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Walking tour of the Washington DC punk scene

Contributed by joeg. Posted by aubin on Monday, September 11, 2006 at 4:20 PM (EDT)

Yellow Arrow, a community based on creating tours of various locales spotlighting historical events has developed what is essentially a walking tour of Washington DC's punk history.

By placing a yellow arrow with a code on it in specific locations, visitors can text message a site which will provide videos, directions and information about the location. In this case, community members have produced a tour of Washington DC and 10 landmark areas in the early DC punk scene.

On the website, there are video podcasts/online mini-documentaries based on each landmark. Some of the features include stories told by Ian Mackaye, Alec Mackaye (Untouchables, the Faith), Dante Ferrando (Gray Matter), Brendan Canty and Joe Lally (Fugazi), Allison Wolfe (Bratmobile) and Ian Svenonius (Nation of Ulysses) and even an interview with ex-DC mayor Marion Barry (infamously caught doing crack on camera in a FBI sting back in the late 80s.

You can find more about the walking tour here.

Washington DC was home to many seminal American punk and hardcore bands including Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Government Issue, Embrace, Dag Nasty and many others. The city also birthed Dischord Records which defined much of the ethic and aesthetic of American punk rock.

Dischord Records (54 comments)

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way. Seriously.

SalsaShark (September 11, 2006)

GreenVandal just filled the cup (based on the names here alone).

2+ Replies

Fuzzy (justin) (September 11, 2006)

I'd hope that everyone here would fill the cup. This is a fucking awesome idea.

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Someone (September 11, 2006)

Sounds good, DC always had a creative music scene that didn't stick to the boundaries.

sickboi (chris) (September 11, 2006)

See, my only problem with the DC scene is that everything is always about how great shit was 15-20 years ago. Even that walking tour blatantly left out great clubs like the Black Cat, the (new)9:30 Club and the Capital Ballroom (Nations).

Aside from Q and Not U and Majority Rule, name me a good DC band from the past 6-7 years....

26+ Replies

Old_Friend (September 11, 2006)

it has a 14th and U thing on there.
i didn't look too closely?
is that not the black cat/food for though?

Someone (September 11, 2006)

Loved Ones/Trial By Fire should count as DC bands.

Someone (September 11, 2006)

Trial By Fire, yes. Loved Ones, no.

Someone (September 11, 2006)

Lion of judah!

Someone (September 11, 2006)

-Bizzle

Fuzzy (justin) (September 11, 2006)

Fugazi was still playing 6-7 years ago, I really dug the Black Sea/Decahedron as well.
The Cassettes' new album sounds pretty rad.

Also, all scenes ebb and flow, I think DC is probably just in a downturn right now, kind of like most non-poppy scenes around the country.

Someone (September 11, 2006)

Cassettes are considered an LA band.

Someone (September 11, 2006)

did you live in dc 15-20 years ago...no. fuck you

skankin_in_the_pit (September 11, 2006)

Set To Explode
Good Clean Fun (although they've been around for 10 years so I don't know if they count)
Trial By Fire
86 Mentality
Striking Distance

That was easy.

sickboi (chris) (September 11, 2006)

Trial By Fire put out one record. Hardly count.

You got me on Striking Distance.

Fuzzy (justin) (September 11, 2006)

Umm..
So now we discount bands because they only put out one album?

G'bye Embrace, Rites of Spring, nearly all of the Dischord catalog...

joeg (September 11, 2006)

the goons
the overprivileged
daycare swindlers

ElVaquero (September 11, 2006)

A Day In Black And White, check "Notes" to see how the distinctly angular DC sound is evolving 20 years down the line

Someone (September 11, 2006)

fugazi, trial by fire, the make up, dechahedron, damnation ad, battery, avail (who are actually routed in Northern Virginia/DC and moved very early on to be a Richmond band), dead meadow

Capital Ballroom isn't in walking distance to shit and really isn't "important" in any way.

Someone (September 11, 2006)

do the evens count?

allison_le_gnome (September 11, 2006)

That is the exact sentence I was about to type.

(I would have capitalized it, but whatever.)

I fucking love the Evens.

Someone (September 11, 2006)

wait...Ted Leo and the Pharmacists.

Someone (September 11, 2006)

Weird War and Motherfucking Ted Leo, retard!!!! Plus, check out all the other bands everyone else has commented on!

Someone (September 11, 2006)

I'm pretty sure weird war claim to be from the midwest. I think Ian S is the only DC dude in the band. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists aren't a DC band, either. Ted lived there, and chisel was based there who were awesome, but the Pharmacists have come together in like NYC, Boston and Rhode Island

joeg (September 11, 2006)

they did include the black cat's history in the 14th/Ust video. and i seriously doubt the capital ballroom/nation had any importance to the punk scene.

Someone (September 11, 2006)

mother fucking channels..."waiting for the next end of the world" is the best album released so far this year

fritobandito (September 12, 2006)

A Day In Black & White
Mass Movement Of The Moth
An Alarm
The Max Levine Ensemble

etc.

BizzleBrizzle (September 12, 2006)

I still haven't heard Max Levine, but MMOM is pretty eh, and An Alarm is alright.

Someone (September 12, 2006)

rachel jacobs, mosquito death squadron, max levine ensemble...

but besides, the whole point of the thing is to include Dc punk history in the larger scope of DC history. period. it's a group that does historical stuff, so why in the world would they look at now?! it wouldn't make sense.

and DC's scene is surprisingly still very different from any other scene i've experienced. i'm not exagerating when i say that one year there has changed my life.

fritobandito (September 12, 2006)

I don't think Rachel's allowed to count, she kinda just moved here. haha.

Someone (September 12, 2006)

Crispus Attucks
Worn Thin
Affront
Super Chinchilla Rescue Mission
No Justice
The Suspects
Positive State
The 22s
Lickity Split
Pg 99
De Nada

I could go on, but if you aren't a DC native, there's a chance these bands won't hit your radar

oldbook (September 12, 2006)

lets see... Black Eyes, Medications, The Evens, the list goes on.

Someone (September 13, 2006)

va hoser
-cuapunkradio

TheOneTrueBill (September 11, 2006)

Anyone reading this article will sure as shit appreciate this

Big fucking Black http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKtnXd7SiB4

Negative Approach http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3X6GAfM1EI

1+ Reply

JLJL (September 12, 2006)

Is that the only na video???

pastepunk (September 11, 2006)

I haven't done this yet, but I plan to soon. I have to imagine the 2nd Wilson Center didn't get any coverage in this. I also wonder how much of mention there is of Arlington, Virginia where the Dischord house was and how big a role the DC suburbs played a role in developing the scene. As the case has always been in the large cities - that might have been where much of the action was, but the kids predominantly lived in the suburbs and plenty of important things happened in those areas too.

1+ Reply

Someone (September 13, 2006)

this needed to be said
cuapunkradio

Someone (September 11, 2006)

the mayor did crack? only in fucking chicago

2+ Replies

sprainedsoul (September 11, 2006)

Yeah. The Bitch set him up.

greventls (September 11, 2006)

Nicely done.

Someone (September 11, 2006)

Amazingly, he's been on City Council for a couple years now...and people in DC wonder why they can't vote for the President or Congress.

punkbytheounce (September 11, 2006)

I wonder what Marion Barry has to say about this...

Someone (September 11, 2006)

Anything on 90s DC stuff in this tour? I think I'm gonna spend my weekend going on this tour.

3+ Replies

Someone (September 11, 2006)

-Bizzle

joeg (September 11, 2006)

nope. they stick to late 70s/80s.

BizzleBrizzle (September 12, 2006)

lame

sickboi (chris) (September 11, 2006)

DC had a pretty nice ska scene in the mid-90's too....no mention of that?

1+ Reply

Someone (September 11, 2006)

Well, since it's a punk scene tour, I'd guess not.

punkphil (September 11, 2006)

must be a short walk.

ChokingVictim (September 11, 2006)

Gray Matter is awesome.

1+ Reply

TheYoungInfluential (September 11, 2006)

agreed!

TheYoungInfluential (September 11, 2006)

hooray for washington d.c.!

ABedForLiars (September 11, 2006)

How...futuristic...

sarcasm101 (September 12, 2006)

this tour sounds sick. id fly to washington dc to go on this tour...and to egg the white house of course.

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