Punks For Progress
Supporting Freedom Oklahoma
The history of punk is filled to the brim with a steady flow of compilations. Whether they highlight different styles and attitudes, erasand regions, or fiercely advocate for causes, they often also penetrate deeply into the subculture. For instance, the PEACE compilation,masterminded by Dave Dictor of MDC decades ago, continues to throb with listeners' respect and shape their conscience, influencing different people, from Emory University professors to everyday street activists and toiling workers fighting for change in a world of tumult, bigotry, war, greed, discrimination, and violence.
Grimace Records is proud to follow Dictor's path by releasing the gigantic Punks for Progress,which highlights the struggle for liberty, justice, and fairness, especially in regards to the death of non-binary teenNex Benedict, who was bullied so severely that they committed suicide.But the comp. Also pays homage to the legacy of recently deceased Dicks singer Gary Floyd. Out-the-closet, he was provocative and perturbed; openly queer; political as hell; starkly funny, plus raw, ribald, and raucous, which helped foment a sense of hope and change emanating from1980's American underground counterculture.
Dozens of committee bands have donated hi-octane tracks, which will raise funds forFreedom Oklahoma and the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in places often overlooked--rural fly-over country.
Some bands will be familiar, like hardcore Boneless Ones, Verbal Abuse, MDC, Dicks, Total Chaos, and Fang, but other tracks provide rare, lesser-known performances that capture the DIY spirit of the production; plus, an array include forceful, female-led units, including $50.00 Goat, Lisafer, Bondbreakr, and Elected Officials, among others.
In a world bludgeoned by bombs, rampant problems, and deteriorating hope,compilations like this prove that punk is more than mere music--it is a hive of community sweltering with action, protest, and a desire for change. Such music will cause even the indifferent or blank ones to stand up, get up, question circumstances and bias, and take charge of the future before another kid dies for the worst of reasons.