Dundee's Make-That-A-Take Records is one of my favourite labels in the world, consistently putting out fantastic punk rock records from bands all over the world. It is run by a wonderful man named Derrick Johnston who is also in the bands Shitgripper and Uniforms and performs acoustically as Tragical History Tour. This is his top ten punk rock influences.
Jerry Lee Lewis
My Dad used to listen to classical music and it terrified me as a child.
My mother played folk music so I was surrounded by it but it wasn't until my
uncle gave me a slab of LPs that I discovered music for myself. The greatest
hits of Jerry Lee Lewis was amongst that collection and the speed, energy and
seeming anarchy of the whole thing spoke to me in ways that music never had
before. It fitted perfectly with my childhood hyperactivity.
The Offspring
The Offspring
I've got an older sister and she was always into music so I
heard a lot of great stuff through her as a kid. She also had slightly older
pals, including the one skater dude in our town, and would always make her
mixtapes that I would then steal. Again, it was the speed and obnoxiousness of
"Smash" that drew me in and its anti-authority message kept me. It
was the soundtrack to my early teenage summers when we'd partake in backyard
wrestling and bike rides. They also sent me directly to...
Dead Kennedys
Dead Kennedys
I fell in love with this band the first time I ever saw their
name and before I heard a note of their music. I read a Kerrang interview with
Dexter of The Offspring and saw that they were referenced in the liner notes of
their album. I knew that I had to hear this band but couldn't find their music
anywhere (pre-Internet) so saved up my paper round money and ordered the CD
from Goldrush Records in Perth. Once I gave "Fresh Fruit For Rotting
Vegetables" its first spin, it blew my mind and it has stayed with me
ever since, influencing me musically, politically, aesthetically and so much
more. The greatest punk band of all time, to my mind.
Green Day
Green Day
If The Offspring introduced me to speed and the Dead Kennedys to
politics, it was Green Day that introduced me to simplicity, hooks and catchy
melodies, which then pretty much directly led to me picking up a guitar and
learning to write songs for myself. I had an old dubbed cassette tape with
"Dookie" on one side and Nofx "Heavy Petting Zoo" on the
other and I must've listened to that tape thousands of times before I wore it
out. "Dookie" was my gateway record, but I think "Nimrod"
is their overall best piece of work, "Insomniac" is my go-to album
and my favourite song is on "Kerplunk" (2000 Light Years Away).
Propagandhi
Propagandhi
I, like everyone else, first heard Propagandhi on the Fat Wreck
comps but it wasn't until Craig, guitarist in my old band 13 Broken Fingers
(now in Get It Together) played me "Today's Empires, Tomorrow's
Ashes" that I had to go and unpeel my brains from his bedroom walls. That
record became an obsession and I had to read everything in the liner notes and
followed up on all suggested resources; it informed my politics at the time of
the second Iraq War when we were protesting and soundtracked our encounters
with the G8 when they came to Gleneagles. Without question one of the most
important bands alive and essentially peerless in modern punk.
Against Me!
Against Me!
"Reinventing Axl Rose" was a record that redefined what
was possible with punk rock in my mind. It had never really occurred to me that
punk could be played with an acoustic guitar and it was this record more than
any other that convinced my that the songs I was writing solo were just as
valid/worthy/punk as anything else played loud and with distortion. The
Acoustic EP just blew my mind; so much pain, heart and soul in one place, by
punks. I felt kinship and supported, like it was okay to follow your own path
even if the only thing ye had was an acoustic guitar, which at times was
literally the only thing I had.
Crass
Crass
It was probably reading interviews with Laura Jane Grace that led me
back to Crass. I'd always been aware of them from my early days of getting into
punk but the music was just so abrasive and out there that I had trouble
understanding it in my youth, even though the message was strong and I was
attracted to their politics. Once I was a little older, it made a lot more
sense to me and I dived deeper into their catalogue and history, and I was
deeply inspired by how committed they were to their ideals, how they did everything
collectively and how they endlessly fucked with people. Anyone who's into DIY
punk and isn't in some way influenced by Crass and everything they did and
stood for is either in denial about it or straight up just doesn't yet know.
They older I get, the crustier I become.
Rancid
Rancid
The "band as gang" image/mentality has always been attractive
to me and our ragtag crew of small town cowpunk country roasters felt exactly
like that, something that's carried over with me throughout my life. Rancid
were the ultimate punks when I was a kid; gnarly yet cool and punk as fuck with
just the best songs and an unfuckwithability. Their influence was undeniable
with regards Uniforms; I think Jamie and I harboured some sort of Tim/Lars
fantasy as the last guitar-slingers and town and we'd always bombard our
American touring buddies with questions about Rancid. I once stole a Rancid
hoodie from my pal (in plain sight) and wore it until it disintegrated.
Leatherface
Leatherface
Before the Tim/Lars dynamic, you had Frankie/Dickie. I didn't get
into Leatherface in a big way until my early twenties but they were a band that
I'd always been familiar with name-wise. The first record I actually owned was
the Hot Water Music split, after that I had to devour everything. It was
hearing Frankie Stubbs sing that offered me the assurance that I too could sing
in a punk band, that my gravel voice was something to be embraced, not hidden
and be ashamed of. Since then, putting on a Leatherface LP is like putting on
an old warm jumper; they're pretty much the greatest band in the history of UK
punk. My original pressing of "Mush" is framed atop my record
collection and is one of my favourite records of all time. I feel deeply
privileged that MTAT had the honour of hosting what was to be the last ever
Scottish show from Leatherface at BYAF V. That will live with me forever.
Tim Barry
Tim Barry
I have never witnessed a musician as captivating, enthralling and
playing with as much power and passion as I have Tim Barry. I have long been a
fan of Avail, having first read about them in a Kerrang feature about the
Deconstruction tour and their roots-y gruff melodic punk bluster would be a
massive influence in my own writing. However, seeing Tim Barry solo was
something else entirely. Uniforms were on tour in the States with Loaded 45 and
we'd flown out the day after my father's funeral. Suffice to say, I was an
emotional mess. Our tour rolled into Tempe, Arizona and we shared a bill with
Tim Barry and Kevin Seconds, a fact in itself which was enough to blow my tiny
mind. I will never forget standing at the side of the stage with Jamie
watching Tim holding the audience in the palm of his hand and elicit the most
visceral emotional response from a crowd I've ever witnessed. I stood there
with tears streaming down my face and knew I'd carry that moment in my heart
forevermore.
Check out MTAT here: http://makethatatakerecords.com/
Buy stuff from their Bandcamp here: https://makethatatakerecords.bandcamp.com/
Like MTAT on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/makethatatakerecords
Like Shitgripper here: https://www.facebook.com/shitgripper
Like Tragical History Tour here: https://www.facebook.com/tragicalhistorytour
Check out MTAT here: http://makethatatakerecords.com/
Buy stuff from their Bandcamp here: https://makethatatakerecords.bandcamp.com/
Like MTAT on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/makethatatakerecords
Like Shitgripper here: https://www.facebook.com/shitgripper
Like Tragical History Tour here: https://www.facebook.com/tragicalhistorytour
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