Tag Archive for 'Bad Religion'

PUNK ON THE ROCKS: LET THEM KNOW & PUNK COVERS

Published by BethanyLeavey on September 25, 2009 in Playlists and Rock. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

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The cover art for "Let Them Know"

On Tuesday, seminal Southern California punk label BYO (Better Youth Organization) Records celebrated their 25th anniversary by releasing the box set Let Them Know: The Story of Youth Brigade and BYO Records. The set includes the full-length documentary Let Them Know, directed by Jeff Alulis (Do You Remember? 15 Years of The Bouncing Souls and NOFX’s Backstage Passport), a full color hardcover coffee table book and, most interestingly, a 31-track double LP. While the documentary and book are well-put together, it’s the LP— a who’s who of punk covering songs from the BYO catalog—that has fans excited. Since BYO released music from Bouncing Souls, Alkaline Trio, 7 Seconds and Bad Religion in addition to label founders Youth Brigade, there were a lot of great tracks for the bands involved to choose from.  Some of the highlights include Pennywise covering “We’re Gonna Fight” by 7 Seconds, Dropkick Murphys playing “Fight To Unite” by Youth Brigade and Anti-Flag’s take on Unseen’s “1000 Miles.” This form of tribute seems more fitting than issuing a simple greatest hits album. Covers have played a prominent role in punk since the beginning of the genre.

Covers are about more than just cashing in on a popular song. They are a tribute to influential artists, not to mention a great way to expose songs to a new audience. It is widely known that Joey Ramone was hugely influenced by 60s pop and the girl group sound. The Ramones payed tribute to these influences by covering songs like The Ronettes’ “Baby, I Love You,” Chris Montez’ “Let’s Dance,” and The Trashmen’s “Surfin’ Bird.” Sid Vicious covered “I Wanna Be Your Dog” both live and on record, introducing the youth of Great Britain aware to the music of Iggy Pop and The Stooges. The Dead Kennedys included a deranged cover of the Elvis hit “Viva Las Vegas” on their album Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables, seemingly just for the fun of it. While covers had always been a part of punk, punk versions of non-punk songs became popular in a major way in the late 1990s to early 2000s. Vagrant Records’ popular Before You Were Punk series featured punk bands covering 80s new wave favorites, while the Fearless records Punk Goes… series of albums had modern day punk and pop-punk bands put their spin on the hits of metal, pop, crunk and more. This same time period saw the formation of the punk super group Me First & The Gimme Gimmes, whose entire repertoire consists of punk covers of their favorite songs across all genres. The punk cover trend is still going strong, with Weezer covering Lady Gaga and MGMT on their tour this past summer and MxPx releasing their second cover album. As long as there are garages, basements and VFW halls, there will be punk bands playing their favorite songs.

To see the preview for Let Them Know, click here.

For Let Them Know screenings and Youth Brigade live dates, click here.

For more information about the Let them Know box set, click here.

Check out some punk covers by OurStage artists in the playlist below!

PUNK ON THE ROCKS

Published by BethanyLeavey on August 7, 2009 in Editorial. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

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Welcome to the inaugural post of “Punk on the Rocks,” a new weekly column focusing on all things punk. But what is punk? Some people say the genre started in New York with the Ramones  creating a stripped down, raw antithesis of bloated 70s rock radio. Others insist it started in the UK with the Sex Pistols gobbing at the audience, embodying the discontent of the British youth. Both are right. Punk music developed almost simultaneously in the US and the UK and spread quickly. While the different scenes boasted varying styles, both music-wise and fashion-wise, the common thread was the frustration with the status quo felt by musicians and fans. Punk is as much an attitude as a genre of music. You might have the power chords and the “woah-ohs,” but if you don’t have the heart, then it’s not punk. Punk is not about making it big, it’s about making yourself heard. Punk is stating your opinion, whether the subject is your girlfriend or the President. Punk is about not caring what other people think.

Punk music can be as hard to describe as the ideology behind it. There are punk bands like the Dead Kennedys with distorted guitars and political agendas and there are punk bands like Atom & His Package with songs about the metric system written and performed on electronic music sequencers. There are punk bands with bagpipes, violins and standup basses. There is New York Punk, UK punk, California punk, political punk, pop-punk, hardcore, emo, ska-punk, punkabilly riot grrrl, dance punk, skate punk, acoustic punk and latin punk. This column will include all of these things and more.

To kick off this column, lets start at the beginning. Contrary to what some people would have you believe, punk is not dead. In addition to the continued success of 90s punk revival bands like Green Day and NOFX and punk festivals like the Vans Warped Tour, many of punk’s founding bands are still together and touring like it’s 1977. Here is a sampling of the groups currently on tour along with my picks for OurStage bands who would best rock each tour’s opening slot:

blondieBlondie – Although they’re best known for their international disco hit “Heart of Glass,” Blondie cut their teeth in the late 70s New York punk scene. This summer, the band teamed up with Pat “Love Is A Battlefield” Benetar and The Donnas for the Call Me Invincible tour. This celebration of three decades of hard rocking ladies will be crisscrossing the US through the beginning of September.

OS fantasy opener: Debbie is representing the 70’s, Pat’s the queen of the 80s and The Donnas have the late 90s so who should rock the aughties? My vote goes to Tip The Van. Fronted by sisters Simone and Nicole Oliva, this CT ska/punk/pop outfit knows how to put on a show.

immaginehd1244994214h4a351aa627995The Dickies – One of California’s first punk bands, The Dickies are still alive and kicking, playing dates on this summer’s Warped Tour along with fellow Cali punk legends Bad Religion. The band will be swinging through Europe in August 2009.

OS fantasy opener: The Dickies are know for their campy, humorous lyrics and fun covers of non-punk songs, like Simon and Garfunkel’s “Sound of Silence,” The Moody Blues “Nights In White Satin” and the Christmas classic “Silent Night.” Ontario’s The Stiff Wires are in on the joke with lyrics like “There’s a party in my brain/And you’re not invited,” and a tongue in cheek anti-war tirade titled “Take Me Away To Afghanistan.”

6a00e5518ed3f78834010536a533a0970c-800wiThe Specials – Two Tone Records ska pioneers The Specials have spent 2009 on a European reunion tour to celebrate the 30th anniversary of band’s 1979 self-titled debut record. While the absence of Two Tone Records founder and The Specials main songwriter Jerry Dammers from the tour has caused some controversy, it has mostly been eclipsed by the fan’s excitement to hear “Gangsters” and “A Message To You Rudy” live.

OS fantasy opener: MTV Tr3s VMA Best Breakout LA nominees South Central Skankers would be a perfect complement to The Specials’ raucous blend of Jamaican rhythms and punk attitude. South Central Skankers’ frantic ska/punk/latin/metal music embodies the Two Tone message of unity, encouraging people of all ages, races and primary languages to get together and skank.

Check out the OS fantasy openers in the playlist below!

Which 70s punk band do you wish you could see live? Who are your favourite OurStage Punks? Comment away!