Punk Rock: Anti-Capitalism in the Clubs
- Music History Hall
- 1 day ago
- 1 min read
Punk Rock
It starts in gritty New York City. In the 1970s, New York was bankrupt and struggling with high crime and poverty. It was a dangerous and somewhat depressing environment. Between 1969 and 1974, the city lost manufacturing jobs, and with high unemployment came violent crime.
There was an emerging underground culture. The rise of the underground scene was happening with avant-garde pop art questioning American consumerism and stripped-down, jagged music. Musicians in New York's East Village included Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground and the New York Dolls.
The bands of the underground punk scene had few places to play until a man named Hilly Kristal welcomed them at his club, CBGB. CBGB stood for Country, Bluegrass, and Blues because Hilly thought that country music was the next big thing. But down in the Lower East Side of New York, underground punk bands were all the rage.
The first bands to play at CBGB included Television, Patti Smith, the Talking Heads, Iggy Pop, Blondie, and the Ramones. Soon, the scene exploded. The culture and the music had a lot of raw energy. The primary punk look was tattered and ripped clothes and combat boots. It was a diverse scene musically, but what the bands shared was an attitude.
The Ramones came out of the CBGB scene. They had a specific style—loud, straightforward songs. They were consistent and monotonous with a strong minimalist formula.
Punk Rock as Art.
