P is for Punk

Once upon a time, Santa Fe was home to any number of bands that inhabited the wide world of the punk rock spectrum. It wouldn’t be unusual to see Logical Nonsense or Knowital or Pint Size rocking out at roller rinks and warehouses all across town, and life was good. But as the musicians behind these bands aged or changed or moved to greener pastures (because, let’s face it—ain’t nobody gettin’ famous around here, especially on the merits of punk rock), the purveyors of Americana and house music and Bad Company covers descended upon the town and cast a spell on the aging denizens that caused them to fear anything hard or fast. And yet, from behind the scenes and in underground corners, the punks were merely resting, and now, with the ferocity and timing of a swarm of locusts, they will triumphantly emerge from the earth to melt faces, explode brains and generally remind us all that we were young once and something about super pissed-off music still rules! Enter Article 15, a Taos three-piece that keeps the soul of fast-paced anarcho-punk alive in all of its balls-to-the-wall, lo-fi glory. Article 15 is perfect for anyone who can fondly look back on their early forays into the world of bands like Dead Kennedys, The Cramps, The Damned or even The Misfits, and their political bent brings with it a “shit sucked then, shit sucks now” attitude reminiscent of formerly local act, The Elected Officials. There’s just something so magnetic about a deceptively layered style like punk rock, which can merge elements of rock, pop, heavy metal and even reverb-heavy surf and doo-wop into aggressively passionate three-minute songs about life, the universe, your shithead governor, everything. Kudos as well to the Underground’s Johnny Pink, who puts his punk bucks where his mouth is and provides an authentic space for bands like Article 15 to slay a crowd of denim vest aficionados. Colossal Swan Dive (which features Knowital members), Blood Wolf and new metal-ish act Ol’ Dagger provide support.