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Since the mid-1970s,California has had thriving regionalpunk rock movements. It primarily consists of bands from theLos Angeles,Orange County,Ventura County,San Diego,San Fernando Valley,San Francisco,Fresno,Bakersfield,Alameda County,Sacramento,Lake Tahoe,Oakland andBerkeley areas.
Los Angeles had a very strongglam rock scene in the early 1970s, mostly centered on the clubRodney Bingenheimer's English Disco, run byRodney Bingenheimer, who later, as adisc jockey forKROQ'sRodney on the ROQ, did much to promote LA punk bands. Many figures from this earlier scene would play notable roles in the later punk scene.
In the mid-1970s from 1974 to 1975 a wave ofproto-punk bands emerged from Los Angeles, including theFlyboys and Atomic Kid.
The Runaways, an all-female teenaged band featuringJoan Jett,Sandy West, andMicki Steele, formed in Los Angeles in 1975 under the management ofKim Fowley. The band combined elements ofglam rock,hard rock, and proto-punk rock. The group would become one of the first punk or punk-adjacent bands anywhere to release recordings, with theirself-titled debut LP and its single "Cherry Bomb" released the following year.[1]
Starting in 1976, following recent releases of recordings by punk bands such as theRamones, a number of punk bands formed in the Los Angeles andOrange County area. Among these bands werethe Dils (originally fromCarlsbad),the Zeros (originally fromChula Vista),the Weirdos,the Screamers,the Germs,the Dickies,Bags,X, andthe Go-Go's. Many bands also formed in theSan Francisco Bay, includingThe Nuns,Crime,Avengers,Negative Trend,The Mutants,The Sleepers,The Offs andDead Kennedys. California punk of this period was musically very eclectic, and the punk scene of the time included a number of bands whose sound crossed over toart punk,experimental punk,new wave,electropunk,punk-funk,rockabilly,deathrock andhard rock.
In 1978 inSouthern California, the firsthardcore punk bands arose, includingMiddle Class,Black Flag,Vicious Circle,Fear, and theCircle Jerks. Hardcore bands and fans tended to be younger than the art punks of the older LA scene and came mainly from the suburban parts of the Los Angeles area, especially theSouth Bay andOrange County. This resulted in a rivalry between the older artsy "Hollywood" scene and the hardcore "suburban", "surf punk", or "beach punk" scene. Those in the "Hollywood" scene often disliked what they saw as the musical narrowness of hardcore and the violence associated with "suburban" punks (the South Bay and Orange County punk scenes had a particular reputation for violence), while the "suburban" punks looked down on what they perceived as the lack of intensity of older "Hollywood" bands (the Germs being a notable exception with lead singerDarby Crash) and the fashion consciousness of "Hollywood" punks.
ThePenelope Spheeris documentaryThe Decline of Western Civilization, shot in early 1979 and early 1980, documents the period when the older LA punk scene was being completely taken over by hardcore. It features performances by bands from both scenes.[2]Decline was filmed in part at punk shows sponsored and promoted byDavid Ferguson, who in 1979 formed CD Presents, a label that would record and promote a number of pioneering groups from the California punk scene. Ferguson and CD Presents organized New Wave 1980, the first festival gathering and showcasing punk bands from all over theWest Coast.
By 1979, hardcore had displaced theHollywood scene and become the dominant expression called hardcore punk in both Northern and Southern California. By this time, many of the older punk bands had broken up or become relatively inactive. A few of these, such as X and The Go-Go's, went on to mainstream success as punk ornew wave bands.
In the early 1980s in California, hardcore was the dominant form of punk and aggressive music. Notable hardcore bands active in that period included theCircle Jerks,Black Flag,the Adolescents,Minutemen,Descendents,T.S.O.L.,China White,Agent Orange,the Vandals, Love Canal,Wasted Youth,Social Distortion,D.I., White Mice,Channel 3 (band),Dr. Know,the Mentors andNOFX in Southern California, and theDead Kennedys,Flipper,MDC, andVerbal Abuse in theSan Francisco Bay Area.
Though hardcore became dominant during this period, punk also began to diversify.Agent Orange had a noticeable hardcore partysurf rock influence, while theAngry Samoans were strongly influenced by 1960sgarage rock. Other bands such asthe Joneses andTex and the Horseheads became popular for playing a form of punk rock influenced by simple rock n roll without the ultra-fast beat of most hardcore bands.
Black Flag,T.S.O.L.,Fear,D.I.,the Adolescents,Suicidal Tendencies,D.R.I. and others influenced latermetal bands such asAnthrax,Slayer andMetallica. These hardcore bands also created a crossover sound: the genres ofthrash and earlymetalcore grew out of this fusion.
The hardcore scene, particularly in Los Angeles and Orange County, gained a reputation for violence at shows due to the formation of several hardcore punk gangs. The topic of violence at punk concerts was featured in episodes of the popular television showsCHiPs andQuincy, M.E., in which Los Angeles hardcore punks were depicted as being involved in murder and mayhem.[3] In the early 1980s, punk concerts increasingly became sites of violent battles between police and concertgoers, particularly in Los Angeles, but also in San Francisco.Henry Rollins argued that, in his experience, the police caused far more problems than they solved at punk performances. At one point, Black Flag was in fact under heavy surveillance by police who were convinced that the band was the cover for a drug ring.
Cities like Sacramento, Lake Tahoe and neighboringReno, Nevada followed San Francisco and Los Angeles, creating their own underground hardcore scenes. Local promoter Stuart Katz brought punk rock to Sacramento in the early 1980s, starting off with shows in auditoriums atMcKinley Park. Katz eventually opened Club Minimal in South Sacramento, booking early hardcore acts such as Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Flipper and Crucifix, as well as local bands. The police department soon shut down the club, but Katz led a 1960s style peaceful protest inside the lobby of City Hall, joined by more than a hundred punk rockers. The protest made the cover page of theSacramento Union.
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Nardcore is ahardcore punk movement that originated in theOxnard suburbs ofSilver Strand Beach andPort Hueneme.[4] Early bands of the nardcore scene includeAgression,Dr. Know,False Confession,Ill Repute, Habeas Corpus, Stalag 13,RKL andScared Straight.[5][6]
Around 1977, the first group in the area was aMoorpark band called the Rotters, emulating the new sounds of Englishpunk rock. After playing a few parties for high school age audiences, Agression latched onto the style. The younger, future members of Dr. Know and Ill Repute were in the audiences saying "Oh, we can do that."[7]
The first venues to regularly host punk shows in the Oxnard area were Casa Tropical (aQuonset hut at the Oxnard Airport), Town and Country (Port Hueneme), Skate Palace (Port Hueneme), and Casa de la Raza (Santa Barbara).[8]
The local skate scene played heavily in the scene, many people riding in backyard half pipes or breaking into backyards with empty pools to skate. "We were all skaters before we were punkers," saidBrandon Cruz, singer for several Nardcore bands.[7]
There was and still is a strong sense of unity and community among the generations ofNardcore bands. Some unity came from the coverage by a local publication called60 Miles North, which began in 1983 initially as a xeroxed flyer for anAlley Cats concert in nearbyCamarillo.[9] Ill Repute singer John Phaneuf says "Goldenvoice played a big role in getting the Oxnard scene big in L.A."[10]
Much of the early promotion of nardcore was due toMystic Records, inHollywood, California, and its founder Doug Moody, and promotion director, Mark Wilkins. Mystic launched many bands ontovinyl which helped them form relationships with the music industry.[7]
By combining the words "Oxnard" and "hardcore",[11] the name is a reference to theOxnard, California hardcore punk scene.[12][13][14] Brandon Cruz credits Dr. Know guitarist Ismael Hernandez as the originator of the term.[7] This coastalsuburban community, sixty miles north-west ofLos Angeles, California, was the spawning ground for many hardcore punk bands of the early 1980s and became a hotbed for punk andskate bands.[15] Their collective sound became known as "Nardcore."[16][17] Nardcore was popularized by the bands themselves, with a little help from Mystic records, Doug Moody and Mystic Promotion Director Mystic Mark Wilkins over a series of Vinyl Releases in the early 1980s.[18] Nardcore tends to have a lot of the same characteristics as skate punk; however, it has a sound closer to traditional hardcore punk. A congealing of the style was the eponymous compilation LP release in 1984.[19]
Punk music wasExploited,Discharge. The bands coming from England, and the bands that copied them were punk bands. The stuff we were producing was an original form of Californian music, thrash, or skateboard punk. It originated here.
— Doug Moody[7]
By the mid-1980s, many major punk acts such asBlack Flag andDead Kennedys, had broken up. Other bands that had remained such as T.S.O.L. andCircle Jerks began to change their sound in favor of more hard rock or metallic directions[20][21] while other bands such asD.I., Agent Orange andthe Adolescents continued on with their standard Punk Rock sound and released new material throughout the mid-1980s and 1990s. In 1985, Bad Religion reemerged from a hiatus and returned to Punk Rock with their 2nd EP, Back to the Known, featuring a sound that would later be continued and expanded on with albums likeSuffer andNo Control.[22] During this time period a new generation of bands emerged, influenced by their early 80s predecessors. This new scene would produce bands such asALL,Chemical People,Guttermouth,Urban Scum,Jughead's Revenge,Lagwagon,the Offspring,Pennywise,Face to Face, andBig Drill Car, and in San Francisco,No Use for a Name,Jawbreaker,the Lookouts, and theSwingin' Utters.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s,San Diego was home to a burgeoningpost-hardcore scene centered on bands likePitchfork,Rocket From the Crypt,the Renegades andUnwritten Law. Several of these bands played important roles in the so-calledmath rock movement.
The Bay Area punk scene began to flourish in the late 1980s. In 1987, Matt Freeman and Tim Armstrong (future members ofRancid) started ska-punk bandOperation Ivy. Other Bay Area bands wereMr. T Experience,Isocracy,Samiam, andCrimpshrine. Over the next 20 years the Bay Area punk scene formed such influential punk bands such asSwingin Utters,Rancid,One Man Army,the Forgotten,AFI on record labels such as Sympathy for the Record Industry andDead to Me.
While many of the second wave bands still retained the speed and anger of the first wave bands, others focused on a more melodic Ramones approach featuring lighthearted lyrics about relationships and other non-political situations.
In the early to mid-1990s, bands likeBad Religion,Social Distortion andthe Offspring achieved large-scale success, being played on MTV as well as mainstream radio. Up until that point, only alternative format FM stations likeKROQ 106.7 in Los Angeles,KWOD 106.5 in Sacramento,91X in San Diego,Live 105 in San Francisco andChannel 92.3 in San Jose, as well as local public and college radio stations such asKDVS 90.3 in Davis played punk music.
In 1989, Social Distortion signed withEpic Records becoming the first band from the scene, since the Dickies in the late 1970s, to get a major label deal. Their album, simply titledSocial Distortion became a minor hit with four singles "Let It Be Me", "Ball and Chain", "Story of My Life" and a cover ofJohnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" all charting on theModern Rock Tracks top 25. In 1993, following the success of Social Distortion,Bad Religion were signed toAtlantic Records and reissued then-current albumRecipe for Hate for the label that same year. UnlikeSocial Distortion however,Recipe for Hate initially received mixed reviews from music critics but brought the band a little success, peaking at #14 onBillboard'sHeatseekers chart.
Also in 1993,Green Day signed a deal withReprise Records and released their first major label albumDookie in 1994.Dookie became a huge success, peaking at #2 on theBillboard top 200 album chart and selling over 20,000,000 albums worldwide, and over 10,000,000 in the first year alone. Shortly after the success of Dookie,the Offspring's albumSmash achieved similar results selling over 16,000,000 albums. HoweverSmash unlikeDookie, was released by independent punk labelEpitaph Records, and paved the way for other independent punk bands to achieve success. Formed in 1992, skate punk trioBlink-182 after having spent the next two years recording in DIY fashion two splits and three demos, including the commercially availableBuddha before signing to independent labelCargo in 1994. They released their debut albumCheshire Cat through Cargo imprint Grilled Cheese in February 1995. The record, and heavy touring in support, helped the band gain a following in and out of the San Diego local punk scene and subsequently Australia. After opening for bigger bands in the scene like Pennywise and NOFX,Fletcher Dragge, who strongly believed in the trio, convincedWarped Tour founderKevin Lyman to bring them on the next line up. They put out one EPThey Came To Conquer... Uranus in 1996. During this time period, the trio had accumulated genuine interest among major labels, which resulted in a bidding war betweenMCA,Interscope andEpitaph. The band grew tired of Cargo's lack of distribution and faith in the trio, ultimately signing with MCA and entered the studio after completing tour obligations to record their second LPDude Ranch, released in June 1997 to moderate success. It gave the band their first hit single, "Dammit". Two years later the album was certified platinum with one million copies sold. Screaming Bloody Marys signed to Sympathy for the record Industry and moved forward to signed to Dr Dream/Mercury group to release "Get in,Get off,Get out" produced by East Bay Ray by Dead Kennedys.
Soon thereafter, Green Day and the Offspring were joined byBad Religion,NOFX, andRancid, whose respective albumsStranger Than Fiction,Punk in Drublic, and...And Out Come the Wolves, were allcertified Gold or Platinum (with the first being released on Atlantic and last two on Epitaph). Also during this period,ALL,Face to Face and a reunitedCircle Jerks were all signed to major labels,Interscope,A&M andMercury respectively. The success of these bands also led to success for Southern Californiaska punk bands likeNo Doubt,Sublime,Reel Big Fish,Goldfinger, as well as Northern Californiaska punk outfits likeSmash Mouth. In June 1999, Blink-182 released their seminal albumEnema of the State, now with a new drummer inTravis Barker, catapulting the trio into mainstream success and spearheading a second wave ofpop punk, whose influence had an extensive impact in the genre.
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As of 2019, there are a handful of bands that play punk rock music that hail from Oxnard and surrounding areas: Bare Minimum, Bootleg Brigade, Global Warning, Civil Conflict, Crazy D & the Nutz, Dead Heat, Malice Thoughts, Marron, Mullholand, Omega Point, Sordo, Violation of Probation and 3-Day Holocaust. As do many of the original Nardcore bands,Dr. Know,Ill Repute,False Confession, and Stalag 13. There has also been a revival of Nardcore as of late 2018 thanks to promoters such as Midnight Society Productions, Bangerz Only, Sleep Away, David Stalsworth (drummer of the above band, Civil Conflict), Ventura Pyrate Punx, Skip Nasty, and Casa Anarkia. The musical style has transcended the years, recently becoming a faster brand of punk. In the early years of Nardcore, there was a scene of localism with songs such as "Oxnar'd by Ill Repute and "Locals Only" by Agression. Nardcore music now includes various musical sub-genres that all fall within the umbrella of punk: thrash metal, skate punk, surf punk (due toVentura being a beach community),powerviolence, youth crew punk, hardcore and others. The music scene involves a large mix of people as Oxnard and surrounding areas are racially diverse. Band members are predominantly Hispanic of Mexican descent.[citation needed]
Marron has released two LP records. Sordo has various split cassette tape, as well as split vinyl releases with bands of the same genre.
The proliferation of punk concerts and albums in California generated a like proliferation offlyer andalbum cover art.[23] Some of the artists involved in producing art for the early punk scene later went on to greater notability.Mark Vallen, a painter andgraphic artist, was associated with the early LA punk scene; his work was featured on a number offanzine and album covers.Gary Panter was also closely associated with the early LA punk scene and produced the Screamers distinctive logo.Raymond Pettibon (brother ofGreg Ginn of Black Flag) was similarly associated with the LA hardcore scene, especially Black Flag andthe Minutemen, producing Black Flag's distinctive "four bars" logo.Winston Smith, a San Franciscocollage artist, was associated withDead Kennedys and also did a piece of artwork named "God Told Me to Skin You Alive" forGreen Day's fourth albumInsomniac.
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According to historian Gaye Theresa Johnson the emergence of ethnic punk rock bands in Los Angeles was a result of double marginalization of individuals within the African-American and Latino communities during the late 1970s.[24] She says some punk artists suggest that this double marginalization was necessary for these groups to develop the "D.I.Y." attitude associated with Punk Rock groups.[24] These bands drew upon their working class experiences and sexual and racial identities in their music.[24] Los Angeles' punk scene produced notable ethnic artist such asAlice Bag. Born Alicia Armendariz in 1958, Alice Bag, went on to become a member of punk rock groups Masque Era and the leader ofthe Bags.[24] Bag was one of the few female leaders in the Punk Rock scene in the 1980s. Bag says one of the things that inspired her to join the punk rock scene was being rejected by the leaders of her high school's Brown Berets club. Bags says the organization didn't think she was serious about civil rights issues because of her appearance.[24] Chicano and Chicana artists like Bag andLos Crudos challenged the idea that Punk Rock was an exclusively white genre by incorporating Spanish lyrics into their music.[24] Bag continues to participate in the Punk Rock scene four decades after her debut, making her first solo track in 2016.[25] Bag also continues to support the female punk rock scene in Los Angeles by interviewing and highlighting them on her website.[26]
San Francisco and Los Angeles were major centers for both gay and punk subcultures, and there has long been crossover between them, with bands such asMDC featuring openly-gay frontpersons. When thequeercore scene emerged in the early 1990s, California cities were major hubs of this emerging subculture.Pansy Division, a defining band in the queercore scene, hailed from San Francisco. In Los Angeles, Extra Fancy was one of the first post-alternative punk rock bands to be led by an openly gay individual, Brian Grillo.[27] Grillo's intimidating look went against the stereotypical image of a gay male and was supposed to depict a radical homosexual enraged against machismo.[28]Vaginal "Creme" Davis was an African American artist fromWatts that emerged from the queercore scene in Los Angeles.[29] Davis became well known for challenging the mainstream view of the gay community. He called it the "ultimate conformist culture" and said, "I never fit into the mainstream gay world and never will."[29] Davis performed in drag and began a band with Alice Bags where its members dressed up as teenage Latinas.[29]
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| Name | Image | City | Dates | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 924 Gilman Street | .jpg) | Berkeley | 1986–present | ||
| The Allen Theater | South Gate | 2002–2007 | |||
| Aquatic Park | Berkeley | 1980s | Hardcore/crossover festivals billed as "Eastern Front" and nicknamed "Day on the Dirt" were annually held here in the 1980s. | ||
| Barrington Hall |  | Berkeley | until 1984 | Former studentco-operative residence | |
| The Casbah |  | San Diego | 1989–present | ||
| Cathay de Grande | Hollywood | 1980s | |||
| Chain Reaction |  | Anaheim | 1990s-present | ||
| Che Cafe |  | San Diego | 1980–present | ||
| The Coconut Teaszer | Los Angeles[30] | mid/late 1980s–mid 2000s | 8117 Sunset Blvd. | ||
| Chuck Landis' Country Club |  | Reseda | 1979-1990s | ||
| Cloyne Court | .JPG) | Berkeley | 1980s–2000s | Studentco-operative residence | |
| Cobalt Cafe | Canoga Park | 1990–2014 | |||
| Cuckoo's Nest | Costa Mesa | 1978–1981 | |||
| The Deaf Club |  | San Francisco | 1978–1979 | ||
| The Elite Club | .jpg) | San Francisco | early 1980s | Venue is currently, formerly, and better known asThe Fillmore | |
| The Farm | San Francisco | late 1970s–1980s | |||
| Fender's Ballroom | Long Beach | 1984–1989 | |||
| Grand Olympic Auditorium | Los Angeles | 1980–2005 | |||
| Great American Music Hall | .jpg) | San Francisco | 1972–present | ||
| Hong Kong Café | .jpg) | Los Angeles | 1979–1981 | InChinatown | |
| Koo's Arts Cafe | Santa Ana | 1994 - 200? | First all ages venue in Orange County | ||
| Mabuhay Gardens |  | San Francisco | 1976–1986 | InNorth Beach | |
| Madame Wong's | .jpg) | Los Angeles | 1978–1985 | InChinatown | |
| The Masque | Los Angeles | 1977–1979 | |||
| Mission Records | San Francisco | 1990s | |||
| The Phoenix Theater | Petaluma | 1982–present | |||
| Raji's | Hollywood | 1980s–1990s | Hastings Hotel building, 6160 Hollywood Blvd. | ||
| Rock on Broadway | | San Francisco | 1984–1985 | In same building as The Mabuhay, lower level of 435 Broadway | |
| Ruthie's Inn | Berkeley | until 2002 | |||
| Showcase Theater |  | Corona | 2000s | ||
| The Smell | .jpg) | Los Angeles | 1997–present | ||
| SOMA |  | San Diego | 1986–1999 2002–present | ||
| Starwood | Los Angeles | 1973–1981 | |||
| The Stone | San Francisco | 1980–1990 | 412 Broadway | ||
| The Sound of Music |  | San Francisco | 1980-1987 | 162 Turk Street in theTenderloin. | |
| Target Video | San Francisco | 1978–1981 | |||
| Valencia Tool & Die |  | San Francisco | late 1970s–early 1980s | ||
| The Warfield |  | San Francisco | 1979–present | ||
| Trocadero Transfer | San Francisco | 1990s | |||
| Warm Water Cove |  | San Francisco | informal, park setting | ||
| Whisky a Go Go |  | Los Angeles | 1964–1982 1986–present |
While a few bands like Green Day, the Offspring, and AFI appear on major labels, many of the bands are signed to local independent punk labels. Many of these labels were started by local musicians as a way to sell their own bands' records, but grew into labels with a large roster of bands. Some of these labels include:
