Made Loud — Indie Underground Bands, Music, Downloads, Community

Indie kids, metal heads, and emo folks alike, be warned, this post is going to lean towards punk rock, perhaps due to my musical tastes, the intensity and infamy of the live shows associated with these bands, or maybe because of the fleeting nature of the late seventies, early eighties punk influx that swept the country.

Black Flag – (Any show 1981 – 1986)

Unfortunately, during Black Flag’s formidable years, when the U.S. punk scene was still in flux I ranged from 1 to 6 years of age. This marked the advent of Henry Rollins as the lead singer of Black Flag, and even though some would argue this led to the band’s demise, Rollins brought a stage energy that matched the band’s furious pace.

The Ramones – CBGB Days

With the recent losses of both Dee Dee Ramone and Joey Ramone, I have truly missed my chance. Back in the days when The Ramones were still unsigned, CBGB seemed to be the only venues that could compliment the kind of idiot savant punk they were most famous for…see End of the Century

The Velvet Underground, w/ Nico

For only a very short time in 1966/67 could a Velvet Underground show be seen featuring Andy Warhol’s superstar Nico. While she only recorded one album with the Velvet Underground, (at the insistence of Warhol), her brief stint with the band helped solidify their place on the list of greatest albums of all time.

Bad Brains, early eighties

Emerging the same time as Black Flag, the Bad Brains helped place D.C. on the map as a punk capital on the East Coast. Despite touring on and off for the past decade or so and a recent pop culture resurgence, via MTV, to catch a performance of Attitude in D.C. in the mid eighties would be unrivaled.

Sex Pistols, with Sid Vicious

Rumors of the Sex Pistols live shows are many, varied, and usually involve a good helping of depravity. The Sex Pistols live act and behavior overshadowed their music, and even other punk acts like the Ramones, during the mid seventies. While the band had disbanded by 1978, hopes of seeing the full band together came to a screeching halt with the death of Sid Vicious in 1979.