Punks Not Dead: How Local O.C. Artists and Teens Find Home in Music
December 6, 2022
Spiked hair, Doc. Martins, black tights, bright hair, and piercings might transport some people to the decades before social media, streaming, and the internet.
Since the birth of Punk in bands like Black Flag, Bad Brains, Misfits, The Clash, and Dead Kennedys, the genre continues to evolve and grow. Southern California is home to many iconic groups in the scene ranging from the 1970s (Black Flag, Fear, The Circle Jerks) to Ska Punk of the 1990s and modern experimental punk.
Today, the scene is still alive. Although evolved from its original experimentation, Orange County is experiencing a boom in the subculture. The primary venues of thehardcore/punk/alt-rock music scene are between Fullerton, Santa Ana, Anaheim, and Huntington Beach. Punk is definitely not dead.
…no matter where you ‘fit in’ in everyday society, you are free to be whoever you want. No labels. No judgment. You can just be yourself. It’s beautiful to see young people be themselves, comfortable, and free. — Maura Moran (12)
However, the scene has evolved from its origins fifty years ago. In 2022, punks connect through social media, flyers, word of mouth, and the internet to find connections to music. The online connection reaches far, and actor and musician Jack Black attended a local $5 Halloween house show in Anaheim.
One of the most current popular experimental punk bands in the United States, The Garden, formed in Anaheim in 2011. The band of two twin brothers signed to Epitaph Records, a post-hardcore, punk, and emo label based in Los Angeles. With nearly 25 million Spotify streams on their top track, “Thy Mission,” the bands’ success is calling attention to a new Punk revival from Orange County’s backyard. Their most recent album features the track “Orange County Punk Rock Legends,” and the independent album explores Orange County hardcore punk history and spirit.
Regardless of the addition of social media to modern punk culture, the values and art surrounding it remain.
At punk shows, young and old artists, musicians, photographers, and filmmakers come to be at California’s epicenters of creativity. Listeners of different economic and social backgrounds are still finding a sense of home in loud drums, harsh vocals, and expressive style. Maura Moran (12) describes her experiences at punk shows, she describes them as “liberating” because :no matter where you ‘fit in’ in everyday society, you are free to be whoever you want. No labels. No judgment. You can just be yourself. It’s beautiful to see young people be themselves, comfortable, and free.”
