These are the ten top influences, not necessarily in order, for Damon Workman – the President/Co-founder Bypolar Records.
My Parents: Not to be lame but my parents taught me more about being punk, without being punks, than anyone or any thing else. They taught me to question authority, think for myself, stand up for those who couldn’t, to be my own person, and – above all that – being kind and caring for the rest of the community was what it’s all about. My entire existence in the world of punk is based on this.
Fight Club: More the movie than the book. I’ve been told it’s a red flag for a lot of folks. For me it’s always been about reinventing oneself through the destruction of ego. Rejecting what’s holding us back in favor of what is truly important.
The art of Vincent Van Gogh: The more I learn about Van Gogh the more impact his art has on me. The colors and textures are simply amazing, and I find something new each time I see one of his paintings. A sad, troubled soul fighting his own depression and inner demons in an effort to bring something beautiful into the world.
Bob Mould: Since my very first listen, his guitar has been the “ideal” in my mind. It is perfect. I listen in awe to everything he’s done, from the poor quality recordings of the SST years up to present. He’s simply amazing
The Minutemen: These guys inspired my love for all things MathRock. In my mind they are responsible for just a ton of bands I came to love later like Jawbox, NoMeansNo, and, even, At The Drive In.
Alkaline Trio: They get a lot of flak from some, but you’d be hard pressed to find better writing of dark themed catchy pop songs.
Bad Religion: The fact that they’re still slugging it out after 40 years I think says a lot. I listened in high school and over the years my love for them grew. I’ve seen them more than any other band, and still keep buying tickets.
Mike Park: He is quite simply the man. I feel like I need to write a long diatribe about all the ways he makes life better but I’m going to leave it at “he’s the man”. Just an exceptional and inspiring human being.
The Replacements: They and Bob Mould are two of the biggest musical influences on me. Westerberg is one of the best writers of all time, drunk or sober. They always delivered the best damn songs album after album right up until the final track on All Shook Down.
The Las Vegas punk scene: I’m not sure if I should name names here or not because I wouldn’t want to leave anybody out – but the scene in Vegas is like no other. When I first moved there I felt immediately welcomed by the community and like I was a part of it from my very first show. They are fiercely loyal and supportive, and show after show you see the same faces coming to give a boost to whoever is playing. Quality bands, quality people, and the reason I will always consider Vegas my home no matter where I may live. Inspiring enough that I carry the goal of building and creating something similar whatever city I move to next. Cannot say enough positive things about the desert dwellers there, making great music and just being amazing individuals.
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