Punk Black To-Go: August's music recommendations
On Punk Black To-Go, “City Lights” music contributor Von Phoenix brings us highlights from artists of color performing in various music and art arenas — many of which break stereotypes and expectations. Phoenix’s mission with Punk Black is to create a radically inclusive space for BIPOC artists, musicians and cosplayers, expanding the vocabulary of what it means to live in the punk world. This month’s edition serves up a selection of today’s can’t-miss radical creators on the edge of the BIPOC scene.
This month, Von Phoenix shared the origin tale of Punk Black, detailing the first live show organized by Phoenix and friends with their goal of bringing Afropunk energy to life in an inclusive new scene full of BIPOC rockers. While Phoenix and his band only expected to throw one house party, he called, “People came and told us, ‘Hey, we really need something like this in Atlanta. We’ve been looking for this,’ and we were like, ‘Oh man, we’ve also been looking for this, this entire time.” Today, Punk Black has thrown over 165 shows and counting.
August highlights:
Tragedy Called Truth – A nepotistic selection, by Phoenix’s own admission; Tragedy Called Truth is the Punk Black host’s first band before its evolution into Howling Star. “I know; very, very, very emo name,” Phoenix said. “We were one of the original bands to start the Punk Black scene, so I think it’s important to drop us in there.” The featured track “Altheia” delivers echo-laden rap lyrics over an angular rock beat with growling bass and moody guitar accents. Though Tragedy Called Truth no longer maintains active online pages, their story continues as Howling Star, which fans can follow at @howling.star.
Pzzyfoot – Another early entry in the historical archives of Punk Black, Pzzyfoot (sometimes spelled Pussyfoot) was a rock and pop punk project headed up by singer Jamera Simmons. The featured song “Cowboy” showcases Jamera’s powerful vocals from the start, supporting her with a driving drumbeat and sparse guitar staccato before an explosive stadium pop chorus. “It’s actually pretty insane how good her voice is,” said Phoenix. More on Pzzyfoot can be found on their Instagram or Twitter.
The Sound Detour – Another blast from the past, Phoenix reminisced about the pivotal influence of this band on his early days in Atlanta’s music scene. “I was a huge, huge Sound Detour groupie, had a crush on the singer, had a crush on the whole band,” he said. The band blended hard rock with pop, punk and riot grrrl edge. Featured track “Summer Hat” throws punchy lyrics down over a charging punk beat, building up to an infectious, chant-along chorus. “This band is done,” proclaims their remaining online Soundcloud page, but their music stomps on in Von Phoenix’s loyal heart.
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