DIY - the spirit of motivation

Time is the most valuable thing you can give, take, use, waste, etc. etc.

Enter punk scenes and the division of labour. Often to young scene members, the community may consist of:

Bands
Friends of bands
General Audience
Promoters / Sound Guy / Venue staff

Which in most cases they do, but ofthen these lines can be blurred, and wonderful things can come out of them. Every person that goes to shows whether to play, watch or organize, has skills and connections that can be put to awesome use if they have the motivation. What better motivation than to create something unique that you and your friends can be a part of, and have memories to inspire further generations by?
The more people use their skills, the more originality comes forth and the more distinct and regional a scene can become; based on the people in it.

I find the internet homoginizes a lot of aspects of regional scenes - everyone is hip to every band, people can buy their clothes off the internet, all knowledge is readily accessible and thus not always really passed down through verbal/written dialog between punk "generations" (this isn't always bad at all, and thank quark for the internet)

Thus, I find it exceptionally cool when different punk scenes have their own personal characteristic. Maybe one kid is a whiz with a sewing machine, and can make virtually anything - their friend might be a great artist and have a flair for fashion, so together than can make some really cool clothes - and if they're tuned to their scene, they can reflect some attitudes and styles already apparent

Someone is a good artist? they can do band art, and further their own style, as well as creating a regional style for the bands.

I can go on and on, you know what I'm getting at. If you've got a skill, try to get involved. Doing things, "work", on your own time, without getting paid (sometimes it leads to money) is really rewarding, and often helps out your friends in the meantime.

Punk rock and popularity

Before I begin, when I make reference to "punk bands", I'm going to be including bands that are of the usual fare, aggressive, not overly complicated, emotionally involved and high energy, while usually kind of melodic. There are a lot of bands right now under realms of hardcore, indie rock, metalcore, etc. etc. etc. that really still are the "punk bands" of our day. Back in the 70s, the X-ray specs, Clash, and later Crass were still just called punk bands, regardless of how different they were. With that understood, I'm still going to reference "punk" how it normally is today, or what may be called "hardcore melodic punk" or whatever. My band probably tries to capture that early 90s feel, but we get called "Thrashy oi oi punk" anyway. Shit. Onwards, with hopefully less quotation marks.

Jump back to say, 1996, when I first became aware of something called punk rock. Why did I become aware of it? Because punk was popular. Green Day, Offspring, Rancid et al. were all over the place and as much as people would like to call them all sellouts, that's how half of us got into this damn mess. I think you need the big names to lend popularity to the small ones.
I started going to local shows in 1999, because to me they embodied more personal versions of the bands I listened to (see above) when gearing up for hockey games. Not to mention, the DIY ethic and community involvement of punk are aspects that I always have found incredibly intruiging. I grew up in a small town outside of Sudbury, and it was awesome to meet and hang out, and watch bands with people who kind of saw the world in the same way - people who wouldn't beat me up outside a hockey arena because I had some band scrawled on my shirt.

Around 2000-2001-ish, if my memory serves me correctly.. punk started getting unpopular. Ska all but had dissapeared from the scene, and domination from really poppy sugary "punk" acts made way for ultra-sweetened emo, and far worse, screamo, metalcore, etc. music.
Everything just started to suck. Everyone I idolized in the local scenes had grew up, moved away, or stopped caring.

(side-note: For some reason, when ultra-visible punk rocker type people started donning more 'regular type folk' clothes, for some reason it really got to me. Christ I mean, they just wanted to stop having to put up their mohawk, but for some reason deep down I felt as if they were giving up. Really lame, and I know better now, but hell it was hard to get over as a kid. I think that's why the Casualties still do it.)

Cut to now, 2007. Punk is, well, is really fucking dead. There are a handfull of decent punk bands around ontario, and a lot of them going relatively unnoticed which is MIND-BOGGLING.
If you get a chance, pick up Hostage Life's "Walking Papers". Every goddamn song is great - I don't know how kids can justify to themselves buying the U.S.A. metalcore bullshit, when a band pumping out catchy, down to earth punk music is treading water in Toronto.

I don't know how at all, so this is what I'm figuring.
Many things in life are cyclical. Fashion is cyclical, music is most often cyclical.
Punk is going to come back in a BIG way - I don't know when, but I'm feeling it soon, its in the cards.
1977, 1982/84, 1992-1996 , 2008/9-?

Those dates may be a little off, but goddamn it I'm waiting for the revolution here people.
Each time bands listen to the "generation" before them, get influence, take influence from elsewhere, and then you get a ton of kick ass bands all coming out at the same time that kick ass.
There are great punk bands happening all over the US and Canada, and its only a matter of time before more mainstream outlets pick up on it, and the kids are back hip.


Listening to: Candy Snatchers (I hate those "listening to" things, but I wanted to do it just once)

The Summer

Punk Rock summer means house shows and festivals and sleeping in parks and hanging out by rivers. Well in guelph at least, for me. My fantasies when I was 16 involved listening to cocksparrer, and gettting worked up at a raucus and rowdy party in a city with a river, and maybe lakes, and lots of big trees; passing out in a field and waking up to walk home the next day.
If anything Guelph has more than been adequate in that department, and I find myself riding the wave of summer, filled with shows and fantastic nights with friends and acquaintences.
If anything I think I've met more friends and punk"contacts" in the summer than any season, but I mean that makes perfect sense.
Two summers ago was Unity Fest in Montreal, which (other than the lame name) was completely awesome and I wish the organisers got their shit together enough to have another one. The Adicts are one of the best bands I've ever seen live, and I urge anyone to see them before monkey calls it quits. Any of the "old bands" who are still going should either hang up their boots, or bring their game up to the Adicts levels because there is NO EXCUSE for not putting on a lively and energetic show. This is a direct call out to THE FORGOTTEN REBELS and THE CANADIAN SUBHUMANS (The UK Subhumans were also great live), who while were awesome and really nice guys.. just never impressed me incredibly live - the energy and passion I associate with punk rock was just missing, and I felt pretty disillusioned while watching their sets.

So to wrap that up, I'll include a list of things you should, or shouldn't do, if you're an aging punk icon band, in order to keep your fans' expectations and fantasies:

1. Don't just stand there
- Get involved with the audience. Move around. Check out the stage. do SOMETHING other than awkwardly shout out the lyrics to long forgotten songs. You need to get by on more than just memories, you need to be a good band by today's status, regardless of age.

2. Don't get too drunk
- Yeah it happens, but when you're that old and some kid who's been idolizing you since he was in grade school wants to hear how the recording of the new album went, being a fucking mess is just sad. Get drunk later, stay sober for the show, and rip it up for him/her. Also, being someone's shitty deadbeat dad is exactly the reason half of us became punks in the first place: Congrats if you became something you hated, that's the BEST.

3. DO try to get the original/best lineup
- Its just cooler ok? DOA with Randy Rampage is the best lineup I've seen in years

4. Play killer gear
- If anything you can impress people with your awesome vintage guitars/amps. You kept them right? RIGHT??!

5. Don't overprice your merch
- Its just pathetic, get real jobs and let kids buy your t-shirts for $10, once again, its part of the founding principles of punk

6. Care
- Its hard to do, you can't teach it, but if you got it, you're gold.

This is all easy enough for me to say being in my early twenties, and not under considerable debt of sorts, but I guarantee if you do any of the above, and more - (plus release a new, great album) - people will give a shit about you again. We want to, just give us a reason.