After the Stooges, New York Dolls were the most important of all protopunk bands. The standard belief is that in their original lifetime — 1971 to 1976 — they invented the sound and attitude of ‘70s punk rock and the look of ‘80s hair metal. Blame the latter on th...
As the new century’s first decade unwound, things evolved or deteriorated rapidly, depending on your perspective. The entire world was changing in every aspect. So of course, punk rock was gonna change with it.
The fundamentalists would scream and moan about how these changes weren’t punk at all, that we needed to go back to basics, how everything was better in “the old days.” Which was downr...
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Misfits are the very model of an influential punk band. Which was most likely not Glenn Danzig’s goal when he formed them in 1977 in his native Lodi, New Jersey, naming them for Marilyn Monroe’s final film from 1961. After initially being driven by Danzig’s distorted electric piano, Misfits became known for sludgy power chords pitched in the key of Black Sabbath set to Ramones-oid tempos and song
I Put A Spell On You: Horror-punk roots
Horror punk? Well, the cheapest, tackiest horror films have always been part of the cultural detritus that’s informed the punk aesthetic. Think of Ramones’ ode to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, "Chain Saw." Remember ...
Boston, Massachusetts, Sept. 25, 2021: The 1965 Mosrite Ventures II electric guitar played by Johnny Ramone on every Ramones album from 1977 onward and at 1,985 of their live shows sold at auction for $937,500. Not bad, considering the punk guitar architect paid $200 for it, after his original one he bought for $50 in the early ‘70s was stolen.
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Top 15 punk albums of 1998? You’d be forgiven for thinking that there weren’t any in the year the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky scandal dominated the news. A quick perusal of Billboard’s Hot 100 singles of the year sees domination by several R&B (Destiny’s Child, Janet Jackson, Usher, Mariah Carey) or hip-hop (Puff Daddy, Master P, Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliott) acts. Neo-country artists Shania..
It's time for another AltPress Weekly. Each week, we highlight the things we want you to check out. We keep you in the loop about everything going on over at Alternative Press, along with all the music news that has us captivated. Of course, we also shout out the freshest music finds, from rarities and crate dives to brand-new releases and hits from your favorite artists...
Don’t be fooled: HE Creative are doing exactly what you think they’re doing when you glance over their Instagram feed for the first time—creating a normalized space for punk rock, female empowerment, diversity and more.
Designed in various shades of muted hues, HE Creative are using their creative design studio as a means to elevate the voices of the alternative community, whether that be musicia
The long-awaited Hella Mega tour finally kicked off in Dallas with Green Day performing a surprise cover of KISS’ chart-topping 1975 classic “Rock And Roll All Nite.”
The performance earned a shoutout from the band on Twitter.
Read more: MXPX...
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In the past decade, everyone from Misfits and Jawbreaker to My Chemical Romance and Rage Against The Machine has thrilled us with the announcement of a reunion show or tour. And while we’re ecstatic to see these artists hit the road again, that doesn’t stop us from wishing that they’d make a pitstop or two to record another studio album.
Below are nin...
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 l...
1996: President Bill Clinton was squaring off against Kansas Sen. Bob Dole in a successful bid for a second term in the White House. On April 3, former math professor Ted Kaczynski was arrested in his remote Montana cabin, suspected (correctly, it turns out) to be American domestic terrorist the Unabomber...
Since the world first became aware that there is such a thing as punk, there’s been a nonstop argument about its birthplace. The clueless mainstream media reported for years that it began in England, simply because the Sex Pistols’ snarl was more extreme. Which roya...
Over the years, Riot Fest has taken over Chicago’s Douglas Park with circus sideshows, carnival games and, most importantly, an incredible lineup. But its history stretches even further back, drawing people of all ages and backgrounds between its hub and offshoots in Toronto and Denver. The ...
In 1996, Your Punk Professor interviewed the Clash’s distinguished lead guitarist Mick Jones for a proposed Alternative Press piece on punk’s original guitar heroes. Though it remains unpublished, I asked in the course of it what he thought of Rancid. Jones waxe...
To consider Alternative Press’ list of 1994’s top 15 punk albums, one has to bear in mind two factors:
Green Day’s Dookie was released Feb. 1.
Kurt Cobain died by his own hand April 5.
The alternative nation’s voice was suddenly, shockingly stilled. After three years of t...
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 ...