Tag: byo records

Shawn and Mark Stern

Punk Rock Bowling Transforms BYO Boys Into Wisdom Brigade

This past Monday, April 24th I interviewed members of an iconic, first wave California skate punk band, the owners of a record label and the brain trust of a popular annual cultural event that completely consumes every hotel room, a dozen bars and music venues and every beer coozy in Downtown Las Vegas- and I did them all in the span of an hour and a half.  Like a wise man once said, “Let’s do the whole fuckin village, man.” Bunny from the movie, Platoon. Sometimes, people make the mistake of thinking wisdom and maturity are the same concept but Confucius say, “enjoying or telling of a fart joke, occasionally, does not preclude you from being able to call on experience to make the right decision’” -from Confucius’ early, more obscure teachings- the more underground stuff. Some people have an inherent, child like disposition.  On the latest Janky Smooth Sessions, it’s hard to tell with the Stern brothers if it’s the brother dynamic that brings out the towel snapping, one-ups-manship and verbal noogies because I’ve never spent a moment with them while attending a tax seminar to witness how they conduct themselves amongst the squares.   But fortunate for all of

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Youth Brigade: Bedlam at Punk Rock Bowling Warm Up Gig at The Echo

It’s that time of the year again. That time where all the old punks dust off their denim vests, while the new punks make sure they have all their new patches sewn on by their mom’s before they take off for Punk Rock Bowling. As condescending as that just sounded, Punk Rock Bowling was my favorite festival all of last year. I’ve never seen such unity amongst one scene. As Punk Rock Bowling approaches, as with any other out of town festival, a ton of related shows pop up in LA before the festival. One of those shows, which I was lucky enough to attend, was Youth Brigade at the Echo. Youth Brigade is made up of BYO (Better Youth Organization) and Punk Rock Bowling Founders and brothers, Mark and Shawn Stern as well as Johnny and Joey.  The band originates in LA, so the sold out show at The Echo was of no surprise. Generation Suicida opened up the show. Generation Suicida is an all Latino Punk band from South LA. One great thing about this band is that the majority of their songs were sung in Spanish. I don’t know if you have paid attention in recent years,

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Jello Biafra & GSOM at Punk Rock Bowling

Punk Rock Bowling 2015 and What Is Punk Rock, Poser?

Words: Danny Baraz Photos: Taylor Wong The word punk is one that is thrown around and has many different uses. It can be used as an adjective or a verb. There has been much discussion around it’s usage as an adjective to describe music and people. It has sparked passionate and sometimes violent debate. The spirit behind what the word actually means has existed since time itself and once the word became marketable and defined by a specific sound, the word changed from describing a frame of mind and into describing a genre… or… a product, if you will. And there are very few individuals or businessmen that handle the legacy of this product better than Mark and Shawn Stern at BYO Records, specifically through their record label and of course, the annual summit called Punk Rock Bowling.   Very few statements sound sillier than someone stating “That’s not punk”. Because once punk has been defined through a specific paradigm, it ceases to be the thing that it was when Iggy first bent over backwards or Darby first watched people move in a circle or Joey put on his first leather jacket. The cultural resistance that spawned the punk scene stops

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Punk Rock Bowling Festival LIneup

Punk Rock Bowling announces complete festival lineup

Well, here it is!  Punk Rock Bowling has announced their complete festival lineup today and it’s looking pretty fucking good.  I’m not crazy about some of the headliners but my friend Josh tells me I really need to revisit Refused as I’ve never really gotten into them. Like any festival lineup, there will be hits and misses and it’s been amazing to watch the discourse on BYO Records, Punk Rock Bowling Facebook Group.  Every step of the way, members of the group give the Stern Brothers grief and praise as new acts are added and others are left off to the joy and chagrin of devout Punks and loyal Stern brother disciples. My favorite part of Punk Rock Bowling is the post festival club dates that take place every evening on Fremont Street in Downtown Vegas when the festival lets out.  Those acts have yet to be announced and I’m eager to see how they round out this one of a kind festival experience that features everything from pool parties to bowling tournaments alongside your favorite punk rock icons.  If you’ve never been to Punk Rock Bowling then this should be the year you finally take the dive… the stage

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