Shannon Corr

Punk legends XBXRX have a reputation for raucous shows, driven by their frenzied stage theatrics that have sometimes left members hospitalized. The group, which is now based in L.A. and performs at Silver Lake Jubilee tomorrow, are quite provocative, donning various uniforms for performances, and sometimes eschewing song titles.

Their name may be intentionally meaningless -- "Just trying to keep the focus on the art and the music, and not about us as people," says guitarist Steve Touchstone -- but they're pretty badass. In fact, they've gotten themselves banned from venues about a million times.

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Timothy Norris

Off! Frontman Keith Morris

Off!
Whisky a Go Go
5/8/12

See also: Off!'s Keith Morris Mouths Off, Before the Group's Show at the Whisky Tomorrow

Better than... a keg party at Ian McKaye's house.

Somewhere between a rock and roll history lesson and a lock-in at the Punk Rock Rec Center, Keith Morris and his supergroup Off! reminded a sold out crowd last night exactly how much fun loud raucous music can be. Following up bands Fidlar and Spider Fever, they celebrated the release of their first record to an all ages swarm. A variety of grown-up alt-kids and aging outcasts thrashed, bumped and shoved to Off!'s riff-heavy rage blasts.

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Joe Foster

Perhaps Pennywise's forthcoming album, All or Nothing, due out May 1, is aptly titled: It's the South Bay punk legends' first release since 2008 and their first ever without longtime lead singer Jim Lindberg.

"Working with Jim was no longer amicable," says guitarist Fletcher Dragge. "He was unhappy and wanted to move on -- we could feel it, the fans could feel it." After 20 years of making punk music with Pennywise, which is both revered locally (you see more Pennywise tattoos in the South Bay than you can count) and well received (both Straight Ahead and Unknown Road are considered classic records), Lindberg left the band in 2009. They say they've moved on -- hardcore punk outfit Ignite's singer Zoli Téglás now is handling vocals.

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Mike Watt

Mike Watt mastered the art of playing the bass in punk with his group the Minutemen and kept alternative rock weird with fIREHOSE. In recent years he's been playing with Iggy Pop's band the Stooges. In his downtime, he's also a pretty-serious photographer, and his new book of photography, Mike Watt: On and Off Bass, comes out today, May 1. He took many of the photos of his native San Pedro from his kayak; the book also contains bits of his poetry and diary entries. We spoke with him about the project, and you can see more exclusive photos from the book below.

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Timothy Norris

NOFX House of Blues Sunset Strip
1/17/12

See also: Our NOFX slideshow

Better than ...All of the other shows NOFX played this week

After nearly four hours of opening bands, NOFX finally took the stage in front of a packed house at House of Blues Hollywood last night. Lead Singer Fat Mike enticed the crowd: "Tonight is going to be the best night of your life." Judging by the exuberant sea of fist pumping moshers in the pit, this may have been true, at least for some.

Not only was this the only night NOFX played "The Decline," their 18 minute punk rock masterpiece and rant about the problems with politics and society, they also surprised the audience by doing a special (though sloppy) live recording of "Doornails," featuring opener Old Man Markley.

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FIDLAR

See also:
*"She Gets A Free Abortion": The Five Dopiest Political Punk Songs
*The Top Ten Los Angeles Albums Of 2011
*Top Ten Los Angeles Metal Albums of 2011
*Top Five Los Angeles Jazz Albums of 2011

L.A.'s punk scene went places in 2011 -- mostly to the beach and the bar. Many of the year's best records in the genre were heavily infused with a surf-garage rock sound and lyrics about being really, really fucked up. It's a rather stark transition away from The Smell's sober ethic.

A note: These albums weren't ranked entirely in the traditional way; I also took into account how well the energy from their songs translated into live shows.

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Javier Cabral

Keith Morris and Chuck Dukowski of Black Flag

See also:
*Reviewed: GV30 Night One, featuring Social Distortion, X, Adolescents, 12-16-2011
*Tons Of Punk Videos Were Yanked Off YouTube: Here's What Happened
*Milo Aukerman Interview: The Descendents Attempt To Clone Themselves

Last night was the final night of GV30, concert promoter Goldenvoice's 30th anniversary punk rock show. It was legendary. The sheer energy of the sold out show proved that punk is still alive and kicking in 2011. The most exciting part? Keith Morris and Chuck Dukowski were on the same stage again. The rumors were true and Black Flag were indeed the night's special guests.

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Javier Cabral

Mike Ness, still a badass

See also:
*Reviewed: Black Flag, Descendents, and The Vandals at GV30 Night Three, 12-18-2011
*GV30: An Epic Interview With Social Distortion's Mike Ness
*Goldenvoice: The Hazy Punk Rock Early Days. Founder Gary Tovar recalls the unlikely beginnings of the influential concert production company

For the celebration of Goldenvoice's 30th anniversary, founder Gary Tovar kicked off a weekend of celebration old school style. Before Coachella, Goldenvoice focused on a genre of music that was just a tad faster and a little more untamed than the others -- punk. Yesterday, the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium's fluttering LED screen advertised neither International Gem & Jewelry shows nor symphony performances, but instead Social Distortion, X and Youth Brigade. The crowd was huge -- almost 3000 -- and many were reliving their rebellious youth.

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See also: Goldenvoice: The Hazy Punk Rock Early Days. Founder Gary Tovar recalls the unlikely beginnings of the influential concert production company

Thirty years in, Social Distortion are as vital and voracious as ever. Their shows continue to sell out, and their material still speaks to people. Their latest, Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes was one of the best releases by a California band in 2011.

Tonight at GV30 -- the weekend series of shows celebrating Goldenvoice's 30th anniversary -- Social Distortion is playing alongside fellow punk innovators X, Bad Religion, The Adolescents, and The Vandals at the Santa Monica Civic Center. We spoke with the act's front man Mike Ness about Goldenvoice's impact, the L.A. and O.C. punk scenes, the secrets to longevity, and the DIY spirit that continues to drive him.

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Robert Kenney

Greg Ginn, second from left

By Nicholas Pell

On Wednesday morning, several punk bands awoke to find their videos had been removed from YouTube. They were understandably irritated; that's almost worse than running out of beer.

In their places were notes that they'd been yanked due to Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) complaints lodged by SST Records -- the legendary label founded by Black Flag's Greg Ginn, formerly based in Los Angeles but now in Austin. The allegation? That these videos were using unauthorized SST music.

But that was not so.

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