Old punks smiled as former frontman of Operation Ivy, Jesse Michaels, stepped onstage. The future and present relinquished the spotlight for a relic of the past at that moment, for three original members of Operation Ivy played the quintessential mobilization anthem “Unity.” For punks, this is like Paul McCartney calling John Lennon onstage.
While many people consider Rancid’s San Francisco two-night event with the Slackers to be their homecoming shows, their home is actually across the bridge in the East Bay.
The East Bay has continually produced some of the finest punk bands in the last 20 years. The “first wave” of American punk largely originated in LA with bands like Bad Religion, Black Flag and the Vandals.
The East Bay had its founding father in a way too: “East Bay Ray” of the Bay Area punk group The Dead Kennedys was there when it all began. He’s still around too, touring with a reformed version of DK sans the original vocalist, Jello Biafra.
But the East Bay became known as a punk Mecca largely based on the contributions of the second wave of punk and ska music in the late 80s.
Operation Ivy is often credited with revitalizing the punk/ska scene of Berkeley; their album “Energy” is considered one of the most influential punk albums of all time.
Operation Ivy broke up in 1989; within days, a band called Green Day was taking up the mantle of East Bay punk music. Green Day, Rancid, Link 80, NOFX and the Mr.
T Experience all contributed to the vibrant East Bay music scene. This “second wave” of punk gave the genre and the East Bay scene a name. Hits like Rancid’s “ .
. . And out Come the Wolves” and Green Day’s “Dookie” gave the bands significant airtime on the radio and MTV.
Many groups afterward were considered “third wave” and tended to change the sound from its hardcore roots to be more poppy and radio-friendly. During this era, bands like AFI (who enjoyed a minimal following beforehand) and Blink-182 became the faces of punk to most audiences; many have derisively referred to this brand of punk as false “mallpunk.”
Part of this resentment to mainstream success drew from the Do It Yourself (DIY) attitude that permeated the early punk scene.
This meant a rejection of social conventions, usually a radical critique of current politics and, above all else, a rejection of the consumerist music machine. This meant independent labels for punks and by punks.
Many of these labels still exist today and are rooted in the East Bay.
Lookout! Records hails from Berkeley while Adeline Records, started by Billie Joe Armstrong and his wife, still operates out of the East Bay.
Though Operation Ivy, American Steel, Redemption 87 and Link 80 are all gone, the East Bay Scene remains lively to this day.
Many of the elder statesmen of the punk scene, including Tim Armstrong and Billie Joe Armstrong (no relation), each has, in addition to still playing with the bands that made the scene what it is, started their independent labels and have sought young talent to bolster the ranks.
As the bands have changed, the home of East Bay punk has changed as well. Many of the clubs and bars that were the hotbeds for the raw unrest of the 80s are gone.
However, places like the Stork Club and the historic 924 Gilman (which is non-profit and has a policy of not booking major label bands) helped nurture the next generation of California punks. With shows usually under $10, just about anyone can step in from the street and enjoy the music. Many of these venues, including Gilman, include policies of not only booking underground bands, but bands that aren’t homophobic, racist or sexist.
The idea of “unity” still exists today.
While Rancid’s performance at the Warfield served as a bridge from the present and the past, where the future lies is uncertain. New bands like Static Thought are making a name for themselves in the underground niche; these young punks (frontman Eric Urbach is only 17) have their premiere album on Tim Armstrong’s Hellcat Records and have already drawn comparisons to Rancid.
These are lofty accolades for such a young band. Part of why Static Thought is so promising is that they are tapping into the energy and aggression of the previous generation, rejecting mainstream pop-punk influences. By remaining true to its roots, the East Bay punk scene may indeed be around for another 20 years.
Additional reporting for this article provided by the Eastbayexpress, Wikipedia and punks like you.
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