A question that I've often asked friends is if there is a band whose logo they would get tattooed on their body. Not a tattoo of the band, like lyrics or a design related to album artwork, which would obviously be tied to your personal and individual relationship with a piece of art, but literally just getting the logo of a band tatted. I feel like that dramatically reduces the field of bands that would get chosen, because you, as a fan, get less say about what you would put on you. Lord knows I loved Less Than Jake for long enough to consider getting a tattoo of the band, but would I get their script logo or the Evo Kid? Both suck.
I feel like this issue isn't the same for non-punks, let alone non-music nerds. I know lots of people get classic rock and rap tattoos, but I think that getting a straight-up band logo put on you is more about you aligning yourself with the band's ideals and message for a punk than it is expressing your love for their music. I guess, writing all this out now, that same is true for metalheads, though I just think that's less cool because metal bands are, broadly, dumber and have a less radical worldview to express. Duff told me he would consider the Hüsker Dü logo (great choice), I know a guy with the Bad Religion crossbuster on his elbow, and the Black Flag bars are ubiquitous.
For me? I've long said Operation Ivy is the only logo I would get tattooed, though I think getting that in my late-30s zaps a lot of the youthful optimism and naivety that a band logo suggests. Still, I listened to Energy the other day and singing along to "Jaded" still felt the same and evoked the same feelings as it did when I was a teenager. For the moment, I'm happy to hold that feeling and power inside of me and draw upon it when it feels important.
I've been on a big Bouncing Souls kick for the last week, alternating between the albums I really like, How I Spent My Vacation and Gold Record, and a playlist of deep cuts I made called "Hold Onto 2 What U Got." I feel like orgcore is definitively dead now and as I listen to the Souls I feel like it's obvious that they were a bigger influence on that subgenre than they ever got credit for. Bands always cited Jawbreaker or Dillinger Four as their touchpoints, but those two bands were idiosyncratic and political in ways that their imitators never were. Listening to later Souls stuff, like "Lean on Sheena" and "Ghosts on the Boardwalk" it's obvious that 1) the simple major chord progression with a high single note lead and belted chorus was exactly what the Menzingers made a career off of and 2) the Souls even did it way better than the youngs bands in the late 10s.
*One night Brian and Pat were on shrooms and had a transcendental experience watching this video.
I thought about saying that the Souls incorporating a Springsteen approach to songwriting later in their career was an unbelievable pivot in sound, but when you listen to their great early songs, like "Kate is Great" and "Say Anything," there's such a wonderful sensitive and earnest point of view expressed in the songs. Greg Antonito is able to walk the tightrope while writing about relationships good and bad in which he invites you into an episode of his life rather than trying to vent frustrations about a breakup. This aspect of the band might have gotten emphasized more as they turned more anthemic and melodic in the 00s, but it was always there. I guess instead I would say that the little bit of hardcore and skin culture that's incorporated into the band is actually the special something. Terminally underrated band and grateful to have seen them many times over the years.
