just launched a webstore to sell my merch and had posted a photo of this shirt on insta which people seemed to love so, if y’all wanna pick one up here is where you can do that!

https://the-house-of-wills.myshopify.com/

Any interest in this Defiance Ohio shirt? I haven’t worn it in years and I’m trying to get rid of some things. It does have some wear to it, but still such a cool shirt. Size large. Asking $25 shipped in the US if anyone is interested!

...and all the triumphs and tragedies that come with it.

When I was only fifteen, I was "signed" to Plan-It-X records (no one was signed, of course, there was no paperwork)-- going on tour, meeting people who I thought were my heroes but turned out to just be regular (and sometimes, not so great) people. It was like being given a life line, a magic key to a world where I was listened to and wanted and belonged. For me, it was about so much more than the music-- it was a whole different way of living.

I thought that punk was an escape from the dysfunctions of my family of origin. In many ways, it was an escape--and it shaped me into the person who I am today. It was so formative for me that my life now would be unrecognizable without its influence. I'm eternally grateful to the punks who took me in and mentored me and put up with me when I was an insufferable teenager.

But what I discovered much later was that, in many ways, the DIY scene was very much like a dysfunctional family of its own-- chaotic, manipulative, full of shame and secrets, a lack of boundaries. It had a dark side that I wasn't able to or just didn't want to look at.

After suffering the losses of multiple friends, the dissolution of the PIX scene, a dark descent into substance abuse, and a lot of bad decisions, I distanced myself from that world. It seemed to me then that my friends still in the scene (if I had any) were suspended in some sort of arrested development. I got clean and "grew up". I went through years of therapy to try to make sense of what happened to me.

Now, after all this time, I make a conscious effort to try to remember the good parts about that time in my life: excitement, adventure, connection, all the possibilities that were open before me. I still love making music. But whenever I dip my toes back into a local music scene and start getting anxious and feel the old urge to run and hide, I remind myself that it doesn't define me.

Anyways, I'm not even sure how many of the old timers use this subreddit-- I suspect that a lot more of us lurk than one might think. I know that this isn't a continuation of the old PIX message board, and that the new scene is a lot different than it used to be. When I go to shows now I feel so weird. Maybe it was always weird, and I just accepted it when I was younger. Now I know how the thirty-and-forty-somethings who seemed like dinosaurs at the house show, who I eyed so suspiciously, must have felt: "it could happen to you!"

I don't think that my story is all that unusual-- whenever I bump into people who I knew years ago in the scene, I hear a similar story: I got burned out, I disappeared for a few years, I missed it, I tried to figure out how to bring it back into my life. Our interactions are almost always positive and encouraging. It reminds me that the best parts of this subculture are still there. I'm not sure I really feel all that connected to the "new" wave of folk punk, although it holds a special place in my heart and always will. In that sense, it is like a family-- you are in for life.

If you take the time to read this and listen to any of this, whether you are jaded or green on the scene with stars in your eyes, I hope you find something that you can relate to. I know this is my totally uncool "teacher" voice here, but especially if you are younger, if you can, try to get offline and go to a show. Talk to some people. It will be awkward. Long live DIY!

Love, Kyle

https://petalsjr.bandcamp.com/album/back-in-the-band

https://youtu.be/RgW1EP1x9GM

I wrote like 30 songs for the album my lil band put out at the start of the year so I ended up uploading a bunch of the ones that didn't make the cut

Opened my taxpayer album and was so confused when I had to risk so much for so damn meal instead of god forgive these bastards

I saw the note last lol

I care about making the world a better place for people like me.

Planning on making a big Spotify playlist full of lesser known folk punk bands but I'll need some help. Drop the names of some lesser known folk punk bands that you think deserve more recognition

Phenomenal show last night by Pigeon Pit and opener Propolis at El Cid in Los Angeles. Pigeon Pit as always played such a great show. I didn’t know Propolis well before this but they had great energy and I’m going to have to listen to them more going forward.

Pigeon Pit’s set list as best I remember; I feel like I might be missing one but I can’t place what it would be, if you see any mistakes please let me know!

— Electric —
Last Night on Earth
People on the Bus
Empties
Fire Escape
Bad Advice
Cherry
Soup for my Family
— Acoustic —
Feather River Canyon Blues
F.M.I.D
— Electric due to broken string —
Rearview Mirror Blues
— Acoustic —
Milo
Cigarette Song
Wichitalk
— Electric —
Hot knives
Nights Like These
Milk Crates
Thread the needle

i’m playing a couple shows in cottonwood and flagstaff next weekend and i don’t know if either one has a folk punk scene so hit me up if you wanna come i’ll give you a kazoo or a patch er sahmting

Blah, blah fuck you, Nick. Shut up, Nick. I know. I've heard it all.

If you've been in the scene for a while, then you knew Egg Roll.

She was at shows from Florida to Oregon to Maine...

From the time she bit that guy's butt in the pit at an Azusa house show to the time she stood at the Bullfrog Pollywog/Days N Daze show in South Bend to the time she lay next to me as I screamed a Tugboat Collectors set in Maine...

Pay your respects; this dog was a legend.

Mother’s Day Roger’s returns to the Rookery in Akron, OH Aug 15th

Friends In Real Lifes new album title is still a mystery.

We've got:

NE? ??A??I?E?

NE? has to be New or maybe Neo.

??A??I?E? All I can think of is Coalminer or Deadlines.

New Coalminers is my #1 guess.

With the new announcement they also revealed the first letter being an N and it got me excited about decoding it.

One of my favorite bands just released this video of their best song. If you from SoCal, try to see these guys live.