Ever had that vague craving you just can’t put finger on? Well Saturday, I think I figured mine out. I needed some live punk music and fellowship and the Punk Rock Picnicwas serving it up in huge, tasty portions. This, my friends, is why I came to the West Coast.
The setting was in the heart of West Coast punk… deep inside Orange County at the Oak Canyon Ranch. So deep inside in fact that GPS and cell phone may or may not work and if you haven’t been here before (or like us, even if you have) you very likely may get lost.
Ah but once you arrive, Punk Rock Picnic is a classic punk rock event de force with punk rock acts on at least half a dozen stages of various sizes and even a few acts playing off to the side. As is usual at these type of gatherings, it was an extremely diverse crowd with older cats, some 50 or even 60+ freely mixing in with teens and even little kids, some as young as 2 or 3 and others, like this kid Lucky we met who was around 7 and just starting school. Lucky came with his dad, an original hardcore punk from OC who was intent on passing punk down to his youngest son and had Lucky sporting a mohawk with a black flag tattoo (temporary) on the shoulder.
There was only the very occasional incident… like when in mid interview with cameras rolling I lost my train of thought when I spotted in the background, a security guy chasing an older, slightly fatter punk full speed for some infraction or slight. The punk threw his beer straight up in the air and bolted off at full gallop as people gathered around to watch and chuckled at the spectacle.
I laughed thinking to myself regardless of the outcome, this isn’t Cuba and we are comforted by the thought that our portly punk friend isn’t going to rot away in some undisclosed political prison to be tortured… he most likely just got tossed from the event. The United States, land of the not so free sometimes, but also a land where you can run from security and not get “disappeared”.
Yes, it was at that moment that I realized, I was having a hell of a good time. Surrounded by thousands of people who in real life are sometimes considered “outcast” or “weirdos” by the main stream. People who are so varied in their looks and background that I don’t think I even saw the same punk band T-shirt on more than one person. At these events you quickly understand you are not dealing with the “sheeple” mentality plaguing the world.
The world needs more punk rock (Cont. below)
Having been in the scene a few years myself now, I know that the most intimidating looking punks are often, some of the nicest folks you could ever hope to meet. Punks seem to have an underlying code of conduct that “if you fall down, I’m going to pick you up”… that goes beyond a Rancid song or an out of control punk pit.
Or was that just the beer talking? I don’t think so, it’s a feeling I’d been missing and it felt like I had gone home again even though I’m not sure where my home is anymore. Maybe instead I have several and it was comforting and soothing to be back at Oak Canyon with punks, most of whom I’d never met but still felt like I knew.
Yes, my friend, punk can both indeed tame and unleash the savage beast in all of us.
Lucky wasn’t the only little kid in attendance, there were several sightings. And while one could possibly debate the wisdom of bringing kids to a loud, noisy concert, Punk Rock Picnic is different, it’s an out door festival where you can roam from stage to stage and there were vendors and even some activities just for kids.
Punk rock is here to stay. While it so often seems, with all the documentaries and books written, that punk is just a bunch of history from the 70s and 80s (and there was plenty of history at PRP with Drain Bramaged, Jello Biofra (Dead Kennedys), Fear and more) there are lots of good things going on right NOW in the scene.
I say lets don’t ONLY live in the past, lets live in the moment for a change…
Enjoy some pics from some very recent history with pics and video from the 5th annual Punck Rock Picnic 2012. More coming soon.
PS Thanks to my amigo Francisco Mora for help on getting some cool pics and and climbing on stage with Jello B. to get the cool video below.
What is the sign of a good punk show? Someone loses a shoe!
My ears are still ringing and I’m still on a natural high from the big Youth BrigadeShow at Weber’s Sports Bar in Receda, California Friday night. This is my 2nd time at Weber’s and I have to tell you, this is really a good place to take in a show and they are booking some great punk, rockabilly and psychobilly acts.
The difference between a show put on by Weber’s and one of the rip off shows from Rich Vreede / Black Cat is palpable the moment you walk in the door. The audience is taken care of, bands are treated with respect and they are really booking some grade A talent, like the legendary Youth Brigade plus a really, really talented roster of local LA punk and hardcore bands like The Dips and Soto St., the animated and raucous 2 man crew of It’s Casual, plus the long playing LA staple Killroy, featuring a special appearance by their original lead singer.
Soto St.
When we arrived, the owner of Weber’s, Kervin, a real cool cat and super hospitable guy, walked us upstairs, where Youth Brigade were hanging pre-show and we got a chance to chat with Mark Stern, drummer/vocals of the band.
Mark is the brother of fellow founder, guitarist/lead vocals Shawn Stern, whom I’d met briefly a couple years back in Brooklyn when they were touring & promoting their 25th anniversary DVD “Let Them Know… The Story of Youth Brigade and BYO Records” an excellent documentary and if you haven’t seen it pick up a copy at Amazon HERE or at the BYO Records site. Missed that blog? Check it HERE.
We chatted about Punk Outlaw covering and helping to promote the upcoming big “Punk Rock Bowling”concert in Las Vegas in May (we’ll be there and you should too but if you can’t make it at least you can read about it and see some video here).
I’m also in high hopes of getting YB on tape for an exclusive interview for you guys and for “Punktology… the worldwide influence of punk”in the very near future since we’re all practically neighbors on the west side of LA now. Stay tuned for that.
Mr. Lugey himself (not his name).. of It's Casual
After conversing with the band, the Punk Outlaw Russian intern duo of Tim & Snik and I took in the music. We missed the first couple of bands while chatting with YB but we did catch the final few songs of Soto St. followed by It’s Casual. Both solid and let me tell you It’s Casual is anything but casual. This two man, reverb and hardcore noise making machine knows how to put on a show. I dug the distortion and crazy fast and powerful drum beats.
When you’re just two guys, you gotta make up for it with a lot of fxx’ng noise and they do. My favorite moment was when the lead singer spits a gooey lugey up in the air and as it hangs off the ceiling above the stage, it slowly, starts a long drip back down. He nonchalantly puts the music on hold while he sets up underneath said lugey and proceeds to wait for it to ever so gradually and down right disgustingly return back into his mouth… with a few added germs and microbes from it’s little trip to the ceiling added in for good measure of course. This was no night for the germophobe like myself. I’ll be having bad dreams about that moment for some time to come.
Killroy - Original lead singer (not Mr. Heart Attack)
Next up was Killroy. These guys are no spring chickens and that is what I loved about them. They know what they are doing and the energy was high from song 1 straight through the end of the set. The current lead singer has a powerful, gravely voice that commands the room. He feigned a heart attack early on and I thought “this could be for real”. It wasn’t…or maybe it was and he’s just a really, really tough guy.
The place was full of tough guys BTW. There was a brief fight in the pit. Glasses were broken, people were kicked. Afterwards, one really big bruiser dude at least 220 lbs in a slightly too tight Tiger Army T-shirt tried to pick a fight with one of my Russian interns who weighs all of 140 lbs. Come on dude! #1 Pick on someone your own size and #2 show some fxxing hospitality! Nobody tried to kick my ass when I visited Russia.. I’m so embarrassed. I’d like to apologize on behalf of our country to our Russian guests.. pathetic!
Back to Killroy, heart attack or no, the guys have a big following in LA and for good reason, they put on a hell of a show working the crowd up into a lather waiting for the punk legends to hit the stage.
Mark Stern of Youth Brigade
FINALLY it was time. Our buddies, the legendary Youth Brigade hit the stage. I had already been knocked around like a rag doll trying to get some photos & videos of the opening acts, so I could imagine how crazy it was going to be for Youth Brigade which is probably the most democratic band ever, in terms of letting fans on stage to belt out the songs with them. (Exhibit A – see the video for “I Hate My Life” below).
We went all the way to Russia for our interns/bodyguards (Tim of Tim & Snik)
I instructed my Russian interns/bodyguards (note to self, next time get some bigger interns to be my bodyguards!) to stand behind me so I don’t get whay-layed and bust up the Cannon camera (who knows after the Black Cat-Rich Vreede Rip off if I can afford to replace it you know?). Maybe too tight Tiger Army Tshirt bully guy would like to be an intern for Punk Outlaw?
Fat Mike from NOFX, longtime pals of Youth Brigade but not in attendance Friday night unfortunately, would be proud. I was definitely was going to have a few bruises to show what a good time I had from this show. I just didn’t want a busted up camera as further evidence.
Shawn Stern - Youth Brigade
As soon as the show began, Tim & Snik bravely sacrificed their bodies to the cause of democracy and they took the brunt of the blows on their thin and waify like bodies, as I snapped away at the front of the stage. But even the combined heft of Tim & Snik was no match for the rollicking crowd as I eventually sprawled face first for the 2nd time of the evening onto the stage, thankfully with said Cannon safely above my head.
If you think this is useless information like your high school geometry class, it isn’t. By holding the camera out in front, away from your body and above your head, you are able to absorb the blows with some cushion for the camera. How does this benefit you, you ask dear reader? Try this technique when in a crowded room drinking beer. You will only spill it on other people, not yourself.. see, I told you it was useful info. You really should have paid attention better in high school geometry class.
Crowd was rowdy.. as it should be
Back to the show. Eventually, the lead guitarist for YB felt sorry for us and invited us up on stage with “relative” safety from the over enthusiastic (is there such a thing) crowd. I say relative because before too long YB was belting out my favorite tune “I Hate My Life” (who can’t relate to that song at some time or another?) as the crowd poured onto the stage and I’m cowering in the corner to the left of Mark Stern’s drum kit, leaving intern Tim, who was running flip-cam duties, to fend for himself. Intern Snik had long ago abandoned the pit and scrambled to the safety of the merch table at the back of the room.
On stage with Youth Brigade
That’s when I had THE MOMENT of clarity. That moment that reminded me why I loved punk music and why, oh why, do I write this blog, travel the planet under often less than ideal conditions videotaping bands and punks for the documentary and spend $ on something I probably will never make a dime at. Why do I get robbed in Argentina (fake taxi driver) and Los Angeles (Rich Vreede – Black Cat Entertainment), simply to pursue what is probably best described as an expensive hobby (and getting more expensive with each subsequent robbery).
From a business perspective, it defies common sense. From a punk lover’s perspective, it makes perfect sense.
Crowd pours on stage to sing
I’m on stage with one of the most legendary punk bands still playing today. Terribly influential guys to the entire punk movement. Guys that toured with Social Distortion and Minor Threat in the 80′s on the famous “Another State of Mind” Documentary (a classic must see. Buy it HERE). Guys that started their own record label, BYO Records, in 1982! Talk about DIY, that was not only pre myspace, facebook, twitter, etc that is when that meant literally recording and pressing your own music and selling it out of the back of the van or mailing cassette tapes or vinyl all over the world via snail mail; guys that have literally toured the world; guys that regularly collaborate with the likes of aforementioned Fat Mike of NOFX to organize tours and festivals like the aforementioned “Punk Rock Bowling”.
Guys that despite no visible “mainstream” success (whatever that means these days), are considered punk royalty, yet still are so cool and down to earth that they let a filmmaker/photographer/vlogger/blogger or whatever the hell I am these days jump on stage with them and freely shoot until my heart is content; guys that not only let the crowd pour on stage to sing with them, they actually invite them up and encourage them to sing.
These guys are punk but more than that, these guys are why I love punk music… and these guys, along with cool people hanging at Weber’s Rockabilly Bar (Big Tiger Army Shirt bully dude notwithstanding), have reignited my faith in the fact that most people are indeed good and cool.. most people are not looking to simply make exploit others for personal gain. In a foxhole… well, I wouldn’t want to be in one but if I had to be in one, then I’d want to be with these guys.
There is a sense of community, comradeship and respect for the fans that emanates from Youth Brigade and the Stern brothers.Shawn Stern never flinches when the microphone is suddenly pulled from his hand and a drunken punk butchers his song (usually, but not always, off key).
Mark Stern invites a guy onstage to sing his own version of whatever song he wishes. The guitarist who saved our asses doesn’t get pissed off when the microphone busts him in the mouth because some young, intoxicated fan in her enthusiasm stumbles and projectiles the mic stand sending it straight towards his pearly whites, busting his lip.
This, my friends, is what punk is about. This, my friends, is Youth Brigade at Weber’s and this my friends is how you put on a REAL show! Take note scam artist promoters and take note poser bands. THIS… IS… PUNK!
Enjoy more photos from the Youth Brigade show HEREand enjoy the videos below.
Thanks again to my interns Tim & Snik, the cool crowd,Kervin and the whole crew from Weber’s and especially Youth Brigade.
No, I’m not in Colombia anymore but that doesn’t mean the punk scene ground to a halt!
My good buddy Luis from the punk band Kuchabomba in Bogota was cool enough to send me some pics from the show last weekend and I’m posting them here for your enjoyment and general viewing pleasure. Enjoy!
It’s a beautiful, summer day in Medellin, Colombia. Yet scores of young punk, metal and rock fans are inside a dingy, dark bar listening to their favorite local bands.
Yep, Saturdays are made for punk music in Medellin, Colombia. Hell last Saturday there were 2 going on at the same time. I happened to be in in the neighborhood of Laureles when my new buddy, Felipe from Nitro Music called me and alerted me to a little punk show going on just a few blocks from where I was.
Me being the lazy f***er that I am, I decided to hit that particular show in Laureles over the one in the north of Medellin, Bellos even though I wasn’t the last familiar with the bands playing.
It was a young crowd, really young. First up was a hardcore band “Langarutho”. Hardcore is big in Medellin and you know when I see my buddy Faber, the organizer of Rock Medellin, at a show, I pretty much know it’s the real deal.
Next up was Nuevaonce (911). Felipe introduced me to Alex, lead singer, backstage before the show and we got to chat a little.
Don’t let 911′s young looks fool you. These guys have been around for over 12 years! Wow, that’s like since 1999! Now that’s a stretch. As a result of this incredible longevity, they’ve got dozens of songs recorded and have opened for some notable bands like “MXPX” and “Less Than Jake”.
911 is also unique in that they play a more pop / skate genre of music than one typically encounters in Latin America and they’ve even got a couple of songs in English. I honestly think with their sound they would have sounded right at home on the Warped Tour in the U.S.
Instead they were playing a dark, dingy little bar in the middle of the afternoon in Barrio Laureles in Medellin, Colombia. And you know what, there are a lot worse places to be!
Lucky me! my last weekend in Colombia before heading to Peru and there is a big Alto Voz festival going on with some of my favorite bands like “Lokekeda”, Neus and more playing. Stay tuned for pics and vids from that big show!
Last summer I interviewed the ladies of “Insurgentas” (Insurgents) a Medellin, Colombia based all girl punk band. (SEE THE POST HERE) This quartet of lovely ladies seemed like the real deal at the time, but unfortunately they were not playing that particular day. Since then I’ve tried to catch them play but something came up each and every time that prevented it and I was beginning to think it just wasn’t in the cards.
But that all changed Sunday night at the Alcaldia Festival in Envigado, a cool little barrio on the outskirts of the Gringo Zone of Poblado in Medellin.
The festival got it’s name and served as a celebration for the release of a DVD Documentary about the history of punk in Envigado called “Alcaldia Punk”. I missed most of the screening so I ended up buying a copy for the very reasonable price of $6 U.S. (which included entry to the concert). While the documentary doesn’t have English subtitles yet, should prove helpful in my continuing effort to learn Spanish.
Insurgentas
Who knows if it works, I may offer a 3 step course called “Spanish for Punks” incorporating some of the techniques I’ve learned, which include:
1) Listening to punk music in Spanish
2) Watching English language TV Shows with Spanish Subtitles
3) and now, watching punk documentaries in Spanish w/o subtitles
If your interested, my secrets to learning Spanish without any of that lame stuff like trying or studying, can be yours for the low, low price of $19.99. Just email me and I’ll tell you where to send the money.
En Serio (seriously… see it’s working already) however, the documentary looked really decent, it’s 100% DIY and I can’t wait to sit down and see it. If you want a copy you can email my amigo Juan Camilo and his crew at Punky_HC at the mail that is really hot (hope you get that because spambots need not apply).
Insurgentas
Now back to Insurgentas, after hearing these guys were on the bill, I knew I had to see them play and this time no excuses and I’m really glad I did. Their music ranges from straight up, throaty hardcore metal to melodic punk melodies, some straight up instrumentals without lyrics. These ladies are no novelty act at all, they are true musicians who really know how to play, and more importantly, you can tell they are dedicated to punk music.
Insurgentas
The crowd recognized it too, as a good mix of girls and guys came to see watch them do their thing. I have some video I hope to get up soon, but I’ll have to wait until I get back in the U.S. near a decent internet connection so in the meantime, enjoy the pics and use your imagination.
But Insurgentas weren’t the only kick ass band at the festival, not by a long shot.
Nacion Criminal
There was Nacion Criminal (Criminal Nation), a hardcore band I had the pleasure of also seeing for the first time. The lead singer gave me one of their cds so I’m really looking forward to listening to that once back in the U.S.
Also, my good buddy, the drummer (and lawyer) David from Alkoholemia had given me a CD a while back and I finally got to listen to these guys live. They also range from hardcore to melodic punk and provided a good opportunity for some of the rowdier crowd to start a wrecking pit.
Lokekeda
It was my amigos from Lokekeda that wound up the night and this was their hometown crowd, you could tell by the reaction. They ripped through their songs including “Medellin is Punk” which for obvious reasons is a crowd favorite. It was too dark to shoot any decent video of Lokekeda but if you want to see a video from a few weeks ago when they ripped through their song “Espinas Asesinas” then you can CLICK HERE. Otherwise the fellas and I hope to film a proper music video for the song when I return to Medellin.
Punk Pit
A punk show in Medellin is always an enjoyable experience for me, more so than say a punk show in NYC or almost any other place.
Maybe it’s because I’ve gotten to know so many of the punks there and they are so cool.
Maybe it’s because I know that I don’t have to worry about some of the BS I’ve had to worry about at other punk shows (violence, arrests, out of control drunkenness,etc.).
Lokekeda
But I think its because Medellin punks are authentic. They are the real deal and we share a love of good, punk music. Getting together to enjoy it with the punks in Medellin never fails to be a good, positive vibe. It was a Sunday after all, so maybe it was a little bit like going to punk church.
For more pics from the show be sure and check out the set on FLIKR HERE.
Last weekend’s punk show in Montevideo featuring my buddies, Rudos Wild was all it was cracked up to be. A celebration as it was Camilo’s (Guitar Rudos Wild) birthday; a reunion, it was my first time back to Uruguay in almost exactly one year; and most importantly a kick ass punk show.
The show got started off with a very good and talented surf punk band which offered a nice warm up for what was to come next, which was a loud, rollicking good punkabilly time from Rudos Wild.
The guys brought me up on stage to help sing a little Social Distortion and I can’t believe I forgot the words to “Cold Feelings” but no one seemed to notice or mind my mumbling certain parts and it was a nice thrill.
The punks crowd in Montevideo is a dedicated bunch and I want to thank them for their hospitality while I was there. Video from the concert as well as photos and video from the Rudos Wild music video shoot to come soon, but in the meantime, feel free to enjoy the pics from the show!
Punks are always helping out. This is a message that probably doesn’t get out very often, I mean its not as if punks have a big Public Relations Department spinning all the good stuff that punks do. There is no Global Association of Punks for Good Causes or anything like that (that I’m aware of).
Lokekeda
But one thing that I’ve learned traveling around a few different continents interviewing punks is that no matter if the punks are into hardcore, street punk, classic punk, California punk or whatever, a general theme is helping out.
As I’ve written before, helping out seems to be a very punk thing to do. Talking about it, not so much.
Last year, legendary Medellin punk band I.R.A. organized the recording of a CD compilation featuring about 20 local Medellin punk bands like themselves, Los Suziox, Desadaptadoz and more. The proceeds of the CD went to a local punk who had been really sick and unable to work to help him build a house to live in.
Cesar of Lokekeda
We happened to be in Medellin during the recording session, and over 20 bands had been scheduled over a 2 day period to lay down new music. Each band had an hour of studio time to do their stuff. I was impressed with the industry and professionalism that each band demonstrated.
Nobody was getting paid, everyone was volunteering their time and creativity but everyone shows up pretty much on time and (mostly) sober to lay down their tracks.
Lokekeda performs "Espinas Asesinas"
I think getting 20 punk bands to do anything in an organized fashion is pretty damned cool.
When I returned later that summer, the CD was out and I purchased one. I always get a kick out of hearing new punk music, especially from a punk hotspot like Medellin with so many young, good bands playing in the scene.
For me, one song that immediately stuck out was called “Espinas Asesinas” from a band we had interviewed just a few months prior, Lokekeda (I have no idea what the English translation is sorry, I’ll ask my Spanish teacher or maybe Cesar, Lokekeda’s drummer who is also an English teacher).
Last Saturday at the punk show in Milagrosa punks were collecting notebooks for some local school kids who couldn’t afford them (another example of punks helping out that probably didn’t make the evening news).
Punk Show in Barrio Milagrosa - Medellin, CO
Well, I finally got the chance to hear Lokekeda perform “Espinas Asesinas” live and while it doesn’t have the same crystal clear sound as the recording on the CD compilation (as most live performances don’t), it still kicks some serious ass so I recorded and uploaded the video for you.
Give em a look and a listen and let me know what you think.
So we kick things off with our first coverage of a punk concert for 2011 and I’m happy to say it was for a good cause.
Our friend Kmilo helped organize the event which requested that punks bring notebooks for school kids who couldn’t afford them. From the looks of the number of notebooks collected, it was a big success and there will be some happier school kids in Medellin this semester.
Lots of good local bands played which included a bit of hardcore mixed in with the mostly classic punk bands, like our good buddies Lokekeda. Kamal and Sundara from Los Suziox, played in their respective side projects and I saw some old friends, some I hadn’t seen the Casualties show back in December 2009.
It was an all ages show (aren’t they all in Colombia?) and was held in Barrio Milagrosa which wasn’t “peligrosa” (dangerous) at all that I could tell. Security checked bags for liquor, beer, etc. so it was a fairly laid back as punk shows go.
But that didn’t dampen the spirit of the crowd which formed a nice pit that threw me around occassionaly while taking pics and video in front of the stage.Video will be coming soon but in the meantime, you can enjoy some photos from the show below.
If you enjoy those, remember to visit our FLIKR Page here for a plethora of punk pics. Enjoy!
If you happen to be in warm, sunny Medellin this weekend (as opposed to cold, icy, snowy NYC… sorry had to rub it in), then this is a good concert for a good cause including some bands that we’ve featured here before like our buddies from “Lokekeda” (See archives HERE and HERE) and many, many more.
Below is the info, as I said, if you happen to be here. And if not, don’t worry, we’ll provide coverage for you, photos, videos, write ups, the whole shabang.. that should warm you up!
Location: Casa de la cultura Ávila (Milagrosa) Carrera 29 a N° 38 f – 59
My name is Robert G. Rose (I use my middle initial because I’m not Robert Rose the Jewelry Designer, Robert Rose the football player or any of the other thousands of Robert Rose’s in the world).
I live in New York City and I love punk rock music. This page is dedicated to Punk music and [...]
