· AFI – Goth punk sorrow dark emotional wrist slitting [Sing The
Sorrow (2003), Burials (2013)]
· Against All Authority – punk/ska pit rebellion knocking all
the bowling pins over in the pit to make you smile [All Fall Down (1998),
Nothing New For Trash Like You (2001)]
· Against Me – A bit of Clash and Guns and Roses meets Bowie with
global topics with a flexed gender spectrum kicking ass [As The Eternal Cowboy
(2003), Americans Abroad!!! (2006)]
· Alkaline Trio – Less mature than Green Day more than
Blink 182 in pop punk trios, solid lyrics with heart and fist [Goddamnit!
(1998), Maybe I’ll Catch Fire (2000), From Here To Infirmary (2001), Good
Mourning (2003), Crimson (2005), Agony & Irony (2008), This Addiction
(2010), My Shame is True (2013) ]
· All – romantic, hopeful to hopeless kill myself in the turn of a
chord two minute punk I listened to on my way to my junior highschool prom
[Pummel (1995), Mass Nerder (1998)]
· All People – fusion of punk/ska/dub/heart conscious music. Community
Records New Orleans [Communicate (2013)]
· All Time Low – emo-punk like New Found Glory relationship softer punk [So
Wrong, It’s Right (2007)]
· American Hi-Fi – breakup relationship punk sort of like
The Ataris but not as good [The Art of Losing (2003), Blood & Lemonade
(2014)]
· The Aquabats – wacky superhero ska full of fantastic themes and
costumes [The Fury of the Aquabats (1997)]
· The Ataris – relationship-centric emo-punk; [Blue Skies, Broken
Hearts Next 12 Exits (1999)]
· Audioslave – guitar heavy project with ex-Soundgarden vocalist Chris
Cornnel and Rage guitarist Tom Morello [Audioslave (2002)]
· Bad Brains – hard fast militant Jah-empowered with maybe the best
drumming in punk and unrelenting vocals [Bad Brains (1996)]
· Bad Religion – A political punk cornerstone of the punk
community[Suffer (1988), No Control (1989), Against the Grain (1990), New Maps
of Hell (2007), Christmas Songs (2013)]
· A Billion Ernies – Uprising gutter-culture punk/ska on
Community Records [Dumpster Generation (2009)]
· Black Flag – Henry Rollins yell-vocals in punches from a stabbed
chest punk [Damaged (1981), Slip It In (1984)]
· Black Sabbath – Ozzy Osborne original metal document
of demonic seventies rock, bluesy in spots, guitar driven with an alien
war-leader’s voice [Greatest Hits (1970-1978)]
· Blink 182 – pop-punk 3 piece of sophomoric themes and catchy
choruses [Dude Ranch (), Enema of the State (1999), Take Off Your Pants and
Jacket (2001)]
· The Blue Meanies – punk ska tornado of sound created for
a pit of forgetting your limbs into a punk ritual of self-destruction [Kiss
Your Ass Goodbye (1995), Pave the World (1995), Full Throttle (1997),Pigs
(1999)]
· The Bouncing Souls – pop-punk fast w/ some edge and heart anthems
[Tie One On! (1998), The Bouncing Souls Live (2005)]
· The Bruce Lee Band – Mike Park side project with Less Than
Jake and members of Rx Bandits ska-fun with a message [The Bruce Lee Band
(1997)]
· Buzzcocks – Brit foundational punk classic, Why Can’t I Touch it, is
one of my favorite indie songs from a punk band of all time [Singles Going
Steady (1990)]
· Catch 22 – ska/ can’t stop dancing along punk [Alone in A Crowd
(2000), Catch 22 Live (2011)]
· The Chinkees – Mike Park punk project from Asian Man Records
heart/makes you think [Plea For Peace (1999)]
· Chixdiggit – silly punk I found in highschool quick fun songs
[Chixdiggit (1996)]
· The Clash – The greatest punk-band of all time, the foundation of
politically conscious punk and experimenting into dub/ska/reggae. Icons [The
Clash (1977), Give ‘Em Enough Rope (1978), London Calling (1979), Sandinista
(1980), Combat Rock (1982), Super Black Market Clash (1993), The Singles
(1997), Clash On Broadway (1997), The Essential Clash]
· Classics of Love – New band of Jesse Michaels former lead
singer of Operation Ivy [Self Titled (2012)]
· Common Rider – Previous band of Jesse Michaels former lead singer of
Operation Ivy [Last Wave Rockers (1999), This Is Unity Music (2002)]
· The Damned – Goth punk lonely darkness with indie brit-cape lining [Phantasmagoria
(1985), Fiendish Shadows (1997), Anything (2009)]
· Dance Hall Crashers – dual female singers ska/punk harmonies
[Lockjaw (1995), The Old Record 1989-1992 (1996), Honey I’m Homely (1997), Purr
(1999)]
· Dead Kennedys – Art-wail punk ala The Pixies or the
Blue Meanies without horns, foundational punk band [Fresh Fruit For Rotting
Vegetables (1980), Frankenchrist (1985)]
· Descendents – straight forward well-educated punk that can get angry
when they want, quick two minute Ramones-type songs [Milo Goes to College (1982), Everything Sucks
(1996)]
· Dropkick Murphys – Celtic bagpipe Irish Boston punk with
a barroom hero punch [Live On St.
Patrick’s Day from Boston MA (2002), The Warrior’s Code (2005), The Singles
Collection 1994-1997 Vol 1 (2005), The Singles Collection 1998-2004 Vol 2
(2008) Going Out In Style (2011),Signed and Sealed in Blood (2013) ]
· Epperley – cool rock band I found in highschool, more rock
[Epperley (1996), Sophomore Slump (1998)]
· Everclear – white-trash trailer northwestern punk on family turmoil
divorce, lonliness, drug addiction and fighting through the darkness with a
smile [World of Noise (1993), So Much for the Afterglow (1997) Songs from An
American Movie Volume 1 (2000), Songs from An American Movie Volume 2 (2000), Ten
Years Gone The Best of Everclear (2004)]
· Fatter Than Albert – ska/hardcore infectious from New
Orleans Community Records [Erin’s Runaway Imagination (2006). The Last Minute
(2008)]
· Fifteen –politically conscious social/justice punk giving a middle
finger to the establishment [Extra Medium Kick Ball Star (1998), Lucky (1999)]
· Flogging Molly – Celtic folk/punk with a bottle of
whisky and a sing along [Drunken Lullabies (2007), Swagger (2007), Float
(2008)]
· Fugazi – foundation of discord Indy-punk $5 shows and politically
aware, Icon [13 Songs (1989). Repeater +3 Songs (1990), Steady Diet of Nothing
(1991), In On the Kill Taker (1993), Red Medicine (1995), Endhits (1998), The
Argument (2001). Live Series Vol 29 (2002)]
· Gogol Bordello – international gypsy punk world strike
[Gypsy punks (2005), Super Taranta! (2007)]
· Goldfinger – imitation of Dookie Green Day with more ska [Goldfinger
(1996), Hang-Ups (1997), Stomping Ground (2000), Open Your Eyes (2002)]
· Good Luck – female lead singer punk with heart, intelligent [Into
Lake Griffy (2008), Demonstration (2010), Without Hestitation (2011)]
· Green Day – pop-punk that transcended to politically conscious
punk-operas and a voice of Generation X [1039 Smoothed Out Slappy Hours (1991),
Kerplunk (1992), Dookie (1994), Insomniac (1995), Nimrod (1997), Warning
(2000), International Superhits! (2001), Shenanigans (2002), American Idiot
(2004), Bullet In a Bible (2005), 21st Century Breakdown
(2009), Awesome As Fuck (2011), Uno (2012), Dos (2012), Tre (2012)]
· The Ghostwood – Millennial rocking punk with a message
[The Ghostwood (2007)]
· Hepcat – ska/reggae rocksteady [Out of Nowhere (1994), Scientific
(1996), Right On Time (1997)]
· The Hippos – ska fun come along for a ride [Forget The World (1997),
Heads are Going to Roll (1999)]
· Less Than Jake – Best punk/ska band in its genre
ever. Super catchy/fun with outstanding horns and rock [Pezcore
(1995), Losing Streak (1996), Hello Rockview (1998), Borders & Boundaries
(2000), Anthem (2003), B is for B Sides (2004), GNV FLA (2008), Greetings and
Salutations (2012), Anthem Live from Orlando (2011), Borders and Boundaries
Live from Orlando (2011), Hello Rockview Live from St. Petersburg (2011),
Losing Streak Live from Jacksonville (2011), Pezcore Live from St. Petersburg
(2011), See the Light (2013)]
· The Lollies – snarling 3 piece punk with an edge on Community Records
[Potential (2011)]
· Mad Caddies – ska like the Hippos/Catch 22 style [Duck and Cover
(1998), Live From Toronto: Songs in the key of Eh (2004)]
· Maddness – classic two tone ska [The Lot – One Step Beyond (1979)]
· Max Wixson – Michigan punk singer / songwriter with make you think
lyrics on Community Records from Michigan [Keasbey Nights (2008), Jeffy (2011)]
· Me First and the Gimme Gimmes – a punk allstar cover band [Had A Ball
(1997), Are a Drag (1999)]
· Minutemen – odd two minute sometimes-slower punk songs a bit
dischord [What Makes a Man Start Fires? (1982), Double Nickels On the Dime
(1984)]
· Millencolin – Euro pop-speed-emo-punk band [Life On a Plate (1996),
For Monkeys (1997)]
· Misfits – Glen Danzig like a Jim-Morrison voice-clone that came
back from stepping through to the other side and returning as a zombie vampire
monster punk before he went operatic egoist, fast horror punk fun and two
minutes of howl [Walk Among Us (1982), Legacy of Brutality (1989), Collection 1
(1995), Collection 2 (1995), Famous Monsters (1999)]
· MU330 – Dan Pothast’s former ska/punk band from St. Louis
fun-rocking [Chumps On Parade (1996), Crab Rangoon (1997), Live Oh Yeah!
(2001), Winterwonderland (1999), Ultra Panic (2002)]
· Mustard Plug – ska/punk like Mad Caddies great to dance to
[Masterpieces 1991-2002 (2006), In Black and White (2007)]
· Nerf Herder – sophomoric nerd-punk and songs about ejaculation into a
sock and stalking [Nerf Herder (1996), How To Meet Girls (2000)]
· New Found Glory – romantic high school pop punk with
catchy refrains [Hits (2008), Resurrection (2014)]
· New York Dolls – glam punk thrash pop lipstick snarl [New
York Dolls (1973)]
· Nirvana – foundation of Gen-X anger-funnel at bleakness and
misplaced rage, a suicide the whole world felt coming knowing that place we all
have all been that has thought about just ending it all. Icon [Bleach (1989), Nevermind (1991), In
Utero (1993), MTV Unplugged in New York (1994) Live At Redding (2009)]
· NOFX – pillar of punk community, fun/foundational straight punk w/some
horns and jokes included [White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean (1992), Punk in
Drublic (1994), So Long and Thanks for all the Shoes (1997), Counting Sheep
(2002)]
· Operation Ivy – The defining torch bearers of
politically conscious punk/ska mix after the Clash that is now born by Rancid. Singers
Jesse Michaels and Rancid’s Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman made this flashing
27 song masterpiece and the band dissolved but the music lives. Changed the way I listened to music and got
me into punk [Energy (1990)]
· The Pietasters – Euro-style ska w/Caribbean influence
[The Pietasters 1992-1996 3 disc set (2003)]
· Pinhead Gunpowder – Green Day front man Billie Joe
Armstrong side project straight punk [Jump Salty (1994), Carry the Banner
(1995), Goodbye Ellston Avenue (1997), Compulsive Disclosure (2003)]
· The Pixies – Kings of dischord punk, sexy and outsider
too-disaffected to fully smile, unless we’re just fucking with you hymnals
before bending your mind. [Come On Pilgrim (1987), Surfer Rosa (1988), Trompe
Le Monde (1991), Doolittle (1998), Indie Cindy (2014)]
· Rage Against The Machine – political revolt/non-punk sort of
hip-hop with Tom Morello’s Jimmie Hendriesque guitar lose points for some level
of hypocrisy [The Battle of Los Angeles (1999), Live At The Grand Olympic
Auditorium (2003), Rage Against The Machine – XX (2012)]
· The Ramones – The opposing pillar to the Clash and the foundation of
American pop-punk. Their first four albums are must listens to understand the
genre. No one has done two-minute punk
songs better. To really understand them
you had to see them live, which I was lucky enough to experience a couple of
times, the sheer volume of what those guitars and drums created made me understand
punk in a way the studio version hinted at but could not convey to a teenage
me. At fifteen I saw the Ramones they changed my life. Icons [Ramones (1976), Rocket To Russia
(1977), Leave Home (1977), Road To Ruin (1978), End of the Century (1980),
Pleasant Dreams (1981), Subterranean Jungle (1983), All the Stuff (And More),
Vol 1 (1990), All the Stuff (And More), Vol 2 (1991), Greatest Hits Live
(1996)]
· Rancid – My favorite band. Mix of The Clash and the
Ramones, what Operation Ivy might have been, politically aware, superb punk,
global and social issues, can’t understand though how they can make a song
about New Orleans but almost never play here.
I love the band, but that sort of annoys me. [Rancid (1993), Let’s Go (1994), …And Out Come
The Wolves (1995), Life Won’t Wait (1998), Rancid (2000), Indestructible
(2003), B sides and C Sides (2009), Let the Dominoes Fall (2009), …Honor is All
We Know (2014)]
· Reel Big Fish – silly-fun infectious ska about rocking
out, a drink and fake-fame. Saw them at Tipitina’s when their first album came
out, fun times. [Turn the Radio Off
(1996), Why Do They Rock So Hard? (1998), Cheer Up (2002)]
· Rise Against – anthem-rattle up punk to battle the pains of this world
[Revolutions per Minute (2003), Long Forgotten B Sides and Covers 2000-2013
(2013), The Black Market (2014)]
· The Rooks – pop-punk with a message to lift spirits Community
Records New Orleans [Go Rooks!!! (2009), I Can’t I Won’t, Give Up. (2011)]
· RxBandits – from punk/ska to adult non-ska punk political message indie
rock, genre-busting [Those Damn Bandits (1997), Halfway Between Here and There
(1999), Progress (2000),The Resignation (2003), ..And the Battle Begun (2006), Mandala
(2010)]
· Safety – Florida speed-punk with snarling guitars Community
Records [Curses (2009), Night Lights (2012)]
· Screeching Weasel – Ramones influenced quick fun punk
[Kill the Musicians (1995)]
· Sharkanoid – Dan Pothast side project with Rick Johnson
from Mustard Plug on Community Records New Orleans with fun story rock songs [Have
A Great Summer (2014)]
· Shinobu – make you think punk pulling out heart [Herostratus
vs Time (2009)]
· The Skatalites – superb rocksteady Caribbean ska relax
and dance [Hi-Bop Ska (2006), Essential Ska Masters (2009)]
· The Skints – rocksteady/punk politically conscious
[Live.Breathe.Build.Believe (2009)]
· The Slackers – adult ska take your wife out and have a drink and a good
time night out music [Better Late Than Never (1996), Wasted Days (2001), The
Question (2008), The Great Rocksteady Swindle (2010)]
· Social Distortion – Punk slower and a bit more bar -room story
what was and might have been [Social Distortion (1990), Hard Times &
Nursery Rhymes (2011)]
· The Specials – pillars of ruddie ska [The Specials (1979)]
· Squirtgun – fun pop-punk [Squirtgun (1995), Another Sunny Afternoon
(2004)]
· The Stooges – Iggy Pop’s original punk band raw [Fun House (1970)]
· Streetlight Manifesto – Offshoot w/Catch 22, Keasbey Nights is
a document type remake album that explains the ska/punk genre
well [Keasbey Nights (2006), 99 Songs of Revolution (2011)]
· Tim Armstrong – sideprojects of Rancid’s co-front man
with slower songs of gutter punk rocksteady feel [A Poet’s Life (2007), Tim
Timbomb Sings Songs from Rocknroll Theater (2012)]
· Tool – industrial mind bending rock machines that will bleed
chemical brain waves into the universe [72826 (1991), Opiate (1992), Undertow
(1993), Aenima (1996), Salival (2000), Lateralus (2001), 10,000 Days (2006)]
· The Vandals – pop-punk w/humorous lyrics and fun guitars [Hitler Bad,
Vandals Good (1998)]
Compilations
· Survival of the Fattest (1996)
· Physical Fatness – Volume III – Fat Records
· In the Fat Lane – Vol IV – Fat Records
· Head Above Water – A Response to the BP
Disaster (2011) – Community Records
· Before You Were Punk (1997)
· Before You Were Punk 2 (1999)
· Short Music For Short Music (1999)
· Give Em The Boot 1 to 5 – Hellcat Records
· Punk-O-Rama – 1 to 10 – Epitaph Records
· Warped Tour 2009 Tour Compilation
