descendents

SoCal punk legends Descendents are known for three things. First, their mastery of what has now been termed “melodic hardcore.” Second, the quaint line drawing of their lead singer Milo Aukerman they’ve adopted as a mascot logo of sorts. Last but not least is their legendary penchant for consuming coffee. And not that Frappuccino, moo-latte […]

We are a week away from the 2020 general election and Descendents aren’t letting you forget about it. On Tuesday, the band released the politically-charged two-song single Suffrage that features the tracks “On You” and “Hindsight 2020.” Read more: Here’s how Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton announced their engagement After the 2016 presidential election, Descendents […]

More so than any other musical genre, punk rock certainly has an overwhelming number of scene policemen. Said cultural arbiters are always ready to tell anybody within typing distance about what is definitely “not punk.” We understand the headline for this APTV rundown is enough to set the most hardened pit warrior into a frothing […]

Maybe you’re a grizzled punk lifer who hates the kids. Perhaps you came of a certain age where you use the term ”melodic hardcore” more than “pop punk.” You may be a new listener doing a deep immersion into punk history. If you identify with any of these terms, we know you understand the importance […]

What a year 1987 was! Ronald Reagan was all all up in the Iran-Contra affair, but his Teflon psyche made sure none of the backlash stuck to him. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher brought uptight conservative rule to the U.K. for a third term. Ted Kaczynski (aka the Unabomber) came to notoriety as a domestic […]

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. […]

Welcome to the best punk albums of 1987. But first, some context. Feb. 20, 1987: An attack by a domestic terrorist called “the Unabomber” plants a bomb in a Salt Lake City computer store. The owner is injured. March 4: President Ronald Reagan owns up to what was swiftly called the Iran-Contra Affair in a […]

1986 was a turning point for punk rock. Some people thought it should stay frozen in beer-soaked amber or it should sit the hell down. For a culture that proclaimed there were no rules, it felt like the punk-rock rulebook was going to go into its second or third editions. Fortunately, there were plenty of […]

1986 was the year that speed metal and crossover (metal/core a la Cro-Mags’ The Age Of Quarrel) metastasized across the now-stale hardcore scene. The true sound of mid-’80s punk was the seeds of pop punk. Hüsker Dü were the kings of this, although Descendents really are the square root of every band who eventually played […]

My Chemical Romance killed off the Killjoys in spectacular fashion on their Danger Days album. But death didn’t stop co-writers Gerard Way and Shaun Simon from returning to Battery City in 2013. The comic book sequel miniseries, The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys, picked up where the MCR record left off. Now, Way and […]

We had no clue that NOFX mouthpiece/Fat Wreck Chords founder Fat Mike was fast buds with British troubadour Frank Turner. What we do know is that now everyone can get in on this mutual admiration society. West Coast Vs. Wessex is a split album featuring NOFX and Turner’s band covering each other’s songs. And the […]

From sea to shining sea, the U.S. is teeming with talented bands and musicians. Every state and region of the country has its own scene, with its own unique flavor, filled with undiscovered and unsigned artists worthy of a listen. In a time when most of us are stuck inside, take a virtual road trip […]

Since being founded in 1980 by Bad Religion guitarist/songwriter Brett Gurewitz, Epitaph Records has become synonymous with punk rock. Whether you’re a punk lifer or a casual fan of the Offspring’s Smash, Epitaph has had a big, loud effect on your life. Scan the spines in your vinyl collection. You’ll see their signature tombstone logo […]

We’re pretty sure you’ve heard the old aphorism: “Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.” It’s a statement that’s always been universally prescient. However, it might not apply to these choice punk albums from 1982. This APTV video revisits that awesome year for some groundbreaking releases. If anybody really wants to […]

Comedians and sketch writers create jokes, scenes and stories from current events, pop culture and even mundane daily tasks. In recent years, sketch comedy has blown up, making its creators rock stars in the comedy world. Many of these performers use their platform to poke fun at a myriad of genres and music experiences by […]

The connection between music and video games is a long and storied one whether it’s the inclusion of our favorite musicians’ songs in a game, small references to their careers or a band having a complete release based on themselves. Going all the way back to the ’80s, artists such as Journey, Michael Jackson, Prince […]

While hardcore is a genre that primarily focuses on negative feelings and the struggles associated with them, there are a ton of bands pushing for positivity. The so-called “posi-core” scene has plenty of fantastic bands to brighten your day and lift your mood when the world’s got you down and you need some words of […]