Archive for punk rock

On Tyranny: Punk Legend/College Professor Roy Stein Warns Artists of Authoritarian Rules Like Trump

Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags , , , , , , , on 10/18/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

As Americans welcome or resist a strain of authoritarianism the likes of which none of us have seen before, Roy Stein, J.D. — drummer for punk band Jet Black Berries and a four-decade professor at Nazareth University’s School of Business and Leadership – participates in the most educational installment of The Bad Penny‘s On Tyranny series.

Stein talks about how living in a constant state of fear affects creative activity, the scourge of “hate addiction” and how artists can survive — and even thrive — in Authoritarian America. Jet Black Berries just released a remastered and sequenced LP, Sundown on Venus [Definitive Edition], which came out during the era when Ronald Reagan was president and punk musicians were grappling with a different, then-new form of conservative government.

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Rat Utopia Experiment Ready to Infest and ‘Lobotomize’ Boise Tonight at the Shredder

Posted in Concert Previews, Interviews with tags , , , , on 10/15/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

The Rat Utopia Experiment, a female-fronted “circus” punk-rock band from Tacoma, Washington, are storming into Boise this evening with a vengeance. They’ll be holing up at The Shredder for what is sure to be an overstimulating performance, and it’s basically a given that the band will bust out performances of the two songs from their June 7-inch, “Lobotomize Me” and “Three-Banded Armadillo.”

Fronted by lead vocalist Phia Lane, the outlandish outfit – which paints their faces to aptly resemble clowns – also features bassist/vocalist Francis Green, guitarists Maddox Mullins and Drix Drixolle, and drummer Christian Montemayor. The Bad Penny checked in with the band on Thursday as they drove en route to Boise.

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On Tyranny: Brand-New Norwegian Post-Punks The Ape Are No-Holds-Barred When It Comes to Fighting Fascism

Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny with tags , , , , , , on 10/13/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Heard of Norway band The Ape? Yeah, we hadn’t either, until we caught wind of them a few months ago. And when those winds blow in your neck of the woods, you’ll hear about the post-punks quickly as well.

The reason we’re starting this article with a focus on the Oslo band’s obscurity is because they’re already getting a big push on the strength of three singles that are not available, even though the full-length that will presumably contain them won’t be out until an undetermined release date next year, courtesy ofLoyal Blood Records.

The Ape consists of vocalist/drummer Johan Fredrik Bolli, guitarists Simen Trippestad and Johannes Amble, and bassist Kristian Leonhardsebn.

Some may interpret The Ape’s newbie status as a sign of weakness, that they haven’t amassed enough life experiences and that they’re too young to know what they’re talking about. Those critics are dead wrong, as proven by The Bad Penny‘s interview with the gang less than a month ago. Not only do they have their heads on straight, they’re astute about the political climate across the world, and thus earned themselves a spot as the last participants in our ongoing On Tyranny series.

Read it for yourself.

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On Tyranny: Feminist Punk Band Cheap Perfume Declares ‘White Supremacy Is Not Punk Rock’

Posted in Features, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags , , , , , , , , , on 09/30/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

Cheap Perfume don’t know how to talk cheap. Ahead of their new album dropping Friday, feminist punk quartet Cheap Perfume discuss Authoritarian America with rock journalist Kurt Orzeck as part of his ongoing series On Tyranny. Vocalist Stephanie Byrne and guitarist/co-vocalist Jane No open up about threats they’ve received, how the LGBTQ+ community is under attack and needs to band together now more than ever, and how they “implore artists to just say ‘fuck that’ to self-censorship.”

Preorder Cheap Perfume’s Don’t Care. Didn’t Ask, which comes out Friday on Snappy Little Numbers, here.

Check out the archive of The Bad Penny‘s ever-growing and increasingly popular On Tyranny series here.

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5 Reminders About Punk Rock’s Core Principles

Posted in Essays, Features, On Tyranny with tags on 07/29/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

Say what you will about the new identity of punk rock and the renewing of marriage vows between punk rock and corporate enterprise, here are a few reminders about what still lies at the heart of the movement:

1. Subservience, complacency and inaction in the face of authoritarianism, now the governing force in the United States — and its myriad and once-unimaginable horrors — is not punk rock.

2. Engaging in pay-to-play schemes that pads the pockets of music venue owners and managers, magazine editors and publishers, agents and promoters and publicists, and other industry types who profit off musicians, is not punk rock.

3. Propagating, platforming or even permitting racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia and all related forms of hate and discrimination is not punk rock.

4. Increasing one’s personal gain at the expense of punk-rock bands and fans, whether it be through inflated ticket prices, ad revenue largesse and opportunistic financial benefits is not punk rock.

5. Taking advantage of or profiting unjustly off sincere, well-intentioned and therefore often vulnerable people who support punk-rock ethics is not punk-rock.

Cool? Cool.

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