Best City for Punk

los angeles?

st. louis used to be very good back in the 80's
now-a-days it's like pittsburgh and southern california
and of course boston

I AM THE LIZARD KING, I CAN DO ANYTHING

Meh. I guess DC was waaaaay different back in the day. Obviously it provided the world with Rollins and Minor Threat and Fugazi, which we're all better off for I suppose. But at the same time, DC provided us with George Washington U and Georgetown and limitless prep schools, so the place is freakin' FULL of snobs and whiners and tons of posers. Are we better off for that?

Post-1995, every DC area kid I've known has been some wanna-be straightedge loudmouth. Maybe they're just trying to be like their idol, Ian McKaye. The only punks in DC are the kids still living off their rich dad's consulting firm paycheck. Think a band like Bad Brains will ever be formed here again? Not likely. Few people--least of all musicians--can afford that $500,000 townhouse in DC now.

My vote is for small towns that still have a bit of rebel spirit. Denver's Bluebird, Gothic theaters or Albuquerque's Launch Pad and Atomic Cantina have way more spirit than DC's 9:30 Club and Black Cat. Punk is dead in DC, if it was ever really alive.

Don't forget Detroit. Maybe not the BEST city for HC but one of the best combining local innovation and visits bands from other scenes. It was all at the Freezer Theater (and the venues that sprung up after its demise) - The Touch & Go bands - Necros, The Fix, Negative Approach, Violent Apathy, The Meatmen, etc., and all the bands they spawned, plus early and frequent stopovers by bands from both coasts, and the biggest Misfits fan base in the U.S. with their Halloween shows...

My only experience was Austin and that was a pretty wild scene, the circle of death at Club Foot.

I have been all around this country. True great bands came from different places. But, the best place to be a true punk is LOS ANGELES hands down!!!

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Boston hands down. Mission of Burma, Gang Green, DYS, Thrills, Black Jacks, Boys Life. Not to mention post punk bands like Dinosaur jr, Sam Black Church, Tree and the Pixies and Ska punk Bands such as The mighty mighty Bosstones and we continue with bands like the Dropkick Murphy's
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Yeah yeah! Nice. Good to see there is another person from Boston area. Boston is great. Sam Black and gang green especially. And don't forget Tree, I played with them before. I'm always surprised that Sam Black Church never got big. Last I heard, Jet was making a band with the guitarist called "Jet Fuel." There was another band that was local and not getting anywhere, I can't think of the name right now but they moved to California and hit it big there.

New York hands down.

Even though Boston is awesome and my area, I have to say...New York was my favorite hardcore scene. Second, maybe D.C. Minor Threat era. But New York Hardcore was incredible. I wish I could say it is Boston though.

NY brought tons of killer bands who had tons of heart putting out positive messages and fighting for great things. I'm not even going to begin naming the bands because their are too many and someone already did. I always wished that Boston had a similar Hardcore Scene but it's still great here anyway. We just have more of punk or hardcore metal stuff with plenty of other types of music. New Hamshire always went crazy for hardcore metal stuff. I hated that. I remember when my band played it seemed like all the NH people thought was good was grindcore/hardcore. I was more interested in the "pick'em up when their down" kind of making music, while their shows were more "I'll kick your ass if you mess with me" stuff. The shows often had skinheads there and anyone who came into the pit who wasn't one, would get their buts kicked usually. I recently heard that NH had a Punk and Hardcore Unite Show where it was to form a treaty type thing.

I always disliked being a band and being around people and other bands that thought that was what hardcore was and was about. They thought it was about being a tough guy and playing tough guy music. They had never even heard of Reagan Youth, Youth of Today, Snapcase, Agnostic Front, or any of that. All they heard of was Korn.

Orange County and Huntington Beach CA