Embrace your inner punk-rocker
By Nick Petlock on March 2, 2021
When most people think about punk music they might imagine leather jackets, spiked hair, combat boots and piss-poor attitudes. That may have been an accurate portrayal of a stereotypical punk once upon a time, but the genre has evolved. I’m here to tell you all about the direction the genre our mothers all cringe at is headed. I’ll show you a few songs to give you some idea of the nuances punk rock has.
The Shape of Punk to Come came out in 1998 and at the time Kerrang! Magazine listed it as number 13 of the top 50 most influential punk albums. It still remains today, an incredibly influential album to punks across the globe. That’s enough of the 90s for now. Let’s dive into the early 2000s.
There is a band that formed in Gainesville, Florida and have been instrumental in the evolution of the melodic punk sub-genre. Melodic punk tried to get away from the power chord origins of the forefathers of punk. The artists that find themselves in this genre are usually at least slightly formally trained musicians. It really shows in the way they play their instruments. That band is called Hot Water Music. Named after a short story collection by Charles Bukowski, this band ruled the 90s/2000s underground punk scene.
Against Me! and their 2003 record As The Eternal Cowboy; another band from Gainesville Florida, the newfound home of punk rock in the United States. Hot Water Music were to melodic punk what Against Me! are to Folk Punk. Another phase all punks go through at some point or another is ska punk.
Some of us remember these times in our lives fondly, some of us regret those days and some of us may be living through them now. One ska punk song I will never get tired of is by Toronto boys and princes of Canadian punk as far as I’m concerned, The Flatliners. The Flats started as a skate-punk/ska-punk band but have grown as musicians and developed their sound over the 20 some years they’ve been together. Their current sound is more melodic-punk or mainstream-punk. They’d agree with me when I say, it’s important to never forget your origins.
Photo of Chris Cresswell of The Flatliners.
I’ve taken you on a journey through a day in the life of a punk rocker. Hopefully if you didn’t love punk rock before this I’ve shown you something you can find yourself listening to! Whether its hardcore punk, melodic punk, folk punk or even ska punk. There’s something for everyone! Lucky for you, we play all kinds of punk rock on NR92. Listen up and listen often!
What is your favourite punk band/song/album? Let us know in the comments.
Follow me, the author/punk enthusiast on Twitter and Instagram. Also check out my personal blog Things ‘N Stuff.