After 25 years, Punk Rock Bowling still strikes hard with the spirit of rebellion

Brothers Shawn and Mark Stern were already seasoned punk rockers erstwhile they archetypal started Punk Rock Bowling 25 years ago. But they had nary thought they were successful the midst of a seminal infinitesimal by launching what would soon go 1 of the biggest, longest-running and astir important yearly events the genre has ever seen.

While they mightiness beryllium champion known for forming aggregate L.A. punk bands (the biggest of which being Youth Brigade) starting successful the precocious ’70s, the Stern brothers were besides liable for BYO Records, 1984’s “Another State of Mind” circuit documentary with Social Distortion, a short-lived but influential Hollywood punk location called Skinhead Manor and a big of different DIY punk stone undertakings. So erstwhile Andre Duguay, a BYO worker astatine the time, suggested the duo commencement a bowling league for SoCal punk rockers successful the precocious ’90s, it made excessively overmuch consciousness for them to walk up.

What started arsenic a bowling nighttime (at Santa Monica’s now-defunct Bay Shore Lanes) for section bands, labels and zines yet grew to a play of partying successful Las Vegas for the Sterns’ punk stone friends each implicit the region. Throughout the 2000s, the lawsuit remained chiefly focused connected bowling and debauchery implicit President’s Day weekend, but 2010 brought it to a caller determination that contained a immense outdoor space, opening up the anticipation for a afloat euphony festival and rapidly turning it into a Memorial Day staple for punk fans astir the world.

Suicidal Tendencies performs astatine Punk Rock Bowling successful 2023.

(Rob Wallace)

But nary substance however large Punk Rock Bowling has gotten, Shawn Stern has ever made definite it’s kept its community-first ethos.

“We put [Punk Rock Bowling] arsenic musicians first, truthful we look astatine this as, ‘If I spell spot bands, I privation to person a bully time,’” Stern says from the eating array of his Venice Beach home. The Sterns acceptable retired to make thing that was the antithesis of the large firm festival, wherever everything’s overpriced and it’s ace packed.

“They’re not trying to marque this a communal acquisition of having a bully clip and enjoying the euphony and the message,” helium said. “It goes backmost to pagan times erstwhile we’d get unneurotic for the harvest and feasting. Humans don’t truly request overmuch crushed to get unneurotic and party, and this is our alternate to religion.”

Despite leaving Los Angeles for Sin City decades ago, Punk Rock Bowling maintains its SoCal roots twelvemonth aft year. Not lone is Mark Stern backmost arsenic the festival’s authoritative booker this twelvemonth alongside his brother, but some the lineup and assemblage ever contains a dense California presence. From legends similar Social Distortion and FLAG to modern stars similar FIDLAR and the Interrupters (all of whom are performing this year), the Stern brothers ever marque definite that aggregate generations of their section country is represented astatine the festival — and not conscionable due to the fact that it’s the assemblage they grew up in.

Stern and his unit were surfers who got into punk stone due to the fact that it was that benignant of revolutionary euphony that the ’70s nary longer had. “As overmuch arsenic I emotion Jimi Hendrix and saw a clump of large concerts similar Led Zeppelin, that euphony didn’t truly talk to what I was feeling. As soon arsenic the [Vietnam War] was over, that euphony became co-opted by large firm labels.” Instead, Stern and his friends would bent retired successful the precise tiny punk country successful Hollywood portion each the bands were coming retired of New York and the UK. The country was precise close-knit, and they didn’t person immoderate pretension of getting signed to a large statement oregon anything. Though it was wholly grassroots, they knew that erstwhile the surfers truly started getting into it, it was going to explode. “In those days, determination were definite rebellious things with surfing that would enactment good with punk rock,” helium said. “That’s what happened successful the aboriginal ’80s, and it’s changed a batch since then, but it’s conscionable kept growing.”

Perhaps much than immoderate different genre, the improvement of punk stone (both successful Los Angeles and astir the world) is ne'er much evident than successful the property scope of bands astatine euphony festivals. This twelvemonth astatine Punk Rock Bowling, not lone volition the Stern brothers beryllium performing successful their mid-60s with Youth Brigade, but immoderate of the British artists that preceded them similar the Damned and Cock Sparrer volition beryllium gracing the signifier alongside large modern artists who could beryllium their grandchildren (like the Bay Area’s Spiritual Cramp). And yet the fans — from teenagers to elder citizens — volition flood the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center for them careless of generation.

Shawn Stern, right, playing with his set Youth Brigade astatine Punk Rock Bowling successful 2021.

(Jason Cook)

That cross-generational entreaty isn’t recovered successful a batch of different genres, but it’s a favoritism that Shawn Stern believes punk stone shares with 1 of its ancestors.

“It’s each conscionable people euphony — protestation music,” helium says. “A batch of radical effort to rewrite past arsenic though someway punk rock’s not political, and I telephone bullshit. Punk stone for maine has ever been governmental and it ever volition be. That’s truly what makes this euphony last, and it’s besides what makes the blues last.” The euphony inactive reaches retired to people, careless of age, Stern said. “The words that I was singing successful 1980 are conscionable arsenic applicable now, if not much so. ... Sure, immoderate bands that are considered punk stone conscionable constitute poppy emotion songs — which is good if that’s what you’re into — but that’s astir apt wherefore I don’t truly similar immoderate of that pop-punk and emo stuff.”

Moshpit madness successful the assemblage astatine Punk Rock Bowling.

(Andrew Repcik)

As agelong arsenic Stern is involved, Punk Rock Bowling volition ever support that lineage of resistance. Particularly with today’s governmental climate, the lifelong punk sees his level arsenic an creator and a festival big arsenic a important mode to punctual everyone to basal up against authoritarianism and fascism adjacent if it’s not straight affecting you and your surroundings conscionable yet. “We were penning astir Reagan [in the ’80s], and present we’ve got idiosyncratic who’s overmuch worse than Reagan ever could person been,” helium said.

Stern has already seen planetary bands person newfound occupation flying successful and retired of the U.S. this year, and arsenic a Jewish migrant from Canada, he’s taking the existent concern rather seriously.

“I deliberation it’s important for everybody that listens to punk stone and comes to Punk Rock Bowling to retrieve that each time you person to question everything and combat against the authoritarian bent that this state is on,” Stern said. “They’re disappearing radical successful the streets, and that whitethorn not beryllium you close now, but if you don’t basal up for those people, it could beryllium you oregon idiosyncratic you emotion successful the future. A batch of my mother’s household died successful attraction camps, truthful you don’t deliberation it could hap to you oregon you ever wonderment what you would person done — I’m not saying we’re facing that yet, but I deliberation we’re beauteous close. But if capable radical basal together, we tin halt this — and I deliberation the assemblage of punk stone is conscionable carrying connected that contented of protestation from the beatniks and the hippies.”