Punk in the Park is hitting the road.
The popular Orange County-based festival, which has traditionally taken place in November just outside Santa Ana, is making its maiden voyage to Northern California this month.
It’s being called the Punk in the Park American Road Trip and it brings an amazing cast of California punk-rock greats to the Cow Palace in Daly City for a full day of fun on May 4.
There will also be a whole lot of beer being sampled, given that Punk in the Park doubles as a craft beer festival.
Yet, we are far more interested in the Dead Kennedys and Black Flag than we are in hops and barley, so we’ll stick to the music in this article.
And since one day of punk is clearly not enough, the organizers — Orange County-based Brew Ha Ha Productions — are also hosting the Punk in the Park Pre-Party on May 3 at the same venue.
On both days, the music will be taking place in the parking lot area outside the Cow Palace, as opposed to inside the historic barn-shaped building that once hosted such Rock and Roll Hall of Fame acts as The Doors, The Beatles, Pink Floyd and KISS.
Doors open at 5 p.m. May 3 and 12 noon May 4. Tickets are $29.99-$49.99 for the May 3 Pre-Party and $49-$149 for the May 4 show, punkinthepark.com. Also see the website for more information about the craft brew tastings and for a list of participating breweries.
The lineup is a true who’s who of punk rock royalty, yet it’s likely not every attendee will know their Descendents from their Adolescents. So, we’re offering a Punk in the Park primer with details on many of the bands performing over the two days. We’ll start with those playing the main festival on May 4 and then add a few May 3 Pre-Party acts at the end.
Descendents
The Manhattan Beach legends get top billing at Saturday’s festival and will likely look to close out the NorCal edition of Punk in the Park with a set of fun and edgy tunes that marry power pop and hardcore sounds. The band remains best known for its 1982 debut “Milo Goes to College,” which should make the Desert Island list of basically all punk fans. The “Milo” in question is lead vocalist Milo Aukerman, who indeed has split his time between going to college — he holds a PhD in biology from UC San Diego — and fronting the Descendents.
Listen to: “Suburban Home,” “I’m the One,” “Good Good Things,” “Hope.”
The Vandals
The Orange County act can be thought of the Blink-182 of its day — only way more interesting. Rising out of Huntington Beach in the first half of the ‘80s, the Vandals won fans over with a mix of catchy pop-punk riffs and equally snarky and tasteless humor. Their signature song is “My Girlfriend’s Dead” and they once titled an album “Live Fast, Diarrhea,” which pretty much tells you what you need to know about the Vandals.
Listen to: “My Girlfriend’s Dead,” “Anarchy Burger (Hold the Government),” “Don’t Stop Me Now” (Queen cover)
Dead Kennedys
There’s never been a better punk rock album than this Bay Area band’s legendary debut — “Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables.” It’s smart, funny, shocking, innovative and, without a doubt, still completely relevant and captivating some 44 years after it was released in 1980. Sure, famed vocalist Jello Biafra left the fold long ago. But as long as East Bay Ray is playing guitar in the band, the Dead Kennedys will still be well worth seeing.
Listen to: “California Uber Alles,” “Holiday in Cambodia,” “Kill the Poor,” “Let’s Lynch the Landlord,” “Chemical Warfare” (all of which are on “Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables”)
Black Flag
The Hermosa Beach act has likely sold more stickers and T-shirts than records over the decades, as fashion conscious mall shoppers continue to buy up anything boosting the band’s striking logo. Black Flag is also known for introducing Henry Rollins, who sang in the group before going on to achieve fame as a spoken-word artist, TV producer, comedian, leader of the Rollins Band, among other pursuits. Yet, there are plenty of other reasons to turn out to see the hardcore band’s set, including the chance to groove along with guitarist Greg Ginn.
Listen to: “Rise Above,” “TV Party,” “Nervous Breakdown”
The Dickies
They’ve been called “the clown princes of punk,” yet this San Fernando Valley-born band is certainly no joke when it comes to putting on a great live show. Twenty five years after delivering its debut album — 1979’s “The Incredible Shrinking Dickies” — the group is still delighting fans with its high-energy mix of originals and fantastic covers.
Listen to: “Paranoid” (Black Sabbath cover), “Banana Splits” (Banana Splits cover), “Killer Klowns”
The Adolescents
The Fullerton group was one of the better early SoCal hardcore punk acts, a fact that was greatly underscored with the release of its terrific self-titled debut (aka “The Blue Album”) in 1981. One has to wonder what the band’s legacy might be today if it hadn’t undergone so many lineup changes early on. Tony Reflex (aka Tony Cadena, Tony Montana, Tony Adolescent, etc.) is the sole remaining original member in the band.
Listen to: “Amoeba,” “L.A. Girl,” “Wrecking Crew”
T.S.O.L.
The Long Beach troupe — whose name stands for True Sounds of Liberty — is playing a punk festival, so maybe it will focus the setlist on its hardcore efforts. Yet, we like its more melodic rock stuff — found on such albums as 1986’s “Revenge” and 1987’s “Hit and Run” — just as much as the punk tunes. So, in other word, whatever T.S.O.L. wants to play is fine with us.
Listen to: “Nothing for You,” “Flowers by the Door,” “Superficial Love”
Related Articles
Billie Eilish brings Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour to SAP Center, Kia Forum
Stagecoach 2024: Everything we saw at Day 3 of the country music festival
Stagecoach 2024: Diversity within country reflected within the new school and old
Stagecoach and Coachella 2024: The differences and similarities of the festivals
Billie Eilish, Cyndi Lauper, Dave Matthews and hundreds more ask Congress to fix concert ticket pricing
Suicidal Tendencies (May 3)
It’s your chance to experience the mighty Mike Muir, who is the only remaining original member of this iconic thrash outfit that got its start in Venice in 1980. Muir is a force of nature at the mic and well worth the price of admission. Also, Robert Trujillo was once a member of the band, before signing on to play bass for Metallica, and now his son Tye has joined the fold.
Listen to: “You Can’t Bring Me Down,” “Institutionalized,” “Nobody Hears”
Guttermouth (May 3)
Another Huntington Beach product, Guttermouth formed in 1989 and went on to deliver nine albums over the next 17 years. The group’s most recent full-length offering is 2006’s “Shave the Planet,” featuring “Upside Down Space Cockroach,” “The 23 Things That Rhyme with Darby Crash” and a mess of other songs that definitely should be covered on “American Idol.”
Listen to: “She’s Got the Look,” “Hit Machine,” “Bruce Lee Vs. The KISS Army”