The Bay Area has held a prominent place in punk music since punk first became a thing, with groups like Crime, Avengers, Flipper, and Dead Kennedys among the genre’s most important ’70s and ’80s bands. As punk artists began to achieve mainstream success in the ’90s, Bay Area bands were again at the forefront, while a wide variety of acts continued to operate independently on local labels like Lookout! and Fat Wreck Chords.
Given that history, it shouldn’t be surprising to find that there’s still a wealth of talented local punk bands today. Moreover, the continued vitality of local punk is aided by the existence of inspired local institutions that support the genre, from the longstanding publication Maximum Rocknroll and the Berkeley venue 924 Gilman, to more recent developments like 1-2-3-4 Go! and Thrillhouse Records.
This mix tape provides a sampling of Bay Area bands from the worlds of punk rock, pop-punk, post-punk, art-punk and beyond, even if it only scratches the surface of great local bands in the punk universe. And while the set definitely reflects personal biases toward Ramones-y pop, gloomy post-punk, and damaged weirdness, it’s jam-packed with great songs to enjoy.
Tracklisting:
Wild Moth — “Mourning Glow”
Synthetic ID — “White Walls”
Ceremony — “Everything Burns”
Comadre — “Free Based”
Loma Prieta — “Fly By Night”
Terry Malts — “Disconnect”
Grandma’s Boyfriend — “Nobody Knows”
Street Eaters — “Culture War”
Rank/Xerox — “In A Hole”
Yi — “Host Body”
Uzi Rash — “Golden Dawn”
Midnite Snaxxx — “S.O.S.”
Apogee Sound Club — “The Corporation Song”
