Thu, Apr 06, 23
In light of the launch of the Vans Vault x Shane Gonzales collaboration that Tenue de Nîmes will release on April 7 at 12 a.m. CEST, our very own Rudy shared his eternal love for Californian Punkrock in this blog. He also created a short (and angry) playlist filled with his favourite L.A. Punkrock bands. Read his story below and listen to the playlist on Spotify.
Rancid. Image by John Kessler
It’s 1995; I was about 14 years old and I was still heavily into Nirvana’s Nevermind album. I blew my mind when MTV (when it was still a Music Network) broadcasted a lengthy special called ‘Punk Sunday’, full with old & new Punk music. I was completely in awe with the aggression, power and imagery of these groups.
I taped that 3-hour special from front-to-back on our (back then amazing) VHS machine. I must’ve watched it everyday for a year straight. It was all I needed to know about the next level of my musical world; Rancid, The Clash, Bad Religion, The Specials, The Sex Pistols, Agnostic Front, The Ramones, Iggy Pop and much more. It became like a religion to me!
The Germs. Image by Melanie Nissen
Later in life I outgrew some bands and musical styles, but somehow the Californian Punk-rock always stuck to my brain. Mostly because those bands had more to tell than just anger and frustration since they were songwriting about love, religion and society. Sometimes they were even musically influenced by Rockabilly, Western music, Sixties pop and even hip-hop. Besides the musical side of it all, they oozed that Californian coolness and a slicker style, with a love for skateboarding, low-rider bikes, custom car- and tattoo culture.
Bands like Social Distortion, Rancid, The Germs and Black Flag in particular created my style back then and still I come back to it time and time again. Now in my 40’s I still love to blast these influential bands through my headphones in the boxing gym to get a decent workout before my day starts.
Social Distortion (Downtown Los Angeles, 1990). Image by Greg Allen.
With stocking brands like Dickies, Vans Vault & Second/Layer US, that L.A. Punkrock & roll style is at its peak at Tenue de Nîmes. This week also awaits a new release by Vans Vault x Shane Gonzales. The L.A. born & raised designer is most famous for his punk inspired brand ‘Midnight Studios’. See the whole collection here.
To celebrate this I’ve created a short (and angry) playlist filled with my favourite tracks by those L.A. bands that changed my life, and perhaps yours too. Check it out on Spotify.
Thanks for listening,
‘Sick Boy’ Rudy
