Kalpana Kalpana (Editor)

Guerrilla punk

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Guerrilla punk is not as much a subgenre of punk rock as it is a movement or mentality. More appropriately it could be considered a hyper, or extreme DIY punk ethic. It derives its name from bands who participate in "guerrilla gigging", a practice used either because of its novelty or sheer lack of places to play. Guerrilla Punk is highly influenced by festivals such as Geekfest and the business practices of independent record labels such as Dischord Records, K Records, and Plan-It-X. Guerrilla Punk has taken the DIY approaches of these influential upstarts and enhanced them with a 21st-century twist. With the emergence of the digital/information age, many beginning artists find it hard or unnecessary to make a living following the old music industry models. Instead they often opt for giving away their music online and at shows for free/donation in the form of CD-R/tapes/mp3/torrent downloads, and making their money at shows. Good examples of this are the 001 Collective Family, Riot Folk Collective, Bomb the Music Industry, and Guerrilla Folk Punx which expect nothing in return but their fan's listening pleasure and their mutual aid.

Things that could be considered "guerrilla punk" are:

  • Guerrilla gigs
  • Basement shows
  • House shows
  • Busking
  • Fairly or appropriately priced merchandise
  • Free culture (giveaways, internet radio, free/donation gigs)
  • CDR record labels
  • Tape Labels
  • Net labels
  • Cassette Culture
  • Free MP3 or open source labels
  • Homemade Merch (Zines, Silkscreened T-Shirts, Buttons, Patches)
  • References

    Guerrilla punk Wikipedia