An older brother, a best friend, a chance encounter on a compilation CD— it seems that there are as many different ways that people discover punk rock as there are variations on the music itself. These week, Punk On The Rocks asked OurStage staff and artists to share the stories of their introduction to the world of punk rock.
The gateway drug
OurStage blogger The Internet Warrior got his first taste of punk rooting through a neighbor’s garage. “The first punk band that I was ever really exposed to was Bad Religion back in 1994,” He said in an email. “I remember my neighbors were having a yard sale and some of their son’s vinyl’s were mixed up with the ones for sale… I ended up getting my hands on Stranger Than Fiction and instantly fell in love with the album.”
Mia is a Punk: Mia X
While many people were introduced to punk by older siblings, Mia X, leader of OurStage punk rockers The UVs, owes her punk education to someone much older: Her grandfather. “My eccentric grandfather used to take me to the village (NY) when I was very little because he was a playwright and would hang out with the artists and actors on the lower east side,” Mia writes, “That was when I first came in contact with punks, as they were very much a part of the scene at that time. When I became old enough to gather some cash and take the train on my own, I would go to St. Marks and Ave A and hang out with the punks by myself. I related with them and loved going to shows at Continental, Green Door, Brownies, CBGBs and ABC No Rio.”
Hello punk rock!
OurStage’s resident tech writer Jay Schneider got into the punk party through the backdoor of third-wave ska. “What really got me into punk was fast-paced ska, particularly Less Than Jake,” Said Jay in an email.”I remember the very first song I heard was “Five State Drive” off of Hello Rockview (which remains, to this day, one of my top 5 favorite albums ever). There was just something about the high energy bassline and the sound of driving horns that really drew me in. In terms of purely punk rock, the first song I really connected with was “Jaked On Green Beers” by Alkaline Trio… Alkaline Trio also remains one of my favorite bands to this day.”
What’s your punk discovery story? Let us know in the comments!
