Ryan Piers

When blink-182 announced the collaborations for their upcoming album, the message-board grumblings were loud. The additions seemed too mainstream for a band who often mocked pop culture.  On the other hand, making a play at distant fanbases can only help the scene. If Pharrell fans turn back to blink-182, maybe they’ll get a taste for, […]

The Venn diagram comprising many punk and metal offshoots got pretty messy in the 2000s. Post-hardcore crews were regularly lumped in with metalcore, screamo, emo and a plethora of hybrid acts, often sounding comparable and touring together. The biggest of those spectacles was something called Warped Tour.  Yet, there’s no doubting their sway. These subgenres […]

The year is 2001. The middle school bus stops by your house in 10 minutes as you hastily smudge on frosted lip gloss, grab your tattoo choker necklace and add an extra gem to your jeans’ bedazzled pocket. Trucker hats and studded belts are all the rage. In some ways, times are simpler.  Pop punk […]

The list of young, talented pop-punk bands in America seems without end. From luxurious Los Angeles to the gorgeous hills of West Virginia, up-and-comers jam in pubs and clubs. They’re grinding on social media and releasing new music with that nostalgic pop-punk sound upgraded to fit the 2020s.  They need your ears to flourish. Especially […]

What were you doing 10 years ago? If trying to make it as a musician while working a side job filled your days, you can relate to a few bands on this list. Pop punk turned over a new leaf in 2010, with a handful of future greats introducing themselves to the music world. They […]

The blink-182 universe is expanding fast, with the trio often collaborating with fast-rising musicians. Two recent beneficiaries of Travis Barker’s percussion and producing talents are Machine Gun Kelly and YUNGBLUD.  It may seem like an unorthodox collaboration, but lyrically, those two artists share so much in common with the pop-punk giants. Can you spot the […]

Pop punk is often associated with the turn of the century when power chords, skateboarders and forever-young tunes on MTV ruled the scene. More recently, there’s the puzzling association of the genre with pizza that has turned into a giant inside joke.  But the music dates back decades, with staying power that outlasted most predictions. […]

Travis Mills spent the past four years out of the spotlight, often burrowed in production studios helping other artists find their perfect sound. It’s a far cry from the center stage of festivals where Mills would whip crowds into frenzies with his endless energy.  You probably know him from his T. Mills days, with songs […]