Tom Verlaine, the founding singer and guitarist of the seminal New York City band Television, passed away on January 28th, 2023 at the age of 73 after “a brief illness”. Verlaine was born in Danville, New Jersey on December 13, 1949 and began his career as a musician in New York City in the 1970s, […]
American Punk
Disappointments: Were These Hardcore Punks From Michigan G.G. Allin’s Best Backing Band?
Muskegon, Michigan Hardcore Punks Were G.G. Allin’s Backing Band from 1989-1991 To many people, the Midwest region consists of a smattering of flyover states that are filled with endless stretches of corn fields, smell of livestock manure, and are home to dangerous right-wing militias. While these things are true, the Midwest is also home to […]
These Underrated Punk Bands Should Be Way More Popular
Tired of seeing the same names in every list of punk bands out there? Here are some overlooked and underrated punk bands from the first wave of American punk rock that deserve more recognition. If you look at lists of classic punk bands from major publications, they just rehash the same 5-10 bands (Ramones, Sex […]
5 Midwest Punk Bands Who Pushed the Boundaries of Hardcore
While some early 1980’s punk bands stuck to the original hardcore formula, these Midwest punk bands went beyond the boundaries of hardcore to create something unique. Midwestern hardcore was one of the most important, yet underrated subgenres of American punk rock during the 1980s. Many of the best known bands of this era hailed from […]
A Beginner’s Guide to Punk Rock
The first wave of punk is said to have lasted a mere two years before imploding in 1979. Yet in that short amount of time it left an indelible mark on fashion, music, and popular culture.
Punk rock emerged as a reaction to the corporate music industry, and the bloated “dinosaur rock” of the 1970’s, a sound characterized by long, self-indulgent soloing and slickly produced albums that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and sometimes years to record.