Woods. Photo by Remi Brandli / SF Foghorn and
Amid a blur of dyed hair and smudged black makeup lies punk rock culture’s roots in uplifting marginalized perspectives in radical acceptance. Here in the Bay Area, the lasting legacy of punk thrives in the underground, in the sweaty mosh pits of fan-favorite venues and the stories of archived merchandise.
The community that formed around punk rock in the early 1970s has had a lasting impact on American culture. Kit Ortega, a USF graduate student in the museum studies program curated an exhibit on queer and feminist liberation through punk at the San Francisco Main Public Library. Housed on the library’s sixth floor from Aug. 26 to Oct. 6, Ortega’s exhibit featured a collection of show fliers, taped music videos and show recordings and various items that tell the story of punk pioneers in the Bay Area.
“Punk is a global phenomenon, and it’s been used as a tool of empowerment for women, Queer folks, and people of color in scenes across the globe,” said Ortega. The exhibit was titled “Playing for Ourselves, Playing for a Revolution: A History of Queer and Feminist Punk in San Francisco.” Ortega described the exhibit as a labor of love. “I wanted to think about legacies and how this revolutionary moment […] really opened up a lot of doors for marginalized people.”
In highlighting bands that were established decades ago, Ortega wanted to both celebrate punk’s legacy and keep it relevant. “[I didn’t want the exhibit to feel like] a Wayback Machine [that] presented punk in a fixed moment,” they said.
Enrique Travers, a junior psychology major at USF, confirms that San Francisco keeps punk alive. Travers grew up listening to punk and alternative music, and living in the Bay Area has deepened his connection to the punk scene. “[It is] the most vibrant hardcore scene in the United States,” he said, comparing his experience in the Bay to his hometown of New York City.
“The whole scene thrives on community,” said Travers, “You’ll kind of see with any local scene, there’s always that sense of people being connected. You’ll see the same faces at shows usually, even if you don’t know the person. But because of that, it’s that much easier to go up and talk to that person.”
Among the opportunities for exploring alternative music in the Bay Area is the annual Psyched Fest, a music festival celebrating arts, music, diversity and counterculture. The collection of shows hosted by the local music collective, Psyched Radio, spanned from Oct. 30 to Nov. 4 this year.
Bands from all over the world performed at the Rickshaw Stop show on Nov. 1. Beautiful Freaks, a Seattleite band, opened the show, followed by the high-energy music of Pythies from Paris and the growling performance of self described “SF slop rock” band Buzzed Lightbeer. The highlight of the night was the performance of the Manhattan based post punk band, Cumgirl8. Their song “uti” led the mosh pit to move together in a collective wave.
The following evening, Inner Richmond venue Neck of the Woods hosted a unique line up of punk bands. “A show like this hasn’t happened in a while,” said Harley Holderby, the bassist of The Jellyfish Method. The event reunited bands that have not shared the stage for years and over the course of the night, bands gave each other shout outs mid-set, reveling in nostalgia.
Hardcore band Surprise Privilege closed out the night. The crowd thrashed in unison when bassist Cody Azumi dropped on his stomach and crawled around onstage and guitarist Joey Silberman played the strings with his mouth, creating a space of intentional discomfort in line with the band’s brand. Valerie Daughters, also known as Ms. Spleen, was a surprise guest performer for punk band Moms with Bangs, and brought her blaring guitar beats to the mix. Daughters finds value in the punk scene as both a performer and an audience member. “I really am drawn to it; I always come back to these shows a lot,” she said.
Alongside the reunion of these Bay Area bands played local trio called ID and the Egos as well as the Seattle based group Zookraught. With the high energy, slightly unserious sound that is their trademark, Zookraught got the crowd moving with their song “Waterparks of America,” an upbeat commentary on elitism.
Punk has long been a medium for activism. The main appeal of punk for Travers has been largely in the genre’s advocacy for political movements and encouragement of expression. “You can say some of the views there are radical — to them, it’s like common sense,” said Travers, noting how several bands have been vocal in pro Palestine and anti-police brutality movements.
“What a lot of people don’t understand is that punk and hardcore are inherently political,” he continued. “A lot of people think that these are spaces where it’s just an excuse to do whatever you want […] to a degree, yes, […] but if that way of life is actively putting others down then that’s not welcome in the scene whatsoever.”
In their exhibit, Ortega included tributes to the genre’s advocacy by showcasing fliers and lyric sheets. One was from lesbian band Tribe 8’s song “Frat Pig,” a mocking commentary of misogyny in frat culture. “The ethos of punk really continues to stay alive in a really powerful way […] because there’s that freedom of expression ethos that’s really long standing in SF history, you see that punk started to crystallize in a more optimistic, free-spirited, playful way,” they said.
For Ortega, this music has been pivotal in understanding their identity. “This is the music I grew up on and [it] connects to coming of age and discovering myself as a Queer individual.”
Through the years, listeners continually redefine what it means to be punk. At the end of the day, punk lives on.
Editor-in-Chief: Jordan Premmer, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia McCrackin, Managing Editor: Jordan DelFiugo, Opinion Editor: Dakota Duran, Scene Editor: Elina Graham
