Skate punk
Skate punk is both a skater subculture and a subgenre of punk rock music. Originally a genre of hardcore punk closely associated with skate culture, skate punk changed into a more melodic genre of punk rock in the 1990s. Since the 1990s, skate punk has been a genre that features fast tempos, lead guitar playing, fast drumming, and singing. Featuring the fast tempos of hardcore punk and melodic hardcore, skate punk occasionally combines these with the catchy hooks of pop punk. Skate videos have traditionally featured this fast style of punk rock. This played a big part in the coining of the term "skate punk".
1970s and early 1980s punk rock bands like Buzzcocks, Descendents, Adolescents, Black Flag, and Circle Jerks paved the way for skate punk. Skate punk was pioneered in the 1980s by bands such as the Big Boys, Suicidal Tendencies, and JFA. Many early skate punk bands are part of the hardcore punk movement nardcore, which emerged in Oxnard, California. In the 1990s, skate punk changed into a more melodic punk rock genre with bands like NOFX, Lagwagon, Pennywise, Face to Face, and No Use for a Name. Skate punk broke into the mainstream during the 1990s with bands such as the Offspring and Blink-182. Skate punk's popularity continued in the early 2000s with bands such as Sum 41. During the 2010s, newer skate punk bands such as Trash Boat, Cerebral Ballzy, and Trash Talk, achieved underground to moderate success through the influence of previous skate punk bands.
Characteristics
Skate punk is also known as skate rock and skatecore. Noted by AllMusic for having "high-energy", skate punk features fast tempos. Many of the 1980s skate punk bands were hardcore punk bands. In the 1990s, it changed and was played by bands that sound more like pop punk and standard punk rock than hardcore punk. Also a skater subculture, skate punk's origins go back to skate culture and surf culture. Author Sharon M. Hannon noted skate punk is known for "its fast guitars, driving bass lines, and surf music–style drums". According to Mark Lepage of Spin magazine, it often has a "double-time hup-two-three-four beat". Skate punk music often features singing and vocal harmonies. Rolling Stone described skate punk as "a sort of pop hardcore". Some skate punk music has lyrics that are about humor - "mostly of the smartass variety". Much skate punk music features lead guitar playing, guitar riffs, and sometimes guitar solos. Skate punk is described by AllMusic as having "thrashier guitars" than regular punk rock. Blast beats and fast drumming are very common in skate punk. Skate punk features the fast tempos of hardcore punk and melodic hardcore, occasionally combining them with the catchy hooks of pop punk. Some skate punk bands play other genres of music; pop punk, funk metal, and hardcore punk are genres that are noted for being played by some skate punk bands. Skate punk paved the way for third-wave ska. Some skate punk bands, including NOFX and the Suicide Machines, also play ska punk. Some skate punk bands, including Suicidal Tendencies and Excel, also play thrash metal and / or crossover thrash.History
Predecessors (1970s and early 1980s)
California punk bands like Black Flag, Adolescents, and Circle Jerks paved the way for skate punk with their "fast and raw" music, "which replicated the feel of skating." 1970s punk bands like the Buzzcocks and 1980s punk bands like The Descendents made fast and catchy punk rock songs about teenage confusion, and also combined the aggression and speed of hardcore punk with melodies.Origins (1980s)
Originally derived from hardcore punk, skate punk began in the early 1980s. The Big Boys and JFA are considered pioneers of skate punk. Bands such as Gang Green, Suicidal Tendencies, The Faction, Rich Kids on LSD, Tales of Terror, Agression, Drunk Injuns and NOFX were among the first wave of skate punk bands. Johnny Loftus of AllMusic described early skate punk music as "a confluence of punk's anger and simplicity, the furious speed of hardcore, and defiantly smart-assed machismo". Many early skate punk bands are part of the hardcore punk movement nardcore, which emerged in Oxnard, California. Popular among skateboarders, 1980s hardcore punk bands with connections to skateboarding culture were labeled as "skate punk" - the origin of the term. Early skate punk bands are noted for creating the connection between punk rock and skateboarding. Mörizen "Mofo" Föche, vocalist of Drunk Injuns and former employee of the magazine Thrasher, is "often credited with first coining the term 'skate-punk'." Bad Religion's 1988 album Suffer, is seen by many as a highly influential landmark album in the skate punk genre.Mainstream success (1990s and early 2000s)
As skate punk became more popular during the 1990s, it changed into a more melodic genre. During this time, some bands experienced mainstream success and were featured at events such as the Warped Tour, which started in 1995. Prominent skate punk bands of the 1990s include Consumed, Good Riddance, Strung Out, NOFX, Goldfinger, Lagwagon, Guttermouth, No Use for a Name, Face to Face, Slick Shoes, MxPx, Unwritten Law, Ten Foot Pole, Screeching Weasel, Bad Religion, the Offspring, and Pennywise.Skate punk broke into the mainstream in the 1990s. The Offspring's album Smash, released in 1994, launched the band into the mainstream. Rancid's album ...And Out Come the Wolves, Green Day's album Dookie, and the Offspring's album Smash also helped launch punk rock as a whole into the mainstream. Smash, certified by the Recording Industry Association of America, sold at least 6.3 million copies in the United States and at least 5 million copies outside the United States. NOFX's 1994 album Punk in Drublic was certified gold by the RIAA on May 5, 2000. Unlike other 1990s punk rock bands, NOFX never signed to a major record label. Also, NOFX has not given permission for its music videos to be played on channels like MTV and VH1. Explaining this decision NOFX member said: "We made the 'Leave It Alone' video, and we decided not to send it to MTV. We just didn't want to be a part of that machine, of that punk wave. I think it's one of the best decisions we've ever made." California skate punk band Face to Face had local success with their song "Disconnected", which was played often on California radio station KROQ-FM. With "Disconnected" constantly playing on KROQ-FM, Face to Face's 1995 album Big Choice sold more than 100,000 copies.
Bad Religion's 1994 album Stranger Than Fiction was certified gold by the RIAA on March 4, 1998. Stranger Than Fiction song "21st Century " peaked at number 11 on the Alternative Songs chart on December 24, 1994 and the song's music video was played a lot on MTV. Goldfinger achieved success with the band's 1996 self-titled album. In 1997, the Los Angeles Times reported that Goldfinger's 1996 self-titled album sold 200,000 copies. Goldfinger's 1996 self-titled album peaked at number 1 on the Heatseekers Albums chart on June 15, 1996. Goldfinger's song "Here in Your Bedroom" peaked at number 47 on the Radio Songs chart on June 15, 1996. On June 15, 1996, "Here in Your Bedroom" peaked at number 5 on the Alternative Songs chart. Although Ixnay on the Hombre by the Offspring did not achieve the same sales as the Offspring's album Smash, Ixnay on the Hombre by the Offspring was certified platinum by the RIAA in April 1997. As of November 1998, the album sold at least 3 million copies worldwide and, as of August 2015, the album sold 1.4 million copies in the United States. Ixnay on the Hombre single "All I Want" peaked at number 65 on Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart. In June 1997, Blink-182 released its album Dude Ranch. It was certified gold by the RIAA in February 1998, and was certified platinum by the RIAA in November 1999. Scott Heisel of Alternative Press described Dude Ranch as "a killer skate-punk record". Dude Ranch single "Dammit" was a hit. It peaked at number 61 on Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart, received heavy radio airplay and was played a lot by MTV. In 1998, the Offspring released their album Americana, which was certified by the RIAA. In 1998, MxPx released its album Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo, which was certified gold by the RIAA in January 2000.
The skateboarding video game series Tony Hawk's featured music by many skate punk bands, including Lagwagon, Guttermouth, the Vandals, Suicidal Tendencies, Millencolin, Bad Religion, and Consumed. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater was one of the top-selling video games for PlayStation in November 1999. Quickly after being released, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, released in 2000, was the PlayStation title for two consecutive weeks. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 quickly sold 1,000,000 copies. The sales of the video game reached 5,300,000 copies in the United States. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, released in 2001, sold about 2,100,000 copies in the United States.
In June 1999, Blink-182 released its album Enema of the State. It was certified by the RIAA in January 2000. In February 2001, Enema of the State was certified by the RIAA having sold at least 15 million copies worldwide, with at least 4.54 million of those copies sold in the United States. Having achieved mainstream success, played to sold-out arenas. In November 2000, the band released their live album The Mark, Tom and Travis Show . It sold at least 110,000 copies in its release week, and was certified gold by the RIAA in January 2001. Although it is a live album, it features a studio track called "Man Overboard". Serviced to radio in September 2000, "Man Overboard" peaked at number 2 on Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and number 17 on Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. In November 2000, the Offspring released their album Conspiracy of One. It was certified platinum by the RIAA within 30 days of being released. In 2000, SR-71's song "Right Now" went to number 2 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, number two on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, and number 30 on the Pop Songs chart. In November 2000, their album Now You See Inside was certified gold by the RIAA.
In June 2001, Blink-182 released their album Take Off Your Pants and Jacket. It peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, the Canadian Albums Chart and the Top Internet Albums chart. The album sold at least 350,000 copies in its release week and was certified 2x platinum in May 2002. The Canadian skate punk band Sum 41 broke into the mainstream in the early 2000s. Their song "Fat Lip" peaked at number 66 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number one on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. Also, "Fat Lip" was played extensively on radio and was popular on MTV's Total Request Live. The skate punk studio album All Killer No Filler, Sum 41's studio album that features the song "Fat Lip", was certified platinum by the RIAA in August 2001. All Killer No Filler also was certified by the organization Music Canada. Sum 41 released their album Does This Look Infected? in November 2002. The album was certified gold by the RIAA on January 30, 2003 and the album's song "Still Waiting" peaked at number 7 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart in 2003 and was played constantly on MTV.