Punk Black To-Go: Monthly local music recommendations from Von Phoenix

Von Phoenix is the president and co-founder of Atlanta’s cultural and media phenomenon, Punk Black.

Aki Ikejiri @yojpgirlaki

The “City Lights” team is introducing a new music contributor. Joining the show monthly is Von Phoenix, president, and co-founder of the cultural media phenomenon Punk Black. The Atlanta-based collective is composed of artists, musicians, and cosplayers who are committed to creating a radically inclusive space for BIPOC creatives.

Phoenix launched Punk Black in 2015, and has since hosted hundreds of events, both nationally and locally. In a music scene dominated by all-white bands, Punk Black has placed a spotlight on upcoming black and brown rock artists from Atlanta and around the country.

With “Punk Black To-Go,” Phoenix serves up a variety platter of notable works by local artists of color in diverse musical arenas, often breaking stereotypes, and expectations.

In the premiere segment, Phoenix offers a spotlight to bands like Conkrete God,“ a combination of classic rock, hair metal, and modern rock.” Calling their music “timeless,” Phoenix goes on to muse “they could rock a club in the ’80s…today, or whatever dystopian future we’re heading.” Heavy metal rockers Paleos, were also featured, winning Phoenix’s “Most Likely to Start a Mosh Pit” award, and the segment closed with Atlanta’s Sixteen Bullets, the revolutionaries blending hip-hop, rock, and anthems of resistance.

Phoenix’s new segment can be heard monthly on “City Lights,” and more about the Atlanta-based media collective Punk Black can be found at http://punkblack.com.

Kim Drobes contributed to this report.