Basements and baseball fields

[pedro durruti]

Everybody loves their underground punk rock or whatever the devil we're all listening to these days! Going to shows for $5 in food hole in the wall venues is an integral part of any punk scene and important to anyone with a taste for atmosphere.

Study Question 1: What is a punk? Is she/he a mohican, or just someone who kicks over trash cans with bowling balls?

But how come no one else likes this music like me? Well, actually, there are plenty of people who have similar tastes as you. But not the exact tastes! I've got friends who will enjoy a lot of folk punk and weird punk I give them, but not other punk like Black Flag or Big Boys. "Too much yelling" or some other stupid excuse. So, some of us might wish more people could enjoy the same music as we.

But if you actually graph this data you will find that it grows exponentially. Hee

Study Question 2: Does this mean anarchism? Or just the dismantling of corporate media?

Do you want punk music (and here I mean any music) to stay underground? Good thing there is so much music in the world that no one person can listen to all of.

[Cosmia]

I love the music, but I can't stand a lot of the more "hardcore" fans.

Totally pretentious shitheads, the majority of them.

[Anxious]

Define: Weird punk

[Henrik]

Since I live in a place where it isn't too common that bigger punk bands come to visit, I've got kind of mixed opinions.

If the bands got more popular there would be a way better chance that they would come here, but at the same time I definitely prefer underground venues without too many people.

I've got an example: I've always been dying to see Against Me! . They did play once in 2001 in the coolest squat you can imagine. But unfortunately I didn't know them then (though I probably wouldn't have went then anyways). Since then, they hadn't been here for like 6 years. They were too big to play at the squat (which also got evicted btw), and they weren't big enough for the bigger venues to hire them.
Then now after New Wave was released and they've gained popularity, by people who usually don't listen to punk, they've been here 2 times within 5 months.
I'm very glad I finally got to see them, but I would much rather have seen them before they got all big.

Does that make sense?

[albert_bass]

It makes a lot of sense to me Henrik. I live in Spain and something similar happens here. Here it's probably worse though because the bands that come are usually the same ones over and over and I'm dying to see bands like Leftover Crack, Streetlight Manifesto, Propagandhi, Against Me! and many other who most likely will never come here.

Anyway I'd love punk music becoming mainstream, what's wrong about it? The only bad thing is that show would be massive which kinda sucks but I preffer a massive show with Streetlight Manifesto than no show with Streetlight Manifesto.

[Henrik]

Actually Streetlight are comming here for the first time in february. I'm very excited for that and all, but they come as a warm-up band for Reel Big Fish who are quite big, and I know that the entire crowd will show up to see RBF and not Streetlight.

A cool band that comes over here alot is Gogol Bordello. But it's the same story again. They played one awesome show in a smaller venue. Since then they got really popular and their other shows (though they were still very good shows) have been with 1500 people, and smaller venues are just cooler to go to shows at. At least when it's a punk show.

[SkaRobotArmy]

yea, i saw the weakerthans last night at the phoenix in toronto which is a medium size venue and even though the performance was better, i dont think it was the same as the first time i saw them at the underground just because the venue was so much more personal. so in a way its nice, but as long as the bands stay to true to what they do and the music is still good and sincere i don't really care. i mean if there was MTV: Punk Rock it probably wouldn't matter as long it was still good. just another way for me to enjoy what i like.

[Flagjacket]

Punk means the Atlanta Hawks beating the Phoenix Suns

[mullets suk]

I've got an example: I've always been dying to see Against Me! . They did play once in 2001 in the coolest squat you can imagine. But unfortunately I didn't know them then (though I probably wouldn't have went then anyways).

happened to me, they played a show in 2001-02. i got the audio from cliche in the "official against me thread". coolest set ever, but obviously no one knew about them. they come here a lot since then, cause its the baltimore-washington area most of the places they play are smallish venues, probably hold a few hundred people. (seeing them in 5 days **** yes!)


What is a punk? Is she/he a mohican, or just someone who kicks over trash cans with bowling balls

i find most "punks" with a mohawk to be elitist pricks, and throwing a bowling ball in to a trash can is a real retarded thing to do. the whole idea of punks smashing stuff is absolute ****, completely pointless and gives a bad name to a good genre.

Study Question 2: Does this mean anarchism? Or just the dismantling of corporate media?

are you talking about the music not being mainstream, or what? to me its impossible to a punk musician to dismantle corporate media, once they get large then they'll get signed becoming part of the media, if they stay unsigned they stay underground only reaching a small audience. even "larger" bands stay small, for example against me! still aren't huge, most people in my school have never heard of them and i go to an "anywhere USA" high school.

[asdf]

Since I live in a place where it isn't too common that bigger punk bands come to visit, I've got kind of mixed opinions.

If the bands got more popular there would be a way better chance that they would come here, but at the same time I definitely prefer underground venues without too many people.

I've got an example: I've always been dying to see Against Me! . They did play once in 2001 in the coolest squat you can imagine. But unfortunately I didn't know them then (though I probably wouldn't have went then anyways). Since then, they hadn't been here for like 6 years. They were too big to play at the squat (which also got evicted btw), and they weren't big enough for the bigger venues to hire them.
Then now after New Wave was released and they've gained popularity, by people who usually don't listen to punk, they've been here 2 times within 5 months.
I'm very glad I finally got to see them, but I would much rather have seen them before they got all big.

Does that make sense?
Yes it does make sense.

Strangely when I first saw Against Me! it was in '04 and they were opening for Anti-flag at a larger venue. The next two times I saw them, they were playing the small, local venue, and they will be again this november. I'm happy for that, although the crowds just aren't as great as they could be.

When I saw Streetlight in 04 at that small venue (when it was even smaller) it was so amazing. I hadn't heard of them, was told by a friend to go, and it changed me. One of the best shows I ever saw (and many SLM fan friends of mine are very jealous that I knew about this show).

I am a big fan of small venues/dedicated crowd when it comes to punk and related things. It just doesn't feel right in a large venue. It takes away the community feeling.

But then again I saw Gogol Bordello at Bonnaroo and it blew my mind.

I would go as far as to say it's not the venue size, it's the people around you, that's important.

[nitzguy]

the whole thing about becoming big is that lables want a certian sound, and they try to change the bands' sound to conform with what they want/think is big. There is a whole lot of the high-hat-ska-thing coming from the drums these days in pop-rock. anyone else notice that?

[Ephemeral]

FLUX OF PINK INDIANS

"Take Heed"

the music business got really scared
when punks created their own alternative system
one that was honest and really cared
so they set out to destroy what punk had created
by dividing those involved
choosing cult names and hatred
the gutter press said punks should spit and fight
and the puppet punks were fooled alright
they began to sniff aerosol and tubes of glue
because the paper said that's what real punks do
like spitting on bands covering them in ****
even though they knew if they were playing, they wouldn't like it
the promoters wanted to put a stop
to the cheap gigs bands arranged on their own
so they introduced more lies and once the seeds were sown
the puppet punks began to smash up halls
believing they were having a real ball
but the destruction meant nothing at all
they were just dancing to the tunes
the big businessmen called
very soon bands couldn't afford to do their own gigs
and the promoters had won
they got their own way
protecting their halls with bouncers
they decided which bands could play
and best of all they controlled the price that we all have to pay
punk belongs to the punks
not the businessmen
they need us, we don't need them
punk will never be dead
as long as some of us refuse to be led
the rip-off merchants were quick to cash in
and the puppet punks parted with their hard earned cash
to buy the exploiter's rip-off trash
unable to see that these people only sell ****
as long as the people are willing to buy it


ok

[El_Shiznit]

When I am listening to a record, I could care less if it was popular or not.

I started listening to punk in 2004. From then until the beginning of 2007, punk kinda was the big thing. All or almost all the shows I attended were at the House Of Blues. Even bands I didn't think were big enough to play there, did. Every show, I'd get a little more frustrated at the general crowd for being ~14 year old girls with their ~20 year old boyfriends. And if you came within a couple feet of the couple, the guy would try and start a fight. I think the last show I went to there kind of put the icing on the cake as to why I would never go to House of Blues ever again. It was a Dropkick Murphy's show and it was like a sea of frat boys and sorority girls. That was the last show I went to in a while.

Recently I've been going to shows again, but since the "punk appeal" died all the shows have been at smaller clubs. These are the same bands that a year before, I was seeing at the House of Blues. The shows are immensely more fun.

So in that respect, I'm all for punk staying "underground". A good record is a good record despite how many people listen to it. However, the number of people attending a show directly affects how good the show is.

[Flagjacket]

A good record is a good record despite how many people listen to it. However, the number of people attending a show directly affects how good the show is.

This is not true in all cases shows with tons of people there are sweet.

[El_Shiznit]

I've had fun in larger shows, but the chance of that happening is a lot less.

[Liebensaft]

Peter, what're you doing here?

[pedro durruti]

I'm not sure Joe, that's a good question. I should be in Spain! Or Portugal?
I would go as far as to say it's not the venue size, it's the people around you, that's important.
Yeah, people are definitely important. Tall people, small people, fat people, rat people, lots of people, people from steeples. Even small shows can be less enjoyable with tall people and hardcore fans.
Anyway I'd love punk music becoming mainstream, what's wrong about it? The only bad thing is that show would be massive which kinda sucks but I preffer a massive show with Streetlight Manifesto than no show with Streetlight Manifesto.
Ah, but Alberto, the memories of closeness are so sweet.

Some of the best shows for folk and acoustic music, or jazz... or a lot of other things, are in cafes or restaurants. Local music is great and pretty much inevitable wherever you are, so you will always have access to good bands in good places. Street music is even better for that. Has anyone noticed an increase in folk street musicians in America? In the past few months I've seen a number of violinists (playing classical too), a guitarist who I can't find named with the sound 'peter irveeng', according players and acoustic punks playing on newspaper dispensers.

[bleep_bloop]

q 1: mohecian
q 2: dismanteling of corporate media

[pedro durruti]

You forgot to define weird punk! B-!

[Mild_child]

q 1: mohecian
q 2: dismanteling of corporate media

where's that avatar from?

[AndreTheHyena]

This thread really sucks.

[Chicken And Waffuls]

besides the local bands by me i dont even **** with punk anymore. its so boring.