Prior to this year’s Summer Circus tour, it had been a while since yours truly saw Less Than Jake headline a show. Sure there were Warped Tours and more Warped Tours and even more Warped tours, and a Vans Triple Crown skateboarding thing with Andy MacDonald and Bob Burnquist (and I think Radish also played), […]
Prior to this year’s Summer Circus tour, it had been a while since yours truly saw Less Than Jake headline a show. Sure there were Warped Tours and more Warped Tours and even more Warped tours, and a Vans Triple Crown skateboarding thing with Andy MacDonald and Bob Burnquist (and I think Radish also played), but if memory serves, the last time I saw Less Than Jake headline a club show was the long-since defunct Elvis Room in Portsmouth New Hampshire. So long ago that Jessica and Derron were still in the band and JR was still (Re)Pete from Spring Heeled Jack. I don’t call myself the resident old guy here for nothing…BUT I DIGRESS! The Boston stop on the Summer Circus tour seemed as good a time as any to both return to the House of Blues for only the second time since Covid, and more importantly to check out the Good Ship LTJ again, especially with the dynamite lineup they put together for the early summer festivities.
Bite Me Bambi were first out of the gate for this night, as they were for the entirety of the three-week East Coast run. I was as eager to catch Bite Me Bambi as I was to catch anyone else on this stacked bill, in part because the Orange County-based ska punks don’t make it up to this corner of the globe with any regularity, and also because they’re one of the few modern ska bands that reignited my interest in the genre I first fell in love with three decades ago. Led by the enigmatic Tahlena Chikami, the band kicked off their half-hour spot with “Too Many People” from their most recent release, Eat This. A large portion of the crowd at the 2200 capacity venue had arrived early enough to catch BMB’s high-energy set which included the evening’s first attempt at a circle pit (very much not a Bosotn thing) alongside tracks like “Strippers On A Sunday,” “Gaslighter’s Anthem” and their cover of The Offspring’s “Want You Bad,” a song that is now somehow a quarter-century old and that makes me want to walk into the ocean with rocks in my pockets. Bite Me Bambi’s set was super fun and they sounded super tight, which was especially noteworthy as the touring lineup is a bit of a moving target.
Speaking of bands who feature bold, enigmatic leaders at the front and center, the incomparable Fishbone were up next. Somehow, it was yours truly’s first time shooting Fishbone, and it was every bit as wonderfully chaotic as I’d hoped. Speaking of moving part lineups, the current touring iteration of Fishbone features the iconic Angelo Moore, the return of Tracey “Spacey T” Singleton on guitar, OG trombone/keyboard player Chris Dowd, and newer recruits Hassan Hurd (drums), JS Williams (trumpet/vocals) and James Jones (bass). It also features Moore’s daughter Cheyenne aka Whoop-Dee-Doo, who joined on guest vocals right from jump street on a rousing rendition of the classic “Skankin’ To The Beat.” The stage was constant motion, pure frenetic energy. In addition to lead vocal bandleading duties, Moore oscillated between the theremin and a few different horns (shoutout to Lucero’s longtime stage man Scott for keeping the ship running; not an easy task). The band blitzed through a tight 40 minute set that included classics new and old like “Party At Ground Zero,” “Last Call In America” and of course “Racist Piece Of Shit” before bringing the set to a fun, dancealong close with “Dance To The Music/Everyday Sunshine.”
Suicide Machines occupied the third spot on the four-band bill. My memory from shows from two and three decades ago is more than a little bit foggy, but I do have a vivid recollection of Suicide Machines playing early in the day at my first Warped Tour (Northampton MA 1997 – who was there???) and I definitely remember sneaking my Kodak Fisher Price 110 film camera in and shooting some pictures at that show. I’d never snuck my camera into a show before, and so that means there’s a very distinct possibility that Suicide Machines were the very first band I “shot.” Those pictures may be lost to time, but I should look for them. Anyway, the Detroit four-piece are as good or better now than they ever have been. The always fiercely anti-racist, anti-fascist quartet kicked things off with “Too Good” from their landmark 1996 debut LP Destruction By Definition and never really took their collective feet off the gas pedal. Spearheaded by the dynamic Jason Navarro, the band squeezed fifteen songs into their thirty-five-ish minute set. The bulk of the setlist consisted of songs from Destruction… – an album that they promised to revisit in full on an anniversary tour next year, with a smattering from A Match and Some Gasoline and Battle Hymns and Revolution Spring composing the other half of the set. Brand new standalone single “Never Go Quietly” fit right in as a new classic.
Which brings us to the piece de resistance, the one and only Less Than Jake. With a stage adorned in full Bit Top Circus-esque regalia, the Gainesville-based quintet kicked things off with their ode to their hometown, “Gainesville Rock City,” from 2000’s Borders & Boundaries. “Lie To Me” and “Johnny Quest Thinks We’re Sellouts” followed, with the latter still being one of my favorite songs in the ska/punk world. Pezcore and Losing Streak (and Losers, Kings… and Greased, if I’m being honest) were staple albums in my crew in the days they came out, the soundtrack to endless adventures packed into a friend’s station wagon, singing along at the tops of our lungs while searching for anything at all to do in our corner of suburban New England. I had a moment while standing in the wings, looking at the constant motion on stage – Chris and Roger constantly moving around and playing to the audience when off mic, Buddy never standing still for more than maybe 9 seconds, stage managers endlessly bringing different circus-themed props [rainbow wigs, clown noses, some strange banana-weilding guy in a monkey costume (hi Warren!)] that this is now the fourth decade I’ve seen Less Than Jake in. Sure maybe a little of the hair is greyer (mostly mine) but the band really show no signs of slowing down.
And so, as you might imagine, it was a personal high point of the set when JR’s former Spring Heeled Jack bandmate Chris Rhodes came out for a few songs toward the end of the set. Rhodes and JR occupy a great many memories in my increasingly foggy brain, as Spring Heeled Jack felt like they were one of our bands, even though they were from Connecticut and I was from New Hampshire. Static World View remains one of my favorite albums by anyone, and so it warmed the heart to see two-thirds of SHJ’s OG horn section (RIP Tyler Jones!) side-by-side again. That’s not to say the evening was ALL nostalgia. Less Than Jake played about half of their new EP Uncharted across their set, and the new tracks rock just as hard as ever, especially “Walking Pipebomb.” There have obviously been some weird and misguided jokes about ska and ska punk music for a while now, and I’m not really sure where they come from (sort of like the bad rap emo gets for some reason), but I do believe that bands like Less Than Jake and, really, all four of the bands on the bill for the East Coast leg of the Summer Circus Tour (West Coast gets Catbite and they certainly count too!) demonstrate what is really good and true and positive and celebratory and unifying about the music and the scene, especially given the seemingly neverending shit storm going on outside the venue walls.
The West Coast leg of the Summer Circus tour kicks off July 25th in Phoenix and runs through August 13th in Dallas. Check the full rundown here, and check out more pics below!
On July 4th, 1995, AFI’s Answer That And Stay Fashionable was released on Wingnut Records. The East Bay Hardcore band was no stranger to being in the studio, having released a handful of EPs previously. However, recording a full-length album was new ground for them, but the risk paid off. It launched AFI into a […]
On July 4th, 1995, AFI’s Answer That And Stay Fashionable was released on Wingnut Records. The East Bay Hardcore band was no stranger to being in the studio, having released a handful of EPs previously. However, recording a full-length album was new ground for them, but the risk paid off. It launched AFI into a career trajectory that has mostly led to success despite the band’s distancing from it’s original sound.
The album itself is the amalgamation of four kids blending their own styles to create a unique-sounding record. While you can say that about many punk rock records, most have not had the lasting power of Answer That And Stay Fashionable. Is it the band’s rabid fanbase that keeps this album alive or the songs themselves? I’d like to think it’s the latter. We sat down with former AFI bass player Geoff Kresge, one of the architects of the album, to talk about the road to making the album and its recording.
Dying Scene (Forrest Gaddis): When did you join AFI?
Geoff Kresge: I want to say they started at the end of the summer of 1991, or maybe the early fall of 1991. Jade, AFI’s current guitar player, and I were in a band together before AFI. I was going to put out a seven-inch by them. They had done a couple of demos that were pretty different from whatever the latest album was that I’ve heard from them. It’s probably more than a few albums ago, but very, very different. At some point, they kind of had a little bit of a shift in sound, where they kind of started getting better at their instruments. I don’t think any of them actually played before they started the band. I think it was just like, “Hey, let’s start a band. Okay, well, I’m going to play this, etc., I’m going to play that, or whatever.”
The difference, however, is that the singer and I had been involved in a couple of jam sessions that a mutual friend had put together when we were in high school. We had a little bit of a history, and that was how I came to say, “Hey, I want to put out a record by you guys.” At some point, they were in the process of recording in the spring or summer of 1992. I happened to bump into one of them and was given a tape. It was a huge improvement on where they had come from before. I definitely wanted to put this record out. Before the end of that summer of 1992, I was asked to come and sit in with them, because they were thinking about changing bass players. So, the original incarnation lasted maybe just under a year, and then that’s when I came in.
Was the tape they gave you the Dork E.P.?
The songs from that were on the tape that I was given. I want to say that there were five or six songs on the tape. I did play on the record after the fact. It had been fully recorded. There was kind of a thing about, well, do you still want to put the record out if you’re in the band? I said, “I do, but since I’m in the band, I also want to re-record the bass tracks so that it’s representative of what we’re going to sound like.”
Halloween Day of 1992 is when I took the bass tracks that are on what has been released and mixed the songs. That was that. I did play on it, but I wasn’t a member of the band while they were recording the drums and guitar.
Your record label was Key Lime Pie Records, right?
They had a song called “Key Lime Pie” from one of their earlier demos that I liked a lot for its simplicity. They were kind of embarrassed by it, but I liked the song. It was my favorite song that they had up until I joined the band. I decided if you guys aren’t going to play the song with me, then I’m just going to use that as the name for the record label.
You guys recorded like four or five EPs before you recorded Answer That and Stay Fashionable, right?
Yeah, we did a handful of EPs. The first three I released on Key Lime Pie Records. I just had those pressed through a couple of different places I used. Then we did the Fly In The Ointment EP, which was on Wedge Records, which was Matt Wedgley’s (The Force, and Viva Hate) label. The way that relationship came together was fairly interesting as part of the story, too. That was how I learned to put out a record on my own.
Paul Thomas put out the Circus Tents seven-inch, Matt’s previous band. Inside the seven-inch, there was a little insert that had a breakdown of all the costs and contact information for different places; resources for pressing plants and for places to have the sleeves printed. It basically said, “Here’s how you do it. Get out there and do it yourself.” That’s what I did. I took that insert and took it to heart. It’s because of having picked up that record that it all happened. The relationship grew from there with Matt, and it led to him asking about putting out a seven-inch by the band. That’s where Fly in the Ointment comes from, before we actually went into Answer That and Stay Fashionable.
“Open Your Eyes,” was recorded for Fly in the Ointment. It was added later when I remixed Answer That and Stay Fashionable for the Nitro Records version. I don’t know how noticeable it is, but if you listen to the original Wingnut Records pressing of Answer That and Stay Fashionable, it’s a different mix than the one that came out on the edition that everybody knows that’s on streaming. I remixed “Open Your Eyes” for that edition also.
How long did it take to record the album?
I want to say that recording and mixing took ten days. It was probably less than that; it’s not coming to me off the top of my head, but it wasn’t terribly long. I want to say it was probably two days of drum tracks, two or three days of guitar and bass, overdubs and fixes, and then two days of lead vocals, maybe three. It was a pretty tight budget from what I recall. When it was probably all said and done, the recording and mixing was probably about a week. It was recorded at a studio called Art of Ears in Hayward, CA by Andy Ernst. Before that, Andy was in the punk rock scene or the underground music scene.
He had done several recordings for some bands on Lookout Records. I can’t remember if he had done a Green Day record, but he had done some really cool records. His recording techniques, I don’t know how they necessarily differed from some of the other studios in the area at the time, but there was just something about the records that he made. We really liked the sounds that he was capturing. He was a cool guy.
When we did the first session there (08/16/1994 – 08/17/1994), it was just a demo. I want to say two of the songs from that demo session, “Half Empty Bottle” and “Your Name Here” are actually on the finished album. We had quite a relationship with him for a couple of years. Everything that we recorded, we did with Andy. Art of Ears felt like a home away from home at some points. It was just a very comfortable environment. I’m sure he probably thought that we were a little crazy or goofballs, but we had a really great working relationship with him. I did a couple of other projects outside of AFI with him at the studio there, too.
Tim Armstrong and Brett Reed of Rancid are listed as producers on “Half Empty Bottle” and “Your Name Here.” Why only those two songs and what did they contribute?
Brett loaned us some drum equipment. They were supposed to produce the demo session; those particular songs on the album are from the demo tape. They were called away on business with their own band before the session actually began, however. We brought Tim back to do some backing vocals the following day. He did a few different takes during the middle section of “Love Is a Many Splendored Thing.” That song went to a compilation EP (This is Berkeley, Not West Bay) instead of Answer That and Stay Fashionable. It would have been another one that I wrote the words and music for. There’s another song from the demo session that Tim had a part on, but the lyrics were changed and the song was renamed “Kung-Fu Devil.”
It was a weird time in the Bay Area for punk rock because there was such a huge interest in bands from the East Bay. Green Day was newly mainstream. This was after Dookie was released. There was a big magnifying glass on the East Bay scene. We didn’t come from the East Bay, but we lived in the East Bay. We started in Ukiah and eventually made Berkeley and Oakland our home base. There were several other interested parties, but we didn’t have enough songs ready to make a full album. At least as far as the game plan that we had in mind, that was still quite a ways off. It wasn’t even really a thought to make a full album.
What happened is we basically had to kick it into high gear and get as many new songs fleshed out as we could. At that point, as far as the musical and lyrical aspects, I was contributing much more than some of the other people bringing in songs. I remember having a phone call with Mark, the guitar player at the time. I said, “Whatever you do, don’t stop writing. Just write as much as you can and let’s see what we can come up with.”
He and I both poured on the steam and tried to get as much new material out as we could. It was kind of like, well, this is on somebody else’s dime, let’s record. Even though in the long run it’s your own dime, it’s just that somebody else is paying for it up front. The thinking was, let’s just record all of this stuff too and see what we think is album-worthy or whatever.
As I say, it was basically everything we had and things that were being finished maybe a week before we went into the studio. It was primarily out of necessity for filling time to honor the contract. As far as I’m concerned, those songs were still worthy of being heard by people outside the four of us in the band at the time.
When torrents were a bigger thing, I had friends that had CDs they made full of the EPs. We loved “Who Said You Can Touch Me?” and “Rolling Balls.” They’re two songs we used to go back to a lot.
“Who Said You Can Touch Me?” was the first song that I brought to the band. Jade and I had played that in the band we had been in together previous to that, but I carried that over and just changed the words.
Was that Loose Change?
No, I did play in Loose Change. I was only in the band for a few months. Not the earliest lineup, maybe the second lineup of Loose Change. The band that we had been in, aside from Loose Change, was called Influence 13. I was in that band for about a year before and during my time in AFI. For Loose Change, I was there for maybe less than a handful of rehearsals. I think maybe there was a drummer change and I didn’t pick it back up when things got going again.
My favorite songs on the album are those kind of goofy ones, “I Wanna Get A Mohawk (But Mom Won’t Let Me Get One)”, “Cereal Wars”, and “NyQuil”. Did those survive the sets later? You mentioned they were a little embarrassed about “Key Lime Pie.” Did they start getting embarrassed about those songs too?
You kind of hit the nail on the head there. It was almost a sense of being embarrassed by those songs or those lyrics. Wanting to be taken more seriously and not be looked at as a novelty or whatever you want to call it. I don’t know if embarrassment is the right word, or if it’s just maturity level changing. The songs that have the silly lyrics like that are largely not from my pen as far as lyrics go. I don’t really know what the mindset is behind that. We did phase a lot of that stuff out of the set as new songs came in.
I always feel that’s part of the charm of that album. You can tell it’s made by a bunch of kids. There are angry songs on it like you would have on a hardcore album, but there are these fun jokey songs, I never thought of them as novelty songs. I thought it was just something kids wrote about.
That’s how I look at it too. Here we are coming up on thirty years and looking back on it myself, I am still really proud of those records, especially the songs on Answer That and Stay Fashionable. As far as being an accomplishment, I have a sense of pride over it, but I don’t share the sentiments of embarrassment or immaturity that’s being cast on it by people other than me. I still think it’s a cool record. I don’t know if landmark is the right word… I don’t want it to be construed as I think it’s some groundbreaking record.
Personally, I feel a huge sense of accomplishment. It was four kids just sort of figuring it out as we went. I think it really comes across in the recordings. It’s the things that kids write about. It’s the energy that kids have. It’s figuring it out as you go, the discovery process of making an album, all of that. I have nothing but great memories of making that record.
Besides being a great song, how did you land on the cover of the Police’s “Man In A Suitcase?”
One of the guys really wanted to do that song. Some of us needed our arm twisted to do it, myself included, because it wasn’t where we were at. I guess you could say that song was a thorn in my side at that age. Those days were about playing fast, about the rush of energy and excitement that comes with faster music. Some of us were not into pumping the brakes.
What was influencing you at the time either musically or otherwise? I mean, clearly, Reservoir Dogs…
The Reservoir Dogs thing was kind of just a fluke, and turned into a thing for a little while. There was a movie theater in Berkeley on University Avenue. I don’t know if you’d call it a second-run theater, but they showed things that were not current. There was a poster for Reservoir Dogs in front of the theater. We were walking past the theater one day, and it was such a striking image. We were probably in the process of discussing what the album cover was going to be, or just coming up with ideas and suggesting things. We passed the theater. I saw that poster and I thought, “Why don’t we do something like this?”
Steve Z, who did the photos for the album, actually referenced some stills and poster art from the movie. He posed us to make it look just like the Reservoir Dogs poster. There’s that aspect of it. It was just a weird timing. Then it turned into wearing the suits that we wear on the album cover on stage. I don’t know where the idea came from to do that, but it did become a thing. That was one of the memorable experiences that stayed with me from that time of making that record, too. We went up and down Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley. If you’re not familiar, it was the happening area. It leads up to the UC Berkeley campus. It’s a largely foot-traveled area.
Here we were dressed in black suits like Reservoir Dogs, carrying around an air pistol that looked like a 1911 model pistol. Steve is there with his camera equipment in the middle of a busy crowd of people, and we stop in the middle of a crosswalk to take photos. I should also mention that in addition to shooting the photos for the album layout, he also accompanied us on our first US tour, selling T-shirts and helping us out with driving. He photographed a lot of that tour, too.
What I personally was listening to at the time, and what was influencing me as far as the musical aspect and whatever lyric content I brought into that record would have been, specifically, the first two DOA albums, Hardcore ‘81 and Something Better Change. GBH has this compilation album of their early EPs, and it’s called Leather, Bristles, Studs, and Acne. Between DOA and GBH, I was heavily influenced by two bands with initials during that process, go figure. I was also listening to the Germs and Negative Approach a lot at that time. It was around that time they had done the Germs anthology called M.I.A. on CD, and they had done the Negative Approach Total Recall CD, which had everything on it. Those were definitely in heavy rotation for me.
That was, sort of my daily stuff that I listened to, and the first Discharge album. A lot of that stuff, if somebody were to listen to it, especially the first Discharge album. I wasn’t imposing any kind of playing style on anybody else. That was kind of the beauty of bringing in something that’s influenced by something that it never could possibly sound like with the four of us doing it. That’s kind of where our sound basically came from, I suppose.
The album has sound clips from movies and shows. I didn’t realize that the title, Answer That and Stay Fashionable, came from the Comic Strip Presents…I thought that it was Monty Python for years.
It’s a pretty obscure reference. They used to show Monty Python’s Flying Circus and The Young Ones on MTV. The “Bad News Tour” episode of the Comic Strip Presents…, is where that sound bite comes from. It’s outrageous. There are so many things that happen in it that so many people in a band can relate to. Going to where there’s supposed to be a gig and it’s news to everybody there. Even though it’s a mock heavy metal band from England, it’s very appropriate for a punk rock band from Mendocino County, California, too. I want to say I had maybe recorded it from the TV. That non-musical influence was that kind of humor and taking bits and pieces from things that we liked, thought were funny, or maybe some of them might be inside jokes.
As far as some of the lyrics go, they were sort of a collective thing. Maybe not among the four of us, but definitely among the majority of us latching onto similar things and becoming a part of the collective persona of the band. Whether it be attitude, sense of humor, or listening tastes, certain things that we would all gravitate toward that made us what we were at that time for that period of time.
What song lyrics did you write?
I wrote lyrics for, “Half Empty Bottle” and “Your Name Here.” I also wrote “The Mother in Me” and “Don’t Make Me Ill.” The vocalist added a few words. “High School Football Hero” is mine. The satirical aspect of it is still relevant, despite some maybe seeing it as jokey.
“Yurf Rendenmein” and “Two Of A Kind” get re-recorded for Very Proud of Ya. Were those the only two songs that stayed over when you guys started writing new songs and making your sets for shows?
No, that was a contractual situation. It wasn’t something that any of the four of us really wanted to do. It was an agreement that we made when we were offered the Nitro Records contract. Sometimes, I forget that that happened. When it comes back to me that we did that, it still kind of rubs me the wrong way. I didn’t like having to redo those two songs, even though we had previously redone other songs. The way that it happened wasn’t cool. I think it shows in the recordings of those two songs.
You did the remix of the album when it went to Nitro. How long did that take?
I think that was two days. That was just me and Andy Ernst again at Art of Ears. I mentioned earlier that there were a couple of tracks that had been from a demo session that we did there. It was a lot of fussing around and a lot of tweaking of knobs to get things to sound a certain way that they weren’t recorded that way. It was sort of like trying to get lemonade out of a lime. When we sold that record to Nitro, part of the agreement was that I wanted to remix the record to the version that everybody now knows.
Basically, what we did between Andy and me is undo a bunch of the overdoing of things with EQ on drums or guitars or whatever it was, and just made it sound a little bit more open and a little more raw. It’s not a raw-sounding record, but it sounds more like a band playing in a room. We were just laboring over it too much. This was like scraping a couple of layers of paint off of it to make it sound more like what the band sounded like.
Do you know if they’ve done another remaster on it since then? Being an album from the 1990s and the technology then compared to the technology they have now, it sounds great.
Thanks. Honestly, I don’t know if anything else was done. I know that it’s the same mix that we sold them, that was the master of that mix. I have some alternate versions, but I am also the owner of the actual tapes. They haven’t had access to the tapes to do anything. They, being the record label, whoever owns the record now, I don’t. I don’t even know who owns Nitro Records now, to be honest.
Nitro changed hands at least once in the last decade or so. I’m not sure what the parent company is now, but I feel like I saw something about it having been released on vinyl earlier this year. Maybe for the first time in a while. Unfortunately, I’m not a part of any of that process. I haven’t listened to either of those records for quite a while, but the last time I did, it brought a smile to my face when I heard it. There are good memories attached to it for me.
My wife and I don’t cross on music very much. She likes the middle era AFI, and I like the early AFI, but we cross on this album.
It’s interesting from my perspective, having been there for five of the first six years, and hearing people say things like that, their connection to Answer That… There’s a big division between the old band and the new band. It’s nice to hear from people thirty years later, “Hey, that’s a cool record, or I like that song on that record,” or wherever it might be. It’s a really cool feeling because who knew at the time we didn’t know that anybody outside of Berkeley was ever going to buy that record, you know? Aside from family members or friends that were still in Ukiah or Sonoma County.
Were only your friends really buying the EPs, or were record labels buying copies?
The EPs I had sent out to a few labels just to see if anybody was interested in doing another seven-inch. I sent out probably ten to twenty copies of each EP to various other small record labels. As far as what went to Nitro, that first Art of Ears demo was specifically recorded to send to them and a couple of other labels. I want to say that the demo got sent out to like fifteen or twenty different labels. That was a specific thing with that session. Let’s do a demo to see if somebody is interested in putting out a record for us that’s not me. It just turned into we’re going to do a full album, but we did not send a demo to Josh Levine at Wingnut Records, who originally put out Answer That and Stay Fashionable. He was local and came to see us many times, and lived down the street from 924 Gilman Street. He was one of the volunteers at the Gilman Street Project, so he was always around. He was the one who took the leap of faith with us.
Nitro came along after the fact. I can’t remember how much time passed between releasing the first pressing on Wingnut and when Nitro got involved off the top of my head. I do have to say that if it had not been for Josh, we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now. There wouldn’t be a thirty-year anniversary of any record that anybody cared about. A very, very large thanks to Josh from Wingnut for taking that chance on potentially losing a lot of money on putting out a record from a band that hadn’t ever really been on the road before.
If its been sometime since you revisited the album, definitely give it a spin. It’s aged very well. Also, please check out Geoff on his instagram here. On top of being a fantastic artist, he tattoos at Secret Kingdom Tattoo in Roseville. If you’re in the area, go in and get some ink.
We returned for Day Two of Camp Punksylvania under the relentless Pennsylvania sun, with the mingling scents of cows and beer from the night prior hanging heavy in the air. While the dust hadn’t quite settled from Friday, Saturday brought a whole wave of some of your favorite classic punk sets that made the hangovers […]
We returned for Day Two of Camp Punksylvania under the relentless Pennsylvania sun, with the mingling scents of cows and beer from the night prior hanging heavy in the air. While the dust hadn’t quite settled from Friday, Saturday brought a whole wave of some of your favorite classic punk sets that made the hangovers worth it.
Teenage Halloween kicked off Saturday afternoon. If you’re a New Jersey local, you’ve most likely heard of them—or been lucky enough to catch them live. I first saw them open for Laura Jane Grace last year during the East Coast leg of her tour, and they’ve been added to my “must see” list ever since. Teenage Halloween always brings a fun, high-energy vibe, making them the perfect band to set the tone for the rest of the day.
Murphy’s Law is a staple of the NYC punk scene. Whether you’ve seen them for the first time, or have seen them over 100 times everyone is an automatic friend of the band. The moment they hit the stage, beers were cracked open and hurled into the air (for hydration, of course).
If you spot a familiar face in the lineup, you’re probably right—Big B is on bass, holding it down as he has for Madball, too.
While this year’s Camp leaned less ska-heavy and more into punk and hardcore, Working Class Stiffs delivered the best of both worlds with their blend of ska-hardcore. Their set was fast, brassy, and unapologetically fun for everyone.
Saturday night was closed out by The Vandals. We all know that The Vandals have been around since the early 80’s, which makes us concert goers wary skeptical these days (Thanks Danzig)… “Are they going to absolutely suck? Do these guys still got it?” Needless to say, they absolutely did not suck. I would say they’re better live vs. listening through your stereo.
Guitarist Warren Fitzgerald also moves in ways and fits into pants that I could never imagine myself… shoutout to Warren.
Keep your eyes open for the final day of Camp Punk! Check out more photos and galleries on instagram.
I want to preface this article by saying that I love Turnstile. I love what they stand for and I love the community they have built around their music. They are, in my opinion, fully responsible for putting the hardcore genre into the public eye. The genre is bigger than it’s ever been thanks to […]
I want to preface this article by saying that I love Turnstile. I love what they stand for and I love the community they have built around their music. They are, in my opinion, fully responsible for putting the hardcore genre into the public eye. The genre is bigger than it’s ever been thanks to them. Any one thats been to a show can attest to the overwhelming sense of inclusion the band gives off through their unique brand of positive aggression. Its undeniable and It’s hard to find that these days. Their ability to continue to adapt their sound to their ever-changing influences is what separates them from every other band in that space. They’ve been doing it since day one. I’m no hardcore purist and songs like “Blue by You” and “Love Lasso” off Nonstop Feeling and “Disco” off Time & Space are what gave their more traditional hardcore albums a more interesting sound. They tease a different direction that manifested in the feeling of GLOW ON. It’s something most bands don’t ever figure out and Turnstile were on the path to completely nail it, but with all that being said, listening to NEVER ENOUGH left me feeling disappointed.
It’s by no means a bad album, but after seeing their potential with GLOW ON their new album feels sort of uninspired. I think that if it was my introduction into Turnstile I would absolutely love it. It has everything that a new fan could ask for it’s heavy, but not too heavy, just enough to be broadly palatable, with cool etherial interludes that brings you down softly in between songs. It doesn’t seem that they took any risks with the majority of their sound, focusing on the softer elements on the album. But now that they’re on a bigger stage they need a more easily digestible sound. That’s also not a bad thing that’s just change, but at the same time it’s underwhelming.
The heavier parts of the album are really what lost me. It feels like the band is at a crossroads. They are trying to move away from their old sound while still retaining the essence of what brought them to this point and they can’t figure out how to balance the two. Listening to NEVER ENOUGH it’s pretty clear the impact that former guitarist, Brady Ebert, had on their overall sound, writing a large portion of the guitar pieces. GLOW ON, their initial step away from traditional hardcore, had unique and exciting guitar parts on every song that drew from a wide variety of different influences. It was the back bone of their entire sound. What we are left with feels lazily recycled and in a genre notorious for ripping sounds off each other Turnstile seems to be ripping off their own sound. NEVER ENOUGH begins to sound like it was made by a Turnstile cover band. The riffs in songs like “Sole,” “Seein’ Stars,” “Dull,” and “Dreaming” sound like they were copy and pasted from old songs with slight tweaks which makes the album kind of boring and leaves the hardcore elements of the album feeling a little watered down. And what is even is the solo in “Time Is Happening”? On top of that they seem to have moved in the other direction as far as songwriting is concerned. Looking back on their past albums the lyrics were interesting and obviously passionate. The lyrics on the entire album are surface-level and generally pretty boring.
Interestingly, the parts that seem to work the best in this album are the softer, more experimental parts. This is where their new sound really shines through, and you can tell this is where a majority of their efforts went. The new album takes you on a journey. My favorite songs off the album are the two lightest ones, “Light Design” and “I Care.”They both are fun 80’s pop-inspired songs that make you want to dance and they really bring to light what Turnstile can do when they put all their effort into a song. The synthie intro to “Light Design” feels like it could be on the soundtrack of a Kubrick movie. The first half of “Look Out For Me” is generic and unmemorable but then devolves into an upbeat house track. Bringing flutes, horns and organs to a hardcore album has rarely been done successfully and it makes for a more holistically interesting album. I wish they would have leaned into exploring their new sound instead of this tight rope walk between old and new sounds leaving both feeling incomplete.
As far as the album is concerned it sounds like a dumbed down version of GLOW ON. There isn’t a lot on this album that stands out, and I can’t see myself going back to any song from NEVER ENOUGH when I throw on Turnstile. But there is no love lost. I still love Turnstile and what they are doing for the culture. I like the new artsy vibe that the band is going for its fun and refreshing and you can tell they are really enjoying what they’re doing. At the end of the day that’s all that matters. I am not disappointed because I want them to stay true to their roots or whatever, but because I expected so much more out of them. I hope they continue to explore their new identity and I look forward to seeing where it takes them in the future.
I totally agree with all of this. When I first heard Turnstile years ago, they reminded me of Gorilla Biscuits and I thought they were really mainstreaming (in a good way) hardcore music. Now, this album feels like the yacht rock version of their older stuff. This Is Yachtcore.
Though, I don’t really hate it. I bet the next album will be a banger.
Many a punk rocker have found themselves diving into the country pool over the years. From Jello Biafra’s collaboration with Mojo Nixon and the Toad Lickers in ‘94 to Mike Ness’ solo outlaw country material in ‘99, plenty of legends in the scene have traded their docs for cowboy boots, to varying degrees of success. […]
Many a punk rocker have found themselves diving into the country pool over the years. From Jello Biafra’s collaboration with Mojo Nixon and the Toad Lickers in ‘94 to Mike Ness’ solo outlaw country material in ‘99, plenty of legends in the scene have traded their docs for cowboy boots, to varying degrees of success. It’s easy to fall into the realm of parody when playing in this particular sandbox, if it’s not approached with an understanding and/or respect for the art form. Thankfully, Vinnie Stigma appears to truly revere country western music and it’s place in American music history. It seems like Stigma and his cohorts came to his latest project, The Outlaw Vinnie Stigma, with a desire to pay homage to the greats that came before, and add to the canon in an honest show of admiration, and I personally am here for for it!
The Outlaw primarily consists of a collection of cover songs that span several decades of influences, as well as a handful of originals from Stigma and his collaborator Chip Hanna (One Man Army/US Bombs). Each selection is handled with care and performed with skill and a style all their own. The musical contributions of an all star team including Hanna, Jonny “2 Bags” Wickersham (Social Distortion/Cadillac Tramps), Roy Valencia (Agnostic Front/Roger Miret & the Disasters), Jesse Wagner (The Aggrolites) and many other talents bring polish and shine to an already stellar piece of work.
Vinnie manages to move through different styles and eras with ease. The varied track list includes classics by Steve Earle (“Devil’s Right Hand”), Jimmy Driftwood (“Black Jack’s Bar”), and the traditional “Rose of Alabamy”, as well as some slightly off the wall choices like Rancid’s “Already Dead” and doo wop classic “Little Star”, all mingled with excellent Stigma and Hanna originals. You might not expect it from a legend of hardcore, but Stigma’s voice was custom built for honky tonk, and he wears the style as naturally as a tailored Nudie suit.
Whether you are an Americana aficionado, or a country curious punker, The Outlaw Vinnie Stigma is the perfect soundtrack to your next summer barbecue, or rowdy jukebox joust at the local dive bar. Speaking of barbecue, there’s even a hot sauce available from Seeking Heat in collaboration with Hardcore Hot Sauce to go with the record! You can grab yourself a copy now from Generation Records in conjunction with Casa Gogol Records, and I highly recommend that you do!
Camp Punksylvania hit the West End Fairgrounds for its fifth year in good ol’ Gilbert, Pennsylvania (and no, we still have no idea who Gilbert is or why the town’s named after them). What started in 2021 as a few small stages, local punk bands, and a hotdog stand in a field has since outgrown […]
Camp Punksylvania hit the West End Fairgrounds for its fifth year in good ol’ Gilbert, Pennsylvania (and no, we still have no idea who Gilbert is or why the town’s named after them). What started in 2021 as a few small stages, local punk bands, and a hotdog stand in a field has since outgrown its original venue and blossomed into something so much more.
We kicked off the sweltering, 100-degree Friday afternoon with BEEF. They’re known for bringing the heat to your local tri-state area basement, but this time was a little different—an outdoor stage, with fresh air and the smell of beer (but outside)! BEEF set the immaculate tone for the rest of the day, which was stacked with femme-fronted hardcore.
Headed over to Cancer Bats on the main stage, hailing all the way down from Canada. Known for their heavy, sludge-tinged hardcore sound, they brought a perfect blend of chaos and precision to the stage. Not only do they crush it with their original music, but they also have a Black Sabbath cover band called Bat Sabbath—cheeky name, killer execution.
Scowl was one of the main headliners of the weekend, and for good reason. The first time I heard them, it was like a lightbulb went off—this is it. There was something about their sound that just clicked: gritty, melodic, unfiltered, and full of intent. It felt fresh but familiar, like something I didn’t even know I’d been waiting for. Since that first listen, I haven’t missed a single show when they come through the area. Watching them take the main stage at Camp Punksylvania felt like a full-circle moment—not just for me, but for everyone who’s been screaming along with them since the early days.
Spaced closed out Friday night for us on the Riot Stage, bringing a final burst of raw energy to an already stacked day. Despite the intense heat, I had to stick it out to catch them.
Keep your eyes open for more coverage from day 2 and 3! Check out more photos and galleries on instagram.
Elvis Costello brought his band, the Imposters, with Charlie Sexton to The Orpheum Theatre for two nights as part of his Radio Soul: The Early Songs of Elvis Costello Tour. Focusing mostly on the first ten years of his career, Costello played a set that shows why he’s one of the most prolific songwriters of […]
Elvis Costello brought his band, the Imposters, with Charlie Sexton to The Orpheum Theatre for two nights as part of his Radio Soul: The Early Songs of Elvis Costello Tour. Focusing mostly on the first ten years of his career, Costello played a set that shows why he’s one of the most prolific songwriters of our time in several genres.
Given the heavy-handed response to the protests in Downtown Los Angeles the last few weeks, I was elated to find that the show was still happening after the implemented curfew had been lifted. This was my first trip to the Orpheum, and I was surprised that despite sitting up in the balcony, the view was still great. The seats were angled in a way to get a good view of the whole stage, even being near the top of the balcony section.
Like a lot of theaters in Los Angeles, The Orpheum has a history. This ninety-nine-year-old theater was a vaudeville theater opened in Los Angeles in 1926. Many of the biggest performers of that time, such as the Marx Bros., Will Rogers, and jazz greats like Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald, performed there. In the 1960s, rock concerts became more frequent, making way for artists like Little Richard, Aretha Franklin, and Stevie Wonder. Eventually, in 1989, it was remodeled into the venue we have today. The interior still resembles the vaudeville theater it started as nearly one hundred years ago.
However, the band has a history, too. Elvis Costello has been recording for close to half a century which makes for a vast songbook. Each night typically features the hits, but it’s the deep cuts in between that vary throughout the different sets. Costello is one of the few artists who does a great job of weighing the hits and fan favorites with deep cuts. While the song “Green Shirt” definitely falls into the category as a perfect song to play during this tour, it seems to be absent as he has included it in previous years’ outings.
Dressed in a blue suit with gold shoes, Costello walked out to Heaven 17’s song, “(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thing,” which set a good tone for the night. Steve Nieve was set up house left with a grand piano, a synth, a keyboard, and a Hammond organ behind that. Davey Faragher and former Bob Dylan guitarist Charlie Sexton were set up on the opposite side to Costello’s left. Pete Thomas kept the beat behind Costello as he has for almost fifty years.
From the opening chords of the Mersey beat, “I Hope You’re Happy Now,” this show felt special. Elvis Costello and the Imposters tore through “Mystery Dance” and then steadied the tempo with “Watching the Detectives.” In recent years, a lot of the songs have been rearranged a bit; “Detectives” isn’t typically one of them. Yet, ever the master of any instrument with a keyboard attached to it, Steve Nieve played the song’s repeated guitar riff using a melodica. Rearranging songs is nothing new for Costello and it has a great payoff for the most part.
After welcoming the crowd, Costello played “Watch Your Step,” “Big Tears,” and “Accidents Will Happen” with Nieve’s grand piano intro. Costello joked that “early songs” could have also meant songs written earlier that day. He then played a couple of newer tracks out of the scope of the first ten years, “We Are All Cowards Now” and “God’s Comic.”
Eventually, Costello switched over to an acoustic guitar and Davey Faragher picked up a stand-up bass and played some cuts from King of America, and some stripped-down versions of classics like “(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes” and “Clubland.” During “Clubland,” Costello snuck in a quick verse of the Specials’ Ghost Town.
When the band went back to their spots, they were joined by Spanish singer La Marisoul, who took over on vocals for “Detonates” (“Little Triggers”) and a cover of Nina Simone’s “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood.” La Marisoul’s vocals brought the energy back up after a mellow detour in the set. The rest of the set was a grab bag of hits. It’s not an Elvis Costello show without hearing “Alison,” “Pump It Up,” “Radio, Radio,” and of course, “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding.”
Seeing Elvis Costello is always a good time. A set list that jumps genres and a band that can play them all with the greatest of ease make for a great show. The Imposters have never sounded better. Watching Steve Nieve swivel around between his synth, grand piano, and keyboard is always a treat. Charlie Sexton’s addition to the band in the last few years has been a wonderful addition. I’ve been going to see Elvis Costello for about fifteen years now. Davey Faragher and Pete Thomas are hands down one of the best rhythm sections I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen Costello close to ten times, and nearly every show is different. Elvis Costello doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon, but he does keep aging like fine wine.
The 6/21 was horrible. Off-key, late & sloppy delivery of vox; two guitar solos that sounded like the guitar tech handed EC the wrong instrument for the tune; an apathetic at best delivery from the front man. This seems to be the same formula for the San Diego show three nights later per the Union Tribune. The orchestra section’s latter rows began to clear 2/3 through the carnage. Total disappointment.
UK pop-punks Goldstate are releasing their brand new single “Nothing To Lose” tomorrow via Punkerton Records, and we’re stoked to be exclusively premiering it a day early right here on Dying Scene! Check that shit out down below 👇😎 Featuring guest appearances from Jaret Reddick of Bowling For Soup and Thomas Nicholas of the Thomas […]
UK pop-punks Goldstate are releasing their brand new single “Nothing To Lose” tomorrow via Punkerton Records, and we’re stoked to be exclusively premiering it a day early right here on Dying Scene! Check that shit out down below 👇😎
Featuring guest appearances from Jaret Reddick of Bowling For Soup and Thomas Nicholas of the Thomas Nicholas Band, Goldstate frontman Ben Pritchard says “Nothing To Lose” is about “what happens when you hit emotional rock bottom and realize the problem might’ve been you. It’s the sound of confronting your own mess, taking accountability, facing people who now hate your name, and choosing to grow anyway.”
Pre-save “Nothing To Lose” on the streaming platform(s) of your choice right here, and stay tuned for more to come from Goldstate!
This premiere is brought to you in part by Punk Rock Radar. If you’d like your band’s music video, song, album or whatever to be premiered by Dying Scene and Punk Rock Radar, go here and follow these instructions. You’ll be on your way to previously unimagined levels of fame and fortune in no time!
The Orange County Museum of Art is showcasing its 2025 biennial, Desperate, Scared, but Social. On Saturday June 21st, the museum celebrated with block party and a performance by The Linda Lindas, Emily’s Sassy Lime, and Brontez Purnell. The block party had booths for kids and families to make crafts, a silk screen booth which […]
The Orange County Museum of Art is showcasing its 2025 biennial, Desperate, Scared, but Social. On Saturday June 21st, the museum celebrated with block party and a performance by The Linda Lindas, Emily’s Sassy Lime, and Brontez Purnell. The block party had booths for kids and families to make crafts, a silk screen booth which gave a demonstration of silk screening and sold bags for the show, along with a workshop on risograph printers used for either posters or shirts.
The exhibit itself takes its name from the title of Emily’s Sassy Lime’s 1995 Kill Rock Star-released album of the same name. The display for the Linda Lindas took a decent portion of the exhibit and had cardboard cutouts of some of the images used on the shirts along with some of the shirts hanging in the museum, as they were designed by Eloise and Bela. Flyers and some of the outfits they have worn were also present, as they were also designed by the band. The next part also serves as a great record of Emily’s Sassy Lime, with pictures of the band and art pieces. There is a wall dedicated to Disneyland with pictures of the theme park from the 1990s, as well as shelves of relics from the decade like cassettes, VHS tapes, shirts, and other trinkets of the time.
The stage was set up outside on the museum’s second-floor terrace next to a bar where you could buy food tickets. On the terrace, there were booths that sold all types of food, from hot dogs and nachos to baked goods. While the arts have caught up to punk rock and recognize it as a valid form of expression (which it always was), it’s always weird when the suits get involved. It always feels like the people in charge have too many contracts with vendors rather than common sense to bring in something affordable.
Brontez Purnell opened the show with vodka and soda in hand. He revealed to the crowd no one was able to curse during the show, but he was able to keep his songs and banter in between just tongue-in-cheek enough to keep the organizers off his back. He played six songs from his albums *Confirmed Bachelor* and *No Jack Swing*, with songs like “He Never Knew What Kissed Him” and “Rudolph Valentino.” Singing to a backing track, Purnell’s set was a journey through a mind with great lyrics and a unique performance. I would like to see an unfiltered live set that wasn’t confined to the censorship limits implemented.
Emily’s Sassy Lime is a three-piece band formed in 1993 in Irvine, CA by Emily Ryan and sisters Amy and Wendy Lao. They were one of the essential early riot grrrl bands along with Bratmobile and Bikini Kill. They played a set that was a little shaky in parts as they just reformed for this, but was still great nonetheless. Playing songs like “Pineapple Boy Need Not Apply,” “1984,” and “Dippity Do-Nut.” At one point, everyone in the band traded instruments. I hope there are more shows in their future; it was a fun set.
Most of the crowd was there to see The Linda Lindas play. As always, they put on a great show. There was a lot of energy from the band and the crowd. They played a set that was heavy on their latest album, No Obligation, but managed to put in first album cuts, “Growing Up,” “Nino,” “Oh!,” and “Racist Sexist Boy.” During the band’s performance “All in My Head” Emily Ryan from Emily’s Sassy Lime came out and sang with Lucia. The highlight of the night was when the band closed with Bikini Kill’s “Rebel Girl” and Kathleen Hanna came out to sing with the band. It made a special night so much better. After the set, everyone who performed stuck around to take pictures with people. It was a great night.
The “Desperate, Scared, but Social” exhibit is on display at the Orange County Museum of Arts through January 6, 2026. Admission is free. For more information, click here.
Punk rock should always be evolving and should be music of the people, but as a straight white guy what do I have to complain about outside mental health, but that’s a conversation for a different time. Recently, as I was scrolling through Facebook I stumbled upon a post from the Middle-Aged Queers. Given that […]
Punk rock should always be evolving and should be music of the people, but as a straight white guy what do I have to complain about outside mental health, but that’s a conversation for a different time. Recently, as I was scrolling through Facebook I stumbled upon a post from the Middle-Aged Queers.
Given that it’s Pride Month, it seems the perfect opportunity to highlight some of the coolest queer bands in the scene right now. Shaun Osburn of the Middle-Aged Queers was kind enough to give me some recommendations and also answer some questions about those lists and his band. Check out the bands/playlist below to find your new favorite band; not just for Pride Month, but for all year long.
Dying Scene:What bands are the usual suspects in these types of lists?
Shaun Osburn: Typically, Pansy Division and Tribe 8. Pansy Division is probably the most notable, as they were on Green Day’s first tour as a major label band, and their catalog spans over 30 years. Tribe 8 were their sapphic contemporaries in the early days. I have a lot of respect for both bands, and I count many of their members as dear friends. However, in the decades since both bands formed, the political landscape has changed greatly, occasionally making some of the songs culled for queer punk roundups feel dated.
Within the last ten to fifteen years, Against Me! or Laura Jane Grace has also been generally included in these lists. She’s fantastic, grinds harder than most, and has been phenomenal in supporting many of our friends by exposing them on her radio show or taking them out on tour.
Do you feel like those lists are always looking for fight songs or protest songs rather than just good music? Not saying that either of those is a bad thing or mutually exclusive.
Protest or anthemic “fight” music can always inspire me, but I often find myself drawn to the more reflective or introspective songs. I think it’s okay to be a queer band and not always churn out songs about struggle; sometimes there’s joyful catharsis in singing songs about love or even silly things like cats, food, sex positivity, friendships, and so on.
From an editorial standpoint, I understand the appeal of including songs that are more outwardly political in nature; Pride Month’s origins stem from the Stonewall Riots, and having more anthemic songs seems like an obvious choice.
I appreciated the diversity in regards to the spectrum of punk rock of the bands you recommended. I feel like everyone expects these bands to all be angry. What would you consider your definition of queer punk?
The sonic boundaries of what should or shouldn’t be considered punk are silly to me now. Even the early 1970s punk rock bands ran a wide spectrum in terms of sound. It is ultimately about the spirit and ethos of the musicians that find themselves playing to like-minded crowds, which is now what defines punk.
The term “queercore” has certainly become nebulous. Unlike other “core” genres like “hardcore” or “grindcore,” there isn’t really a set sound. I have seen folk acts, electronic groups, and hip-hop groups use the term “queercore,” and I think it now primarily serves to define a global fellowship of musicians.
Do you feel a band can have a member or two that identifies as queer and be considered a queer punk band? LIke Hüsker Dü for example has Bob Mould, would Hüsker Dü or his solo work be considered queer punk?
That’s a really great question! You’ve stumped me here. I wouldn’t consider any of my previous bands to be queer punk, despite all of them having at least two or three queer members. I would consider Mould’s later work, especially with Sugar, as being queer, but perhaps that’s only because I was listening to those songs after I knew he was queer.
Where does someone like Jayne County fall?
Jayne County is a proto-punk pioneer who, sadly, does not receive enough credit for all she has accomplished. I saw her about 6 years ago, still playing at a tiny DIY space to a handful of people. It amazes me that she’s still out there grinding.
I struggled with finding how to present these bands. I feel like the music definitely stands on its own, but I don’t feel like it’s right to be like if you like this straight version you’d like this version over here. Is there another way?
Ya know, Middle-Aged Queers has often gotten comparisons like “You all sound like Gay Grimple” or “Gay Blatz” (I find “Gay Blatz” to be especially numerous because several members of Blatz are gay.) Maximumrocknroll called us “FYP on Poppers.” I’m not sure if it’s fair or if there might be a more tactful way of approaching the comparisons, but people definitely do it.
Also, does that come off too righteous or disingenuous? I never mean it to be. I don’t want to come off as this straight savior? Is that even a thing or does it get lumped into white savior?
Nah, you’re good! I don’t think I’d ever really thought of it that way before, so I appreciate the question!
Is it the chicken and the egg type of question to ask what came first, drag names or punk rock names? Clearly, someone like Divine was around before punk, but with witty names using puns. Side note: I recognize that Divine is probably like the Mos Def of drag queens, but I’m a John Waters fan going way back.
So much of that was brewing at the same places and at the same time. I’m not in a position to provide an answer from a firsthand account, but from what I understand, much of the early drag and punk scenes were intertwined in major cities like London, Toronto, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco.
I’m not shocked to find some of these bands on somewhat bigger labels like Kill Rock Star (Trap Girl) or Epitaph (The Muslims), are those labels just really shitty about promoting? Whether it be that there’s no budget anymore or over-saturation from all bands in general?
Record labels matter a lot less than they used to. Streaming has democratized the way we listen to music, and with so much available right now, it’s easy to miss many emerging artists. Trap Girl has been around for a decade and is finally getting their props, and The Muslims have done tour dates with some big names like Jawbreaker and the Descendents.
Trap Girl
Formed in 2014, Trap Girl is punk rock at its rawest and most righteous. Fronted by the unapologetically fierce Drew Arriola-Sands, this four-piece band lashes out with unrelenting force. Tracks like “Transwomen and Chokeholds,” “Blastard,” and “Dead Men Don’t Rape” hit with blistering urgency.
Trans Panic
Fueled by a steady diet of Against Me!, the Damned, and NOFX, Trans Panic delivers punk with bite and backbone. This trio snarls through tracks like “Smile (for me)” and “I Wanna Be A Necromancer.” Their latest EP is dark where it needs to be, raw where it counts, and never pulls its punches.
Tits on a Bull
Tits on a Bull from San Francisco sounds closer to the architects of punk than modern contemporaries. The band’s steady, unflinching sound grips from the first chord and holds on. Frontman Erik Core’s vocals cut through like steel and smoke, making every listen a ride worth repeating.
Furious Tits
Hailing from the Bay Area, The Furious Tits drips with snark and swagger. Wrapping razor-sharp riffs around lyrics that drip with sardonic wit. Tracks like “Costco Domme” and “(I Love My Boyfriend But) I Wanna Fuck That Girl” are equal parts hilarious and honest, with just the right amount of chaos and charm.
Bev Rage and the Drinks
Dubbed Chicago’s Best Punk Band of 2024, Bev Rage and the Drinks come out swinging with unapologetic fury and grit. Fronted by seven-foot-tall drag queen Beverly Rage, their sound is loud and brimming with raw charisma. They hit harder than most bands I’ve heard this year.
The Muslims
Formed in 2017 in Durham, NC, The Muslims don’t give a fuck and I’m here for it. When it comes to speaking out against injustice, bold and confrontational barely scratches the surface. With sing along songs like, “Fuck These Fucking Fascists” and “Punch A Nazi,” there is no lack of great songs to be found in their discography.
Cluttered
Cluttered is a Halifax, Nova Scotia punk supergroup featuring members of Weekend Dads, Designosaur, and Jabber. This four-piece plays distorted riffs and hook-heavy choruses with breakneck precision. Their relentless rhythm section and sharp-edged guitar work make them stand out in the scene.
Iron Roses
If the anthemic rush of the Iron Roses doesn’t get you on your feet and dance, their fierce, justice-fueled lyrics just might. Blending shout-along hooks with a social conscience that channels raw energy into songs that beg to be sung loud. The Iron Roses are a force to be reckoned with.
Gay Agenda
The Gay Agenda was formed in San Diego in 2017. The brainchild of David Hurtt who wanted to make hardcore punk as brutal and unapologetically queer. Their sound is a blitz of speed, ferocity, and snarling defiance. Fast, intense, and aggressive, The Gay Agenda doesn’t just check the hardcore boxes, they smash them.
COCKRING
Born out of the COVID-19 lockdown, COCKRING is a Sacramento four-piece that channels fury. With one full-length LP, a demo, and a string of bruising singles, they’ve carved out a sound that detonates while delivering anthems that are as relentless as the times that forged them.
Hit Like a Girl
A music project of Nicolle Maroulis, Hit Like A Girl has a poppier sound, but is no less potent than its punk peers. Mellow, melodic, and moody in all the right places, their songs hit with emotional clarity. Nicole Maroulis also channels her energy into “No More Dysphoria,” a nonprofit offering direct support for gender-affirming care in multiple ways. Find more information here.
Middle-Aged Queers
Tell us about the Middle-Aged Queers
Middle-Aged Queers was started as a fun after-work project that had very few ambitions. We figured we’d play a few house parties, maybe record a demo, and fizzle out after a year or two. We certainly never intended to tour or be around for this long. The initial reaction to use was really intense. We didn’t actually intend on releasing an album; our first record was just going to be our demo. The reaction to it landed us a spot at Punk Rock Bowling, then FEST the following year. It’s been a really wild ride.
I always see tour dates for the Middle-Aged Queers, is this a full time thing?
We have toured consistently since 2022, typically for about three to six weeks a year. But that’s only because we’re all fortunate enough to have jobs that allow us the flexibility of working remotely. We still do everything totally DIY, which makes the logistics of tour planning a bit more cumbersome than bands who work with booking agents.
At our current capacity, we certainly don’t lose money on touring, but it wouldn’t be enough to pay our own bills, even if we were on the road full-time. There’s a finite amount of t-shirts and records we can sell at a single show, and the money we get from the door barely covers our travel costs.
We’d love for this to be a full-time thing. If you are a booking agent reading this who wants to take on four incredibly neurodivergent queer punks who prefer playing all-ages shows, slide into our DMs. If you are in a very popular band, please consider taking us on tour so your fans will love us and give us money.
Have you toured with any of these bands you recommended?
We have done a few dates with Trap Girl and The Homobiles (Fureigh from Middle-Aged Queers also plays in The Homobiles, and for that particular tour, I was filling in on bass guitar.), and we did a week of touring with Dog Park Dissidents on the East Coast last year.
Tell us about Theatre of Shame.
Theatre of Shame is our third album, with the title and cover serving as a parody of Motley Crue’s Theatre of Pain. All of our albums have been Motley Crue parodies. I chose Scott Weiner and Caitlyn Jenner’s faces as the masks to represent my disappointment with both LGBTQ+ republican and democratic public figures. Domnic Davi from Tsunami Bomb did the artwork.
The album itself is a much more polished approach. Our first two albums were recorded in just two days, with an incredibly limited budget. We had an attitude of keeping it very stripped down to keep it as authentic and “punk” as we could. Years later, I found myself wincing when listening to both records, not because they’re bad, but because there are vocal harmonies or complementary melodies that could have improved the overall album if we’d allowed ourselves the additional time in the studio. With Theatre of Shame, we tracked the record slowly between tours, taking our time between sessions to give our ears a break and return refreshed later. I’ve done several records over my 30+ years of playing music, and this is the one I am the most proud of. You can stream or purchase the physical album here.
I stumbled across your Sleep Long (Operation Ivy) and Fireman (Jawbreaker) covers. They were fantastic. What other older punk bands do you have high regard for?
Thank you! We are occasionally asked to contribute to tribute albums for legacy artists, and it’s always a pleasure. We’ve covered other bands, such as The Middle Class, Gun Club, Dr. Know, Flipper, and Faith No More.
Do you have any shows coming up?
We’re done with touring for 2025, but we still have a few more California shows before the end of the year. My husband and I are expecting a child in October, so that puts a pause on touring for a bit. Now’s the time to come see us!
A big thanks to Shaun for sharing these bands with us. Catch the Middle-Aged Queers in their last few shows for the year. Tour dates are below.
July 17 – Sacramento, CA @ Cafe Colonial ß
July 18 – Santa Rosa, CA @ Arlene Francis Center ß
mike v
I totally agree with all of this. When I first heard Turnstile years ago, they reminded me of Gorilla Biscuits and I thought they were really mainstreaming (in a good way) hardcore music. Now, this album feels like the yacht rock version of their older stuff. This Is Yachtcore.
Though, I don’t really hate it. I bet the next album will be a banger.