Looking over the crowd at “It’s Not Dead 2” at Glen Helen Amphitheater in Devore Saturday, Aug. 26, there was a mixed sea of ages, ethnicities and fashions. It seemed as if more people had turned out because of the popularity of festivals than of punk.
The stage names were probably lost on the bulk of the audience, too, as the smaller stages referenced now-defunct iconic Southern California punk venues — Cuckoo’s Nest (Costa Mesa), Fenders (Ballroom, in Long Beach) and Olympic (as in Auditorium, Los Angeles). The main stage honored Gary Tovar, who founded Goldenvoice to promote punk shows long before it was a national festival juggernaut, and the late Mike “Gabby” Gaborno, the lead singer of the Cadillac Tramps and Manic Hispanic who died in January.
However, both punk bands and festivals are noted for putting out compilation discs, here are our picks of who and what we would put on our “It’s Not Dead 2” record.
Channel 3: Their most outstanding number was “Manzanar,” a tune about the Japanese-American internment camp during World War II. “They didn’t exactly teach you that in school,” Channel 3 lead singer/guitarist Mike Magrann said of the song backstage after their performance.
Reagan Youth: This band got together not simply to make music, but because they had something to say. And for a great example of early ‘80s political punk, “Reagan Youth,” with it’s chaotic, changeable beat makes the cut.
The Interrupters: “It’s Not Dead 2” promoter Kevin Lyman touted this ska/punk group as “the future of punk.” As they dove into their tune, “This is the New Sound,” one young fan said she had seen The Interrupters four times and adores them because they are “upbeat and you can dance to them.” The large audience certainly had a hard time keeping still during this song.
GBH: “Knife Edge” is the hands-down winner here. Dust was rising from the mosh pit and suddenly a man in a wheelchair appeared surfing the crowd, chair and all. Now that’s punk.
Unit F: The Cuckoo’s Nest consisted of a trailer stage away from everything else and was a bit hard find, but Unit F’s fans turned out and grew during their show. The best treat was “Decay” off the new album, “Ecocide: Songs of Dysfunction,” about how we are ruining the environment and ourselves. It’s a wake-you-up tune and that was met with the crowd’s approval.
Buzzcocks: Long before Green Day brought pop into punk, there was the Buzzcocks. Their pop-punk grooves were at their height in “What Do I Get?,” a tune abou
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