germs

12 great standalone punk-rock singles, from the Clash to the Libertines

The seven-inch 45 RPM single was the perfect punk–rock medium, insofar as anything about a musical genre and culture as fly-by-the-seat-of-your-bondage-pants as punk can be designed. This is because it was originally rock ‘n’ roll’s perfect medium, and punk’s initial goal was reducing rock to its fundamentals. And if you restrict your presentation’s time to […]

These 11 punk-rock drummers defined the 1980s

Welcome to Alternative Press’ selection of the 1980s’ 11 best punk drummers. One key factor happened that changed it, and the character of its musicianship: hardcore. ‘70s punk posited that Anyone Could Do It. While this was true on paper, some degree of basic musicianship was required to make truly great punk rock. This was […]

The 10 best punk vocalists of the 2010s upheld tradition in a new era

Welcome to Alternative Press’ 10 best punk vocalists of the ‘10s. As we noted when counting down punk’s greatest guitarists of this period, the genre was 35 years old in 2010. Punk rock had a history and a tradition by now, as well as a rule book it was never supposed to have. Which, of […]

These 11 singers steered the course of punk and hardcore in the ’80s

The idea of compiling a list of the greatest punk singers of the ‘80s might seem a bit odd. After all, this was when hardcore rose and quickly dominated all things punk. And let’s face it: Hardcore vocalists are more noted for bellowing than actual singing, per se. Not that late ‘70s punk harbored many […]

11 LGBTQIA+ punk musicians who changed the genre forever

It stands to reason LGBTQIA+ culture informed, inspired and enmeshed with punk, down to the crossover with the ’70s glam scene that helped spawn it. After all, both worlds were essentially the Island of Misfit Toys, from the Rankin/Bass 1964 holiday special Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer: a rebel culture for those whose ideas don’t fit […]

10 old-school punk bands who created the blueprint for the hardcore scene

1979: As far as the American record business was concerned, punk rock was finished. They’d spent a packet on the Sex Pistols, Ramones and Dead Boys, and those albums seemingly shipped straight to the cut-out bins. The Pistols self-destructed at the end of their U.S. tour the previous year, and now that Sid Vicious kid […]

10 punk guitarists who took a unique approach to the genre in the '10s

When the ball dropped in New York City’s Times Square at the stroke of midnight Dec. 31, 2009, punk rock had been around 35 years. (Or 33, depending on if you date the subculture from when the Ramones began playing gigs or from the mythic Punk Year Zero of 1977.) It was well into its […]

15 punk albums from 1992 that thrived in the era of grunge

The mood of 1992: “We won!” Nirvana’s Nevermind sold by the truckload hourly. All anyone could talk about was alternative rock and grunge. Record biz execs walked around that spring’s SXSW convention in Austin in floppy, artfully unwashed hair, just-purchased flannel shirts and ripped jeans. You’d pass a line of them in the parking lot […]

10 essential ‘70s punk bands from Los Angeles you should already know

Punk was, by design, meant to be small and regional. True, bands might break out and become national or even international. But the overarching idea was keeping things small and accessible. You wanted to be able to reach out and touch your favorite band in a small sweaty club, maybe have a beer with the […]

These 15 punk guitarists of the '80s set the standards for the future

Welcome to Alternative Press’ list of the 15 greatest punk guitarists of the ’80s. As the timeline shifted from the ’70s into the new decade, the music changed. Punk had morphed from stripped-down, high-speed rock ’n’ roll with a nasty attitude. It was now faster and louder than the already fast and loud sound, with […]

2019 in memoriam: Remembering the ones we lost

Music, movies, tours: Obviously, there were plenty of cool and wonderful things that were brought into the world in 2019. But there was a significant amount of sadness, as well. We did lose many members of the scene and pioneering alt-rock artists, as well as respected and loved pop culture figures. Here are a few […]

Germs bassist Lorna Doom reportedly dies

Bassist Lorna Doom (Teresa Ryan) of the legendary LA punk band the Germs has reportedly died. Her passing was confirmed via Facebook by former Germs drummer Don Bolles. Read more: 5SOS’s Michael Clifford and Crystal Leigh are engaged “Lorna” was all Bolles wrote in a Facebook post, later adding in the comments, “she left this mortal […]

In memoriam: Musicians we lost in 2019

As our scene and the music community as a whole mourn the loss of these incredible musicians, we remember them for the contributions they made. Our thoughts are with the friends, family and loved ones of those we have lost in 2019. [envira-gallery id=”197439″]