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 reminisced about performances from his much earlier years, playing in the parking lot of a Big Lots store near his parents’ house in Lithonia, Georgia. “We used to play there all the time, for change, basically. We’d play for, like, six hours and make, like, 50 bucks,” he recalled. “We sounded like a band that had just started, but people still showed us love.” The parking lot gigs brought Phoenix and his friends into contact with the band Guilty Verdict, who years later would go on to perform at the first Punk Black cosplay event, a “Star Wars” themed show. But back at Big Lots, the musicians from Guilty Verdict challenged Phoenix to a spontaneous guitar battle. Phoenix speculated that if that guitarist had brought then the skills he brings to his music today, “He would’ve murdered me. He’s such a phenomenal guitar player.”
December highlights:
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