Photographer, Kevin Salk was there in person for this magical era in music know as Punk. Luckily, he had a camera in hand as well. Maybe it was a case of being in the right place, at the right time, or perhaps it was his artists intuition. Nevertheless, Kevin’s images of that early era in Punk Rock have become iconic and striking.
The Dead Milkmen. A band from Philly who has straddled the line between Punk, Cow Punk, Alternative, and Indie for the better part of 40 years. Though never a major mainstream success, their steady and loyal underground following has always been with them. Who needs the mainstream anyway?
Part of what makes interviewing artists interesting is that it allows me to take the time to reflect on my own musical journey. Chuck Regan is an artist whose music has rode shotgun with me for a long time now
For me, Punk has always been a state of mind. Anyone can be a Punk. You don’t have to wear leather or chains. That being said, you can if you want. I suppose what I’m getting at is that Punk is whatever you want it to be. It’s a personal thing. Ska/Punk is even more so, at least, for me it is.
As I got a little bit older, I began to dive into the grittier side of the genre. I discovered bands such as Brand New, Taking Back Sunday, The Promise Ring, Knapsack, and The Get Up Kids. Of all of these bands, The Get Up Kids stood out to me most of all. Their songs for one reason or another resonated with me.
There are a lot of people who talk a big game, but Steve Albini lives it through pure integrity and honestly. Regardless of if he is making music with Shellac, or engineering an album for acts big and small, you can be absolutely certain that what you get from Steve Albini with being authentic, analog, and worth hearing.
When I first started this series of interviews, Andrew Rossiter from Org Music asked me if I would like to interview Chuck Dukowski. My response was swift and to the point – “It would be an honor.” Little did I know that it would be the start of something.
I had a rough time growing up. I had no group. From a young age, I was attracted to the rebels, renegades, and antiheros. I loved the shake, rattle, and roll of Elvis Presley. I was fascinated with the idea of Outlaw Country perpetuated by Johnny Cash. Most importantly, I loved the way they seemed to piss people off.
