The Philadelphia punk scene refers to the vibrant
punk rock scene created in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
.
History
1980s
Because of its location,
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
was an easy place for bands from
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
to play concerts. Venues such as the Elk's Center, Love Hall, Long March, Community Education Center (CEC) and Abe's Steaks, a small hoagie shop, regularly held
hardcore punk
Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...
shows during the 1980s. WEL Records played a role with their relentless promotion. Other notable sites such as the Starlite Ballroom, BYO Hall, East Side Club, West Side Club, which was actually Jeff Jenkins' basement in
West Philadelphia, The Kennel Club, and Buff Hall were hosts of shows by well known hardcore bands. Together these venues hosted shows not only by local hardcore punk bands but also more well known bands like
Bad Brains,
Black Flag,
Circle Jerks
Circle Jerks (stylized as Ciʀcle JƎʀᴋs) are an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1979 in Los Angeles, California. The group was founded by former Black Flag vocalist Keith Morris and Redd Kross guitarist Greg Hetson. To date, Circle ...
,
Flipper,
Minor Threat
Minor Threat was an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1980 in Washington, D.C. by vocalist Ian MacKaye and drummer Jeff Nelson. MacKaye and Nelson had played in several other bands together, and recruited bassist Brian Baker and guitaris ...
,
SS Decontrol
SSD (Society System Decontrol) was a straight edge hardcore punk, hardcore band from Boston. They released two records as SS Decontrol and then formally changed their name to SSD. As SSD they released two more records with a Heavy metal music, ...
, and others. The local hardcore scene drew from Philadelphia as well as
Delaware County, Pennsylvania;
South Jersey
South Jersey comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey located between the lower Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. The designation of South Jersey with a distinct toponym is a colloquialism rather than an administrative ...
,
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
,
Allentown,
Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
, and other surrounding suburbs in the
Philadelphia metropolitan area
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since 1 ...
and
Lehigh Valley.
An important source of exposing the Philadelphia region to this music were the DJs Jeff Jenkins and Steve Lukshides at
WKDU
WKDU (91.7 FM) is a non-commercial educational radio station licensed to serve Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is owned by Drexel University and operated by Drexel students, with several alumni among its on-air staff. It is the only free-format no ...
, 91.7 FM,
Drexel University
Drexel University is a private research university with its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Drexel's undergraduate school was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a financier and philanthropist. Founded as Drexel Institute of Art, S ...
's radio station and Eddie "Hacksaw" at
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
's
WXPN, 88.5 FM. Music by some of the early Philadelphia hardcore bands were included on the 1983 compilation LP ''Get Off My Back.''
South Street served as the center of the Philadelphia punk scene since the mid to late 1970s, and bars and music venues on the street featured hardcore punk acts in the 1980s. Important bands in the early Philadelphia punk scene include
The Dead Milkmen
The Dead Milkmen is an American punk rock band formed in 1983 in Philadelphia. Their original lineup consisted of vocalist and keyboardist Rodney Linderman ("Rodney Anonymous"), guitarist and vocalist Joe Genaro ("Joe Jack Talcum"), bassist Da ...
, a band that played an often sarcastic and humorous variant of hardcore punk. Though formed in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, the hardcore punk band
Fear
Fear is an intensely unpleasant emotion in response to perceiving or recognizing a danger or threat. Fear causes physiological changes that may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the threat. Fear ...
had considerable connections to Philadelphia during the band's heyday; Fear's frontman
Lee Ving
Lee James Jude Capallero (born April 10, 1950), also known as Lee Ving, is an American guitarist, singer and actor.
Ving is the frontman of the Los Angeles-based hardcore punk band Fear. As an actor, Ving played topless club owner Johnny C. ...
was a Philadelphia native, and he notably referenced the Philadelphia South Street punk scene in the 1983 song "
I Don't Care About You".
21st century
In the 2010s, Philadelphia has been said to have the best punk scene in the country. Venues in the city became a haven for many pop punk and emo bands from other parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, even Boston and Detroit. Some bands credited with keeping the punk scene alive in Philadelphia are
The Wonder Years,
Modern Baseball, and
Cayetana Cayetana is a Spanish feminine given name. It may refer to:
* Cayetana (band)
*Cayetana blanca, Spanish grape variety
People
* Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo (b. 1974), Spanish journalist and politician
* Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, 18th Duchess of ...
along with others.
Notable house venues include Ava House, Terrordome, and The Golden Tea House.
Notable bands (in alphabetical order)
{{columns-list, colwidth=15em, *
August is Falling
August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and the fifth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. Its zodiac sign is Leo and was originally named ''Sextilis'' in Latin because it was the 6th month in ...
*
Algernon Cadwallader
Algernon Cadwallader is an American emo and math rock band from Yardley, Pennsylvania. They were originally active from 2005 to 2012. In 2022, the band regrouped and began touring again. ''Stereogum'' referred to the band as the "heroes of the e ...
*
An Albatross
An Albatross is a noise rock band based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
History
Formed in the fall of 1999 by guitarist Jake Lisowski, vocalist Edward B. Gieda III, drummer Chris Abbott, bassist Jason Hudak, and organist Phillip Reynolds Price, ...
*
Balance and Composure
*
Beach Slang
*
Blacklisted
Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist (or black list) of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list. If someone is on a blacklist, t ...
*
Cayetana Cayetana is a Spanish feminine given name. It may refer to:
* Cayetana (band)
*Cayetana blanca, Spanish grape variety
People
* Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo (b. 1974), Spanish journalist and politician
* Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, 18th Duchess of ...
*
Circa Survive
Circa Survive is an American rock music, rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that formed in 2004. The band, led and founded by Anthony Green (musician), Anthony Green, consisted of former members from This Day Forward and Taken.
Circa ...
*
Everyone Everywhere
Everyone Everywhere is an American emo band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
History
Everyone Everywhere formed in 2007. They have released two self-titled albums, two EPs, and one split with Into It. Over It. since then.
Personnel
*Brendan Mc ...
*
Ex Friends
Ex Friends is an American punk rock band founded in 2011 by Plow United bassist Joel Tannenbaum and artist JP Flexner. Based in Philadelphia, they have released records on Paper + Plastick and Yo-Yo Records.
History
Ex Friends was formed backs ...
*
Flag of Democracy (F.O.D.)
*
Glocca Morra
*
Hop Along
Hop Along is an American indie rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formerly known as Hop Along, Queen Ansleis.
History
Hop Along began as an acoustic freak folk solo project known as Hop Along, Queen Ansleis in 2004, during Frances Quinl ...
*
Hot Cross
Hot Cross was a post-hardcore band from Philadelphia. They were signed to Hope Division Records and Equal Vision Records. The band was composed of former members of such bands as Saetia (vocalist Billy Werner and drummer Greg Drudy, who was als ...
*
Ink & Dagger
*
Jesus Piece
*
Kid Dynamite
*
Little Big League
*
The Low Budgets
The Low Budgets was an American punk/garage rock band based in Philadelphia. They were a project of Dead Milkmen guitarist Joe Genaro (known as Joe Jack Talcum), and current bassist Dan Stevens. Vocalist and guitarist Chris Seegel and drummer ...
*Marietta
*
MewithoutYou
*
Mischief Brew
Mischief Brew was an American folk punk band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania consisting of vocalist and guitarist Erik Petersen, bassist Shawn St. Clair, and drummers Christopher Petersen and Christopher Kulp. The band played DIY folk punk and an ...
*
Modern Baseball
*
Pagan Babies
*
Paint It Black
*
Pure Hell
Pure Hell is a punk rock band, established in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1974, during the high point of punk culture in New York City, London and Los Angeles. It has been cited by Bad Brains "as an early influence".
Career
Among the pioneers ...
*
Restorations
*
Ruin
*
Snowing
*
The Stick Men
*
Slaughter Beach, Dog
Slaughter Beach, Dog is a rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania formed by Jake Ewald in 2014. Initially starting as one of Ewald's solo projects away from Modern Baseball, the group was realized after an indefinite hiatus of Modern Baseball w ...
*
Soul Glo
Soul Glo is an American hardcore punk band formed in 2014 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is composed of Pierce Jordan (vocals), GG Guerra (guitar, programming), and TJ Stevenson (drums).
History
The band was originally a quartet featuring ...
*
Swearin'
Swearin' is a Philadelphia-based musical group made up of singer/guitarist Allison Crutchfield, singer/guitarist Kyle Gilbride, bassist Keith Spencer and drummer Jeff Bolt. They released two albums and an EP. The band split in 2015 and Crutchfield ...
*
The Dead Milkmen
The Dead Milkmen is an American punk rock band formed in 1983 in Philadelphia. Their original lineup consisted of vocalist and keyboardist Rodney Linderman ("Rodney Anonymous"), guitarist and vocalist Joe Genaro ("Joe Jack Talcum"), bassist Da ...
*
The Menzingers
*
The Virus
*
The Wonder Years
*
Tigers Jaw
*
Title Fight
References
Music of Philadelphia
Punk rock groups from Pennsylvania