A Punk For All Seasons

“Punk rock isn’t something you grow out of. Punk rock is an attitude, and the essence of that attitude is ‘give us some truth’” ~ Joe Strummer

When people hear the term “Punk” they think of mohawks, safety pins, spikes and leather. These are facets of the punk aesthetic and have remarkably little to do with punk music.

Like many people, I discovered punk rock while in college. I turned on my college radio station to the sounds of I Wanna Be Sedated by The Ramones, and I was hooked.

“Punk rock is just another word for freedom.” ~ Patti Smith

What is Punk?

So what is Punk? Merriam Webster defines it as rock music marked by extreme and often deliberately offensive expressions of alienation and social discontent. This is a surprisingly vague definition and merely discusses the punk attitude. Fast pace, high volume and stripped down sound is what defines punk music. It was an answer to overproduced arena rock of the 1970s and developed out of the late 1960s garage rock movement. It usually includes a political, antiracist, anti establishment message that closely aligns it to Ska music, notably in the U.K.

“Punk rock was the tsunami that threatened to drown us all in 1977.” ~ Pete Townshend 

The History of Punk

Many fans agree that Punk got its start in the late 1970s—although I would argue its roots can extend back as early as the mid-1960’s beginning with the Who or the Kinks then The Velvet Underground and MC5—but this is where the agreement ends. 

There are two primary camps with where Punk got its start. Some fans claim it began in England in 1975 or 1976 with either The Sex Pistols or The Damned. The Sex Pistols formed first but, The Damned released a single first, New Rose in 1976.

Others believe Punk began in New York with either The New York Dolls or The Ramones. All fans acknowledge that Punk exploded in the U.K. after members of The Sex Pistols and The Clash attended a Ramones show at The Roundhouse in London on July 4th, 1976 and the rest is history.

Over the next few decades several punk subgenres emerged in the United States such as, Horror Punk (Misfits), Hardcore Punk (Black Flag), Ska Punk (Mighty Mighty Bosstones), Pop Punk (Greenday), and Skate Punk (NOFX).

Emo: We’re upset and we’re going to whine about it.

Punk: We’re upset and we’re going to do something about it.

Ska: We’re upset and we’re going to do something about it, with a horn section.

I embrace a range of music but what I listen to at a particular time can be influenced by many factors including my mental state, the weather and especially the time of year. Often, my brain associates certain songs or artists with a particular season. That being said, here are my seasonal punk playlists.

Winter Wonderland

When I consider the winter, the first thought that comes to mind is that of the holiday season. Of course, you can hear plenty of Holiday standards covered by punk bands like Stiff Little Finger’s version of White Christmas or Silent Night as sung by The Dickies, but there are a few originals out there as well.

Oi to the World by The Vandals is a song about a violent night that spirals into a night of brotherly love between punks and skinheads. It grew into a punk Christmas classic when it was covered by the band No Doubt in the mid 1990s.

The Motown inspired Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight) by The Ramones was a track on their Brain Drain Album in 1989 and has been a punk Christmas staple ever since.

Seeing Double at the Triple Rock by NOFX is not a holiday song, but one about being snowed in at a bar in Minnesota. The perfect cozy winter punk tune.

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Honorable Mention: The KKK Took My Baby Away. Another track by The Ramones contains the line “She went away for the holiday”, so I think it counts.

Spring Has Sprung

Spring is all about rebirth and the Earth waking up from a long winter. Millions celebrate these concepts with the Easter holiday. We also pledge to care for our planet on Earth Day every Spring.

Gloria: In Excelsis Deo by Patti Smith opens with the line:

Jesus died for somebody’s sins, but not mine

and progresses into a cover of Gloria by the 60s band, Them. This opening track on Patti’s debut album told you all you needed to know about her.

With lyrics like:

Let the whales worry about the poisons in the sea

Outside of California, it’s foreign policy

Franco Un-American by the often socially and politically relevant NOFX has strong Earth Day vibes.

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Honorable Mention: The Joey Ramone cover of the Louis Armstrong standard, What a Wonderful World, gets me choked up every time I hear it.

Summer in the City

I spend time each Summer in Asbury Park, New Jersey. When I think of Asbury, I don’t think of New Jersey’s favorite son, Bruce Springsteen, but of Bouncing Souls, a band from nearby New Brunswick, New Jersey. The bass line of the Ska-inspired song, Manthem from the album, How I Spent My Summer Vacation gets me going every time. The driving bass and drums are infectious.

For me, Summer is all about Ska Punk. Where’d You Go by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, with its amazing horn section and Dicky Barrett’s growling voice, always makes me think of Summer.

What goes great with Summer at the beach? Beer by Reel Big Fish is a song about a late night call from an ex and it’s catchy as hell. 

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Honorable Mention: Come On Eileen by Save Ferris is a brilliant cover of an 80s classic.

Fall-ing Apart

Fall evokes visions of cozy sweaters, pumpkins, Halloween and HORROR. Halloween by the original Horror Punk band, Lodi New Jersey’s own Misfits is a song about pranks, trick-or-treaters, and candy that evolves into images of a Halloween gone wrong.

I was a Teenage Werewolf by The Cramps is a punk infused rockabilly tune that pays homage to Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and punk pioneer, Iggy Pop.

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Honorable Mention: Halloween by Siouxsie and the Banshees. Not a cover of the Misfits song, but another take on the best holiday of the year.

Conclusion

I love punk music and I always will. There are so many types of punk that I believe there is something for everyone, no matter the season. I’m going to leave you with a quote from Henry Rollins from the band, Black Flag.

Questioning anything and everything, to me, is punk rock.

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