Punk rock: dead or alive?

Trying to find a definite punk scene in Bloomington is like trying to pin down the definition of what "punk" music is. While Spin magazine recently highlighted 30 years of punk in the U.S. and the scene seems to be alive and well elsewhere, some say Bloomington just doesn't have a concrete punk scene. \nThe owners of Landlocked Music, Jason Nickey and Heath Byers, agreed that the Bloomington punk scene is at the most, "fragmented." \n"There are different scenes in this town that would call themselves 'punk' that are different from each other," Byers said, adding that Bloomington doesn't have a distinctive punk sound, unlike other college towns, such as West Lafayette. \nBut then, that all depends on what you think punk should sound like. \n "(The punk scene) is really active right now," said Mike Bridavsky, sound engineer and owner of the label Russian Recording. "But punk rock's a pretty broad term." \nBridavsky said he sees a lot of bands come in that may not have a "classic punk" sound like that of the Sex Pistols or Ramones in the late 1970s, but Bloomington definitely has a lot of bands that have a punk influence. Some might be goth-punk, others may be pop-punk, but they're all punk, he said. \nPunk music came on the scene in the U.S. in 1977 with the release of the Sex Pistols' Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, according to Spin magazine's article "1977: The Year Punk Exploded." But Andy Hollinden, an IU history of music professor who has released a couple of albums himself, pointed out that '60s garage bands such as The Velvet Underground could be classified as "punk," if the term refers to rejecting the popular upbeat sound of the time.\n"They were making a racket in the wake of the British invasion," Hollinden said. "My thought is (1977) is when we in America first heard of the Sex Pistols." \nHe said the subject matter of many punk songs was unlike that of The Beatles' lighthearted "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and more about drugs and other, darker issues. \nThe difference, though, between garage bands and bands such as the Sex Pistols, Hollinden said, is that although The Velvet Underground and Ramones were fast and loud, they weren't "really pissed off," a defining attitude adopted by people who came to be known as punks. \n"The Sex Pistols were not only pissed off at the government ... (but were) also pissed off at rock music," he said. "Rock music had basically been neutered in their eyes." \nTim Pritchett, assistant director and booking agent of Rhino's All-Ages Music Club, 331 S. Walnut St., agreed with Bridavsky, saying bands that don't have a distinct punk style but can't be categorized as anything else are often called "punk." \n"Everybody has a different idea of what (punk) is," he said. "There are a lot of people saying they're a punk band."\nEd Burmila, drummer for local band Tremendous Fucking, said his band would probably be classified as "punk" for lack of a better term.\n"People expect a particular thing when they hear us," he said, adding that people think of punk as a style that involves loud music and a lot of yelling. \nBurmila said punk rock is more than just loudness and yelling -- it's about an attitude. Hollinden echoed Burmila.\n"Punk's more about attitude than any other type of music," he said. "It's about aggression and energy. Teens everywhere have those."\nPritchett said one reason Bloomington doesn't have a concrete punk scene is that there don't seem to be as many "kids out on the streets at night that don't know what to do with themselves," which is often where punk music comes from.\nAlso, he said, it might just be that the Bloomington community is made up of a considerable number of older people. Then again, he added, the popularity of the punk scene seems to come and go. \n"We still book punk shows as much as possible," he said. "There are a lot of punk-influenced bands."\nPritchett said two of the best places to go for punk shows are Uncle Fester's House of Blooze, 430 E. Kirkwood Ave., which hosts "Punk Rock Mondays" at 10 p.m., and Rhino's. Three punk bands are scheduled to play Friday, Nov. 2, at Rhino's: LPGP and Time is Now, from Bloomington, and The Burial, from Louisville. \nBridavsky said the Art Hospital and the Cinemat are also good places to check out punk shows.