Monday, February 4, 2008

Getting to know your scene: Six questions with DFWpunks.net

By Erin Rice

In an effort to give you all the information you could possibly want about the local music scene, we will feature a new person each week who is involved in DFW music. This person can be a musician, a club, label, or record store owner, a blog host, a music historian/professor, or as is the case with this week's featured participant, the host of an online discussion forum.

Go ahead punk. Name this movie.

If you have questions about the punk scene in DFW, Jay is the person to go to. Starting DFWpunks.net in 2005, he's been listening to and supporting the music since the mid-80s. We asked him six questions about DFWpunks.net and his views on punk music in DFW.

Pegasus News: What is the DFWPunks forum and why did you start it?

Jay: dfwpunks.net is a messageboard for anyone involved in the local punk scene (which includes the DFW Metroplex and of course our friends in Denton). It's a place to meet folks with similar interests, discuss topics or just look for upcoming shows. I started it in October of 2005 after running a local punk scene Yahoo group and then a MySpace group. I got tired of the functionality that Yahoo and MySpace offered and enjoyed another local phpBB messageboard here - Texas Punk Kills (R.I.P.) from the Unit 21 website. My friend who was the admin for Texas Punk Kills helped me with setting up dfwpunks.net. I set it up specifically for the local punk scene. We also have DallasHardcore.com, where several of our members are also registered.

PN: What is it about punk music in particular that drew you to it?

Jay: I started listening to punk in 1986 and going to shows in 1988. It was a combination of the sound and the message that got me enjoying it. After I began going to shows, it was then the people who attended the shows that kept me in the local punk music scene. I've made some good friends and a lot of acquaintanceships over the years. As I got older, the message was not as important. I'm a pretty laid back guy now. I tend to listen to more rock and roll-based punk rock bands as compared to some of the more hardcore punk and crust bands.

PN: Your username on Pegasus News is CelticJay. Is there a soft spot in your heart for Celtic punk?

Jay: Celticjay was part of my yahoo id. I just kept it when signing up on different websites. I'm half Irish - hence the Celtic part. I'm not a huge fan of Celtic punk, but I do enjoy our local band, Blarney Street Hooligans, and my buddies from Chicago, Flatfoot 56.

PN: In your opinion what is the state of punk music in DFW? Is there a future for the genre in this town?

Jay: Punk is very much alive in Dallas, Fort Worth and Denton. Most kids only go out to see the more known acts and tend to shy away from lesser-known acts. That has always been kind of a bummer since they're missing out on a lot of great shows. DIY (do it yourself) shows are very popular. Dallas does not have a DIY place anymore, but 1919 Hemphill in Fort Worth and XDM in Denton (which does house shows) host a lot of punk shows. All of the DIY places, local promoters and clubs who host punk shows normally post on our show listing thread. There will always be a future for punk in our area as long as there are local punk bands willing to play anywhere and everywhere, and folks willing to come out and see them play. I wouldn't mind seeing shows out in the suburbs too so kids don't always have to travel so far - and not at churches.

PN: What local bands should we be paying attention to; what venues, in your opinion, are supporting local punk music?

Outside the mosh pit, ok. Inside the mosh pit, there went my eye.

Jay: I'm biased when it comes to local bands because I'm friends with some of them. Some bands I'd recommend based on my musical tastes: The Broadsiders, Dog Company, The Wayward Boys. There are a bunch of local bands though that are great that folks should go check out. Most of those folks in those bands are also registered on the board and wouldn't mind having more folks go to their shows. The clubs in Dallas that are supporting local punk music are The Red Blood Club, The Darkside Lounge and Bar Of Soap. I've booked the majority of my shows at The Red Blood Club since it is all ages, and I've also done a handful of shows over at the Darkside Lounge.

PN: What upcoming shows are you most looking forward to?

Jay: I'm looking forward to seeing my friends from Boston, Far From Finished, play over at the Darkside Lounge on February 28th with The Broadsiders, Dog Company and The Wayward Boys. I am also looking forward to seeing my other buddies from Chicago, Flatfoot 56, play St. Paddy's Day night at The Red Blood Club with Dog Company, The Broadsiders and The Scandals.

Related stories

• Week-in-view: Won’t you be ours? (Feb. 7, 2008)

See more stories in:

• Arts > Popular Music > Punk
• Pegasus News Exclusive

Comments

geopunk Anonymous

Even I know the name of that movie.

What about naming the punk documentary that I grew up watching, naming the guy we see in said doc getting tattooed, and the name of the band he was in. They were in Dallas last year, didnt get to see them though. Aaahhh the memories...

9 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Scott Miller Verified

The grandaddy/mama of American punk bands, X, is coming to town in March with their original lineup and I didn't see it listed on the "upcoming punk shows" page.

Of course the House of Blues doesn't strike me as much of a punk venue and 22.50-45.00 is pretty damn steep. You know, for punks.

But if the previous reunion shows at Trees (comparatively a bargain at 20 bucks) are any indication, the music will be more than worth the price if you can swing it.

9 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Erin Rice Staff

Hey Scott,

The X show at HOB has been in our listings since Jan. 21, but since it's not until March, it may have been pushed off the punk page by the massive number of other punk shows we have listed for February. :)

Here's the direct link if you are interested:

http://www.pegasusnews.com/events/200...

9 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )