Old School Punk

a reply to: underpass61

hey underpass long time no see! I hope all is good with you and yours. Sorry for the delay in response to your kind words and like thoughts! I've been out of action here a bit with a job search (first time in 8 years!) but all is good.

I know this one may stretch it but it is such a strange song I had to include it. Early 80's so not the theme but the band lends credence. I forgot how good this album is!








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a reply to: ColoradoJens

Yo CJ hope your job search is a success - me and my crew are getting by ok. I love the Kinks but I think you're correct in that calling them punks would be a bit of a stretch. Mainly because they were scruffy rockers long before punk came along! There's always been speculation on who was truly the first "punk". One theory goes back even farther to 1958 with this kid Larry Collins. Not sure if I agree but I have to admit it's got the tempo his delivery's got the attitude!


On a side note, I just found out in this thread that Stranglers keyboardist Dave Greenfield passed away from covid. R.I.P Dave

a reply to: underpass61

Thanks for your words underpass61. I loved the Lorrie and Larry Collins! And RIP Dave Greenfield. All the greats are slowly going...

I am limited in this thread and I'm down to throwing a local flavor at you.

Denver had its own scene and there were a couple bands you may recognize. Not much meat but there was a scene lol...

a reply to: ColoradoJens

Love that old VHS footage - it's funny how all the early shows were at VFW halls, community centers, or some other rental facility. Punks were not welcome at the clubs! Here in L.A. there was a somewhat notorious incident at the Elks Lodge hall in '79 when some bands banded together and put on this show -



Cops in full riot gear stormed the place and mayhem ensued.
No videos ever surfaced that I know of but the incident was immortalized in song by The Gears.


My own band played just about every school gym, banquet hall, or community center in our area. The most out of control show we ever did was in the basement of the neighborhood Catholic church - hundreds of sweaty teens, some destruction of property, and a few broken bones. Good times!

An early favorite

Some more Tenpole Tudor because they were awesome

Today we have the interesting case of New Orleans' Red Rockers. They released a terrific indie debut LP "Condition Red" in 1981 that gained them a solid following with its fiery Clash-inspired punk.


This caught the attention of the big boys and they were soon signed to SME/Columbia. I guess the label had other ideas for the band because their first major label release was a complete 180 in sound and style, which caused their early fan base to evaporate. They scored a minor hit with the single "China" then sorta faded away.

Today we have two from the ever charming Angry Samoans -