3 posts tagged “punk”
I've had time to listen to music again and the songs that make my spirit move when I put headphones on and listen in stereo are pop punk tunes from the '90s. Screw 32, the Rudiments, and Link 80.
I remember when lead singer, Nick Traina knocked down the movie screen at Berkeley Square while crowd surfing during a Screw 32 show.
I remember when Link 80 surprised the volunteer-run Gilman crew as a camera crew took over the venue to shoot a music video with mama Danielle Steele's money.
And I remember learning about Nick's death.
I think this time in my life is when I was most connected to music. It was in my blood. It's what got me through the day. It's what I looked forward to doing after work.
It just might be time to tap into this inspiration again.
Tonight at his reading at Modern Times, I felt nostalgic for the days that I knew of punk shows in noisy Mission District alleys, secret shows by my favorite now-famous bands, community spaces run d.i.y.-style.
Of course, I bought the book. It's a record of what may have been my prime time in SF.
But then I returned home and my roommate handed me something I left in his room one drunken night: Lyle's book sent from the publisher.
Looks like drunk girl has a gift for someone special.
Photo by Dave Deluxe
After the Joe Strummer movie, I strolled a couple blocks down to the Hemlock to join people in saying goodbye to Lance Hahn.
People posted old band fliers and photos, made a zine, and converted old show footage to screen. Slowly people took stage to tell Lance stories. The stories were mostly about Lance walking through the Mission, holding philosophical talks with folks, and the commitment he gave to build the punk scene. Lance welcomed young bands to a J-Church bill, was the first employee of Revolver, and used his wide network of friends to help touring groupies find a place to crash.
Lance embodied punk rock: not the leather-clad punk with mohawk and piercings (though he did have a mohawk once), but the punk rock made out of the do it yourself spirit, the punk rock that build a community of creative people, the punk rock that connected people through a music of rebellion.
I saw folks who I first connected with in the '90s when I went to shows all the time: one of the guys in my favorite band, a zinester whose copies I ran for free, and a zine buyer from Epicenter turned cheese buyer at a local co-op. It was a good reminder of why I loved punk rock, the community I bordered, and the generous spirits that are everywhere.
