs crew t-shirt proud! Long Live the Subs!“
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