I live on the west coast and while I THOUGHT that meant sunshine and warm weather (it does not), at least I was right about one thing… it does mean some of the best punk rock in the United States.
On the west coast, punk is still a legitimate force in the music world and you can find pretty much whatever strikes your fancy… Non-commercial, underground bands (I know… redundant), to legends who have flirted with the mainstream (NOFX, Offspring, Social Distortion, Pennywise, Bad Religion, etc.) to those who have fully gone over to the other side (Green Day).
Part of the reason these guys have been so successful is that punk is, gasp… cover your ears you punk purist, part of the mainstream music scene here. Blasphemy! I know..but you will actually hear punk on the radio here.. and not JUST on the low end of the dial during off hours, it’s blasting on 98.7 and KROQ.
I love driving along and then hearing a Social Distortion ditty pop up out of the blue on the radio. It sounds so different from when I’m banging SD out on the ipod into my car speakers. It’s got a different sound coming on the radio and it’s a sound I’d probably never, ever experience in NYC (maybe in New Jersey.. maybe!).
Luckily for me I chose the west coast more for it’s punk and underground subculture musical offerings than the always sunny and warm weather (it’s been warmer in NYC than LA on more days than I can count in 2012 and it’s only April!).
Every weekend and indeed during the week there is some kind of punk music event or concert going on somewhere, from big to small weekly events like this Drunk Punk Thursdays event in Orange County at the Doheny Saloon.
Add in some rockabilly, psychobilly and a little pachuco music, well you got yourself a full agenda. Cool venues like Weber’s out in Receda, CA have cool stuff almost every weekend and in Paramount, the new Torino Lounge is becoming a force.. then there are major concert promoters like Goldenvoice which puts on a plethora of punk shows and some not so punk shows like the recently wrapped Coachella.
So much punk, so little time… one has to be selective or never sleep. Well, as much as I like sleep, I like punk better so this Saturday, we’re picking a not so small event called the Punk Rock Picnic presented by our good buddies at PunkRockers.com and 98.7.
If you live on the west coast and like good old fashioned punk music and picnics then you should hit it with us.
Hope to see you there but if you can’t make it, as always, we’ll do our best to give you pics, videos and coverage and make you feel like you should have been!
This Saturday April 28th it’s the 5th Annual PUNK ROCK PICNIC!
ALL AGES! Starts at 11:00AM and ends at 8:30PM – Get there early as some of the big named bands play early in the day! 7 Stages, BMX half pipes, Skateboarding and all sorts of fun stuff!
With
FEAR, Jello Biafra, Duane Peters and the Hunns, The Crowd, D.I., Angry Samoans, Deniz Tek and the Golden Breed, Fang, Monster X, RF7, Symbol Six, Ill Repute, The Co-Dependents, Decry, Shattered Faith, Battalion of Saints, Doggy Style, Yeastie Boys, Bonecrusher, Death on the Radio, The Rift, the Supplement, Radioactive Chicken Heads, Walk Proud, Dissension, Bananarchist, Splntr, Desperation Squad, Fiction Reform, Civil Disgust, Rodents of Unusual Size and more…..
Tickets http://
At Oak Canyon Ranch
5305 East Santiago Canyon, Irvine, CA 92606
Would love for you to go check out Symbol Six. Cheers!
Thanks Ginger. We’ll give em a look-see!