No one knew what “punk” was exactly-the term was barely even being used-but all these groups were part of a scene and played together frequently. But that’s what was so great about that era in punk. Television was the first of the punk movement to play CBGBs, and what’s funny to me is that if this band had formed in 2017 rather than in the mid 70s they likely wouldn’t even be called a “punk band” with their heady, introspective and poetic lyrics, noodly guitar lines and lengthy songs. In this piece I’ll be focusing on the mutation of the blues spot into a punk hangout, and the first wave of bands that earned it the legendary reputation it fully deserved.īefore the first wave of punk began, CBGB owner Hilly Kristal was already expanding beyond the genres in the bar’s name into the realm of original rock acts, booking Squeeze (a local act, not the famous British band) for a residency and, later, The Revelons, whose members included JD Daugherty, who would later form part of the Patti Smith group and Fred Smith, the second bassist of Television. Perhaps I can fill in a story or fact that you didn’t know, or at the very least collect a bunch of the scene’s best songs in one place so you can have an enjoyable listening experience this afternoon. Some of those early bands rocketed to major label deals and stardom and the others, while they may not have achieved mainstream success, cemented their legacy within punk history. By happenstance, the dive became the launching pad for scores of amazing bands in the mid-to-late 70s and remained one of the most iconic places for bands to play up to its closure in 2006. I’m positive our smart and well-read Punknewsers know a lot about the most famous punk club in history, with its modest stage, grimy floors and putrid bathrooms.
There once was a bar and music venue at 315 Bowery on the Lower East Side of New York City that had a long and awkward name, albeit usually abbreviated: “Country, Bluegrass, Blues, & Other Music for Uplifting Gormandizers.” If you knew what every letter in CBGB OMFUG stood for already, 100 punx points for you. Today, Editor Greg Simpson takes a look at the golden age of CBGBs! The Golden Age of CBGBs Along with the playlist, you'll get either an overview of the topic, such as a band introduction, or a story about how the music in the playlist moved or changed the writer.
Today, we continue our recurring series, "Sonic Reducer." In the series, Punknews writers compress a band, genre, theme, or time period into a playlist that would fit on a single CD.