Anyone here listen to Punk?

umm i mean im not sure if this would be categorized into punk or alternative but i really like the band “brand new”

Yeah, I do. Mostly hardcore, crust and grindcore. If you like those styles, try Tragedy, Cop on Fire, Deathraid, Antischism, old Neurosis, Dystopia, Word Salad, Gouka, Paintbox, Hiatus, Nausea, to name a few.

Woops, didn’t mean to click “Great Answer”, but I love Dystopia, too. Their lyrics mean a lot to me.

I like punk, but I have a hard time with most of what passes for “punk” these days…I think a lot of it like the Blink-182s and the Sum 41s and pretty much 99% of the bands who travel with the Vans Warped Tour really aren’t “punk”. If you really want to get technical about it, punk happened towards the end of the 70s, and was really pretty much about the opposite of image…“anti-image” if you will. It just happened that the people who really didn’t care about image were the ones playing hard, fast, loud music without regard to musical aesthetics either…no rules in how you played or how you looked. But nonetheless, when you consider punk as a musical form only, there are a few bands that maybe came about after the punk scene (which essentially died when it became “cool” and everyone started trying to look punk, because punk in and of itself was about “not” being cool). Basically, I think punk exists wherever people just do their own thing musically without regard to anything but the music they want to make. Grunge in the early 90s was really punk, but grunge died the same death as punk when every band put on flanel and Doc Martens and tried to sound like Nirvana. But look at the music that inspired grunge for some good overlooked examples of punk.

The Melvins for example…I’d consider them more “punk” than many of the bands that pass for punk now days. The Donnas are a great band who started out in the tradition of the Ramones…loud, short, fast songs…but they have evolved into a unique and original band which may borrow heavily from many genres…including the best parts of 80s rock which was in and of itself anything BUT punk. The Hives, another great band that makes their own original and unique music in the punk spirit.

Now, I’d say my all time favorite punk band is Bad Religion, very anti-establishment, very original, very loud hard and fast. Rancid is a band that has both the look and the sound, but they do it in a way that is just more authentic. Gogol Bordello are the original “gypsy punks”, playing a combination of traditional Russian music and hardcore punk. Louis XIV is a great newer punk band, and I’d recommend CIV as a band who had great promise in the punk arena in the mid/late 90s but who just kind of disappeared.

I guess the question goes back to you…what bands do YOU like? What does it take to qualify as “punk” in your book?

Whiskey Rebels, they’re Sacramento locals.
And if you’ve never heard of them check out Leftover Crack

As far as modern punk goes I don’t think you can find the same sound as you could back in the birth era of punk. Bands like the Hives try to borrow from the old school sounds but a truly modern punk ban is hard to find.

To find great punk you have to go back to the start with proper English Punk, The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Stranglers, Stiff Little Fingers, The Jam, The Buzzcocks and The DK’s to mention a few. If you really want to get this vintage punk look here a Fantastic album on the iTunes Store

You could try some “proto-punk” like The Stooges or The New York Dolls too.

Creeping Cruds
Straight out of Gnashville Tennessee

@dalepetrie thanks for the response and I would have to agree with you as I don;t like Blink or any of that pop punky shit. As for your question of who I like my all time favorite band is Bad Religion. I really got into skate punk when I was in like 6th grade so NOFX, Pennywise, old Rancid, Millencolin, Lagwagon have been favorites for a long time. I also really like Strung Out, Strike Anywhere, Op Ivy, Anti-Flag, The Bouncing Souls, Dropkick Murphy’s, The Lawrence Arms and so on. Currently I am listening to Fucked Up!, Venerea, The Falcon, Star Fucking Hipsters. For older punk I like Bad Brains and the Ramones but thats about it. I just don’t get into the old sound as much.

@Allie thanks for the answer Whiskey Rebels sound really good so I will be checking them out more! Also if you like Leftover Crack then check out Star Fucking Hipsters. you would enjoy them I do believe.

I listen to a lot of Hot Water Music and Defiance, Ohio and Propagandhi.

Just to name a few.

Buster linked to myspace. I vote that we remove his genitals as punishment.

I dig the older stuff. Stiff Little Fingers, the Dead Boys, stooges, clash, sex pistols. As far as new punk??? My
New punk has been new underground hip hop. Hot topic destroyed punk.

@dalepetrie lurve for Bad Religion :)

@joeysefika lurve for Stiff Little Fingers

The movie Suburbia from 1984 introduced me to the punk scene. I agree that nothing really compares today.

I just went to an awesome show Thursday night with the Ironclads, The Cute Lepers, and The Whore Moans. I went to see the Whore Moans, but I’d go back to see any of these bands.

Punk still exists. You just have to seek it out.

@madcapper – you probably listen to more modern punk than I do. One thing you can do is get hold of one of the Punk You collections…they’re dirt cheap and though they’re hit and miss in terms of the bands, there are some gems to discover. There was a lot of great newer punk on Rock Against Bush I and II. Also, Hot Topic probably carries several compilation CDs with a lot of punk bands (again, much of it might be really pop, but quite a bit is good as well).

@dalepetrie – “The Melvins for example…I’d consider them more “punk” than many of the bands that pass for punk now”. I grew up in the Seattle area going to hardcore shows where some of the most brutal, hard and fast bands played regularly. Ironically, the Melvins were not considered punk or hardcore, but all of us kids still loved em nonetheless. They were slower back then. Much slower than anything they recorded. I think they purposely played extra slow for the hardcore crowd who wanted it as fast as it could get. Backfired on them though, because we all loved it.

I think it’s funny and ridiculous when people say “punk died”! Hmm, then what have I been listening to for the last 25 years? It just got better when it went underground and lost all of those fashion punks and trend followers. It became a great network of real passionate people and bands who supported each other and developed DIY and responsible social ethics. Now fashion, Vans and Hot Topic are calling Blink 182 and Good Charlotte punks, and sending it underground again finally! @judochop, Hot Topic will only make it better, trust me!!

@ark_a_dong – Dystopia is one of my all-time favorites, their lyrics are incredible!

@Allie – Try Choking Victim!

@waterskier2007 Brand New is one of my favorite bands. definately not punk.

Madcapper it sounds like you know most legit punk bands haha, well punk/ska..don’t know what exactly you’re looking for…seems like you’re set so just look up more bands in the genre. Try Reel Big Fish, Screaching Weasel, Slightly Stoopid, Face to Face, um gosh this is going back to my younger days (as if I’m that old :P), Dead Kennedy’s, The Misfits, OLD New Found Glory, OLD stuff from The Ataris.

If I can think of more, I’ll post. :). Hope you find somethin’ you dig, haha.

..Old Brand New has more of a punk edge, so I can see why you’d say them but generally haha yeah no not punk so much.

@forestGeek – exactly, Punk didn’t exactly “die”, but it did go underground, because as soon as it became fashionable to be unfashionable, it was no longer really punk, and the people who really lived the punk ethos (and weren’t just poseurs) pretty much continued on with their own thing regardless of what was popular or not. The Melvins do remain a good example…they might best be described as “sludge metal”, but really theye are a band which has always rocked hard and done their own thing. But the whole “punk died” thing is really illustrated by the fact that even though they ‘evolved’, that is they have changed some aspects of their style and sound over the last 25+ years, they have not done so in response to the style of the times, but rather due to their own desire to try new things within the parameters of the style of music they make. Case in point, the early 90s when Nirvana became big by borrowing liberally from the Melvins and the Pixies and mixing in a dash of this, a pinch of that…everything from underground bands like the Vaslines, to ultra popular bands like Aerosmith and Boston, to better known elements of new wave like Devo, rooting the whole mess in the blues and channelling it all through the soul of a tortued artist, the mainstream caught wind of it and this new sound, which was really just modern punk, was christened grunge, and a whole new audience discoverd it, but 99% of them missed the point. So, they all tried to emulate Nirvana by going back to their influences, the biggest single one being the Melvins…who were subsequently offered a big time record deal, but after a couple albums the mainstream aesthetic had moved on to the next thing…but the Melvins remained punk, regardless of what those who seek to label everything might choose to call their music.

In much the same way, 10 years later we saw the same type of thing with the White Stripes…they did their own thing, their own way…still rooted the music in blues and garage rock, but played without regard to modern aesthetic…the mainstream caught on and for a while they were huge…now the mainstream is onto something new, but in a way they embody the spirit of punk every bit as much as anyone from the 70s.

Now having said all theat, I have a couple other suggestions for you (in addition to anything I’ve mentioned already).

D Generation
Social Distortion
Dope

If I think of more, I’ll let you know.

@onesecondregrets thanks I do however listen to Slightly Stoopid, though I don;t consider them punk, and Face to Face and Screeching Weasel. I never liked Big fish that much though I do like ska. Thanks for trying to help :)

@dalepetrie I have bought compilations in the past, suah as I own Rock Against Bush 1 and 2, but I haven’t recently. I like to ask others opinions though because some bands that may be good aren’t even on compilations and with everything on the internet many people can recommend local bands that I may otherwise miss.

and on a side note I hate Hot Topic, and don’t even go in those stores but not becasue they ruined punk rock but because the people who shop there essentially try to look as dumb as fucking possible to get attention, even though most of them are emo and would say the just want to be left alone. Wearing a fucking misfits beater and carrying a care bears lunch box just makes you stupid not edgy.

@madcapper – I agree w/ your Hot Topic assessment…I just like to go in there because at times they do have really good CD compilations cheap, and I’ve discovered more than one band I really like from some of that stuff…it’s hit and miss to be sure, and the fashion elements of the store are just corporatization of punk, which is about as much as you can possibly miss the entire point to begin with.

On another side note, have you checked out the Zune 3.0 software? They have a function called mixview that links you to related content….like artists that have influenced the artist you are looking at, and artists who have been influenced BY the artist you’re looking at.

Oh and one more artists suggestion on the somewhat more obscure side which I just discovered myself by accident a few weeks ago:

Harvey Milk

Kind of reminds me of a cross between Rollins era Black Flag and the Melvins.

I also find it very interesting to find an artist who has been involved in multiple projects over his career and kind of follow that path, looking at bands they’ve been in, other artists they’ve collaborated with, been influenced by or influenced themselves, and the various projects of the bands that people who’ve worked with that artist have been in….kind of a degrees of separation thing. Here’s a few artists with VERY interesting careers that can lead you to discover all kinds of interesting stuff…certainly not all punk, but in case you hadn’t already figured it out, I think Punk is in the ear of the beholder and to me as the beholder it’s more about the spirit of independent creativity…

Steve Albini
Mike Patton
Josh Homme
Maynard James Keenan

Follow the connections and you’ll find some incredibly interesting stuff. A good place then to go listen to some of what you find is Myspace, which has the added benefit of the friends list, which is a good place to scope around for other artists they’ve associated themselves with.

NOT new! New is “pop-punk” or something. (pop-rock is something!)
90s, madcapper, 90s!

@90s_kid – Yes, 80’s and 90’s were definitely the best years for punk IMO!

@90s_kid well I agree that I grew up in the 90’s so I do listen to many 90’s bands but also many bands I listen to started in the 80’s. Also I love discovering new music so I cannot limit my catalogue to the 90’s only…

@forestGeek I already listen to Choking Victim. Thanks for the follow up though! =]

P.S. – Excellent thread.

@elijahsuicide yeah i pretty much know that but i couldnt pass up the opportunity to recommend a good band. my bad

I think we can all agree that certain types of music were better at certain times of our lives. Do we not equate disco with the 70s, punk and glam rock with the 80s, grunge with the 90s? It is a truly talented musician that can continue the music beyond the decade it was originated.

@madcapper
But sooo many breakthroughs for the new millennium started in the late 90’s. The 90’s is the foundation of the new millennium…as much as I don’t want to say that.
@forestGeek @madcapper
GO 90’S!!!!!
sorry

can’t really get into specific sub-genres of punk here, but there’s a few punk bands i’ve seen live that i really got into after seeing them.
fake problems
the briggs
flatfoot 56
street dogs (you may already listen to them as i think they’re rather well known, but they’re my favourites<3)

also:
roger miret and the disasters
nerve agents
leftover crack
lars frederiksen and the bastards
nekromantix
dropkick murphys
u.s. bombs
tsunami bomb
time again
throw rag
pennywise
millencolin
audio karate (i only know a song or 2 by them, but i like what i’ve heard)
underminded
horrorpops (more rockabilly i guess)
the vandals
tom gabel

and you know, if all else fails, last.fm your favourite punk bands and see what you get haha. i think a lot of the bands i mentioned are on hellcat records as far as i remember, so if you’re into any of them, chances are if you raid hellcat’s website you can get some free mp3s to check out (:

Yep, sure do. I listen to The Ramones, Sucicidal, Black Flag, The Misfits, D.R.I., Sex Pistols, Cockney Rejects, Dayglow Abortions, Dropkick Murphys, Stockyard Stoics, Resilience, Cro-Mags, Dead Kennedys etc.