Contributions
These 5 essential Misfits albums practically defined punk
Oct. 19, 2019: The original Misfits—singer-songwriter Glenn Danzig, bassist Jerry Only and guitarist Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein (with ex-Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo and guitarist Acey Slade, formerly of Joan Jett‘s Blackhearts) headlined NYC’s Madison Square Garden over ’90s punk heroes Rancid and OG late ’70s Brit-punks the Damned. The sold-out pre-Halloween celebration was a triumph […]
The 15 best punk albums of 1983 include eternal hardcore classics
1983: Hardcore rules, OK—at least if it comes from America. England was mired in the nü pop of Culture Club and Duran Duran as its punk scene further slipped into shitty versions of what Motörhead did brilliantly. Not to say a similarly boneheaded ethic wasn’t starting to slip into U.S. hardcore. But the best of […]
These 15 punk albums from 1982 continue to bring the fire to this day
Welcome to the top punk albums of 1982. Ronald Reagan‘s been president for a year. His distaff British stunt double Margaret Thatcher‘s been prime minister a few years longer. Between the two of them cutting the legs out of their respective nation’s economies and eroding freedoms, punk had plenty of grist for the songwriting mill. […]
These 15 punk records from 1981 have some of the year’s best music
1981 was the year hardcore engulfed everything punk. Skanking pit warriors swarmed a stage at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. England had its own equivalent—the Exploited, GBH, Discharge. But none of the mile-high Mohican British bands could touch what was coming out of America. And we have the punk-rock records to prove it. Yet, […]
These 15 punk records from 1980 were complete game-changers
By 1980, U.S. major labels abandoned punk with Sid Vicious‘ corpse. The American underground reacted, hard: “Don’t want us? Fuck you, we’ll do it ourselves!” The independent record distribution and touring network kicked off in earnest, as the harder/faster/louder hardcore punk sound started revving up, initially in Los Angeles before spreading across America through the […]
15 punk-rock albums of 1979 that still rule four decades later
By 1979, punk was firmly established. Seemingly, a million new bands formed weekly, releasing great singles seconds later. But some of the old guard were starting to feel constrained by angry teenage ramalama. Where else punk could go? These are the best punk-rock albums of 1979. As bands such as the Clash and the Damned […]
10 ways to help bands and your music scene amid the coronavirus pandemic
For a virus that mimics symptoms of the flu, coronavirus has turned all of our lives into a real-life horror movie. Despite calls to wash hands in the length of time it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” (or your favorite scene song), keep a larger personal space field and stop touching your face, COVID-19 has […]
Green Day auction guitar in memory of the Muffs' singer Kim Shattuck
roGreen Day are auctioning a guitar via musical instrument resale site Reverb to raise funds for ALS research. The gift is in memory of Kim Shattuck, the leader of heroic ’90s punk outfit, the Muffs. The guitar–an Epiphone Les Paul Special listed yesterday by Billie Joe Armstrong’s guitar tech, Hans Buscher–was played by the Green […]
The top 15 punk albums of 1978 that still rock today
Punk in 1978: The Sex Pistols broke up in San Francisco and were about to become an asset in a legal battle, despite “new” material being issued. The Damned also dissolved and then reassembled as the Doomed, with Captain Sensible moving to lead guitar and Motörhead’s Lemmy briefly on bass before realizing they’d fare better […]