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Inside the Pacific Northwest punk movement, from the Sonics to Sub Pop
From the Sonics to the birth of Sub Pop, this is the history of Pacific Northwest punk. See how the genre transformed over the years.
20 songs that transformed punk, from "Raw Power" to "Rebel Girl"
There are a lot of people out there who know what punk rock is but have no idea how to explain it to a novice or an outsider. It would seem simple enough to define it as “three-chord teenage rebel music,” but what about all those songs that have four or more chords? Or all […]
11 bands and genres that prove Black Flag are a continued influence
“When Damaged came out, it perfectly represented the depths and darkness of my particular teen angst,” Adam Grossman, guitarist for Angkor Wat, Skrew and Ministry, tells Alternative Press. “It was the soundtrack of my life at that point in time.” Any musician involved in the most extreme forms of musical expression owes their existence and […]
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 […]
How the White Stripes and the Hives built on the legacy of garage rock
Two U.K. televisual musical moments from the turn of the century, both involving stripped-down young rock ‘n’ roll bands: First up, the White Stripes on long-standing U.K. pop showcase Top Of The Pops, in February 2002. “Fell In Love With A Girl” began its chart-shaking international climb, and Jack and Meg White entered English living […]
10 legendary bands who built the foundation of the grunge genre
Despite the grousings of certain members of punk’s first generation, grunge most certainly earned its place on rock’s historical timeline, the perfect antidote to the cliche-ridden joke hardcore became fairly quickly: Everyone attempting to run the 100-yard dash in two seconds? Why not take a nice, leisurely stroll, instead? Most know that meat turns out […]
15 albums from 1995 that are a perfect gateway into the world of punk
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 Though it remains unpublished, I asked in the course of it what he thought of Rancid.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 waxed effusive, noting he’d met the Berkeley punk traditionalists in the course of a […]
10 alternative artists who were inspired by David Bowie's legacy
Nothing’s been right since David Bowie died, Jan. 10, 2016. The rise of Trumpism? COVID-19? The Big Bang Theory going off the air? Would any of these things have happened if Bowie was still striding the Earth? Well, probably. But his new records would’ve acted as a buffer, even if these shitty elements remained intolerable. […]
10 Sub Pop Records releases that set the stage for modern grunge
When Evergreen State College student Bruce Pavitt began his Subterranean Pop fanzine in the early ’80s, covering American independent bands and recordings, he had no idea he would virtually invent an entire rock genre. He was just looking to earn a course credit at the freewheeling Olympia, Washington, higher education outlet. But the ‘zine had […]
These 15 albums from 1991 laid the foundation for punk as we know it
Welcome to Alternative Press’ pick of the 15 best punk albums of 1991. It was a momentous year, one in which underground culture burst into the mainstream, taking punk and all its offshoots with it. Blame it on one album: Nirvana’s Nevermind. Many punkier-than-thou types will moan when seeing this album’s inclusion. They’d be denying […]
15 punk guitarists of the ’90s who paved the way for the genre’s future
Welcome to Alternative Press’ pick of the 15 best punk guitarists of the ’90s. One notable difference between this list and the other two we’ve compiled is the inclusion of several women. Punk did much to democratize rock ’n’ roll in the ’70s, with many pioneering all-female (the Runaways, the Slits) or mixed-gender lineups (X-Ray […]
These 10 modern alternative bands sound straight out of the ’90s
If there’s anything about alternative music written down as fact, it’s that the ’90s were pivotal to the modern scene. With the emergence of new subgenres, from indie to grunge, following the breakout success of bands such as Oasis and Nirvana, the decade set the foundation for nearly all contemporary alt outfits. Of course, many […]
These 20 songs from the '80s left a lasting mark in the underground
The ’80s are usually looked upon in two different mindsets. The first is usually through the prism of mass-culture nostalgia from those who were there. The other school of thought was that the ’80s were a hotbed for creativity. Forget the songs that you were playing when your mom met your dad. How about the […]
The Jesus Lizard close out 2019 with “poker night” gigs
Rock music is a full-contact sport. Sure, you can knock down your feeling of FOMO with the internet and your favorite device. But it’s never loud enough. It’s never in breathtaking detail. It’s never, you know, real. So when a band like searing noise-rockers the Jesus Lizard decide to get together, it feels like a […]
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