Abouttimothy sasscer Expertise I can answer question on the first generation of punk (1974-1981), both American (especially Cleveland and NYC) and English, post-punk bands of note from 1981 to present ,
and am quite knowledgable on reggae, especially 1971-1981
Experience 25 years as a musician/producer, avid concertgoer and inastiable reader/researcher on the subject
Publications perfect sound forever (online music zine), contributor to various other sites (Bob Marley, The Fall, Public Image, for example)
Question What is it that makes a band "punk"?
Thank you
Answer Hey, GIN;
Thanks for the question, and a good question it is indeed.
'Punk' as a musical term has several meanings.
First, it is a musical style:
predominantly a guitar based basic rock music that uses relatively normal, simple chords, an aggressive 4/4 beat, fast tempos, a simple structure (intro/verse/chorus,etc.), a typical line up of two guitars, bass and drums, with one or more vocalists, declamatory, urgent. often angry vocals/lyrics about personal or social issues, and the guitars can be distorted or particularly loud. When talking about the sound of punk, two words that often come up are 'short' and 'sharp'.
Although commonly associated with the New York and British popular musics of the mid-seventies, most of the style aspects can be traced back to American garage bands of the 60's, from the Kingsmen (Louie Louie), through the Velvet Underground, to the Stooges, with a host of one-hit wonders in-between (see Lenny Kaye's 'Nuggets').
Secondly, punk can be a fashion style:
most commonly seen in the leather jacket and jeans, tennis shoes and T-shirts worn by millions but codified by the Ramones, one of (if not the first) of the 70's New York rockers mentioned above. A variation of this is its opposite, the suit and tie, which also stems from the 50's-60's (Sinatra,Beatles), worn ironically in the 70's (again, New York/New Wave), and resurrected in the recent past by any number of younger bands.
Third, Punk is also a philosophy, best put in two parts: DIY and NO RULES.
DIY means 'Do-It-Yourself', which refers to both learning an instrument (ie; you don't need lessons, just learn a few basics, turn it up, and see if you can write songs), and also to recording and touring,by which I mean that a band can make their own cd's (or records) instead of waiting for the 'big record company' to sign them and even book their own tours through an underground network of friends and fans.
NO RULES means what it says. Punk musicians are often self-taught, and many play and write in non-traditional methods. If it sounds good, then it works. There is no 'wrong' way to write or perform punk music that sounds good. The best punk music is original sounding and reflects its creator's ideas...none of the great punk bands sound exactly like each other.
So, what is it that makes a band a true 'punk' band? In my opinion it is not the style of music they play, nor the style of their clothes, but their attitude. This attitude is evident in subject matter, the sounds of the instruments themselves, and the over all presentation of the band. A lot of punk is confrontational. an electric protest music both in lyric as well as sound. It is designed to agitate, to incite actions. A lot of punk is more rhythmic than melodic, the sounds are harsher and more metallic than warmer or soothing. Although the stereotypical appearance of this attitude is the shouted vocals over hammering backbeat, there is much great punk that uses sound in radically different ways. And then there is the attitude of the musicians themselves. Punk can be a way of approaching life, even in circumstances that have nothing specifically to do with music. Many punks are active in social causes and alternative lifestyles inspired by or introduced through punk music.
I hope this helps. If you want any follow ups, additional information, clarification, simplification or have further questions, feel free to write back.
