Happy Birthday Chip Kinman!

Chip Kinman, Holly George-Warren, Tony Kinman

Over the weekend, I attended the intimate Big Birthday party for Chip Kinman, who has been in every band that ever mattered, in terms of being on the cutting edge of punk rock, and inventing a genre of punk/country or alt.country: The Dils, Rank and File, Cowboy Nation and his latest effort PCH (as in Pacific Coast Highway). Alongside him in most of these ventures has been his brother Tony. Actually, Tony and Chip have been in all those bands together except PCH. But more on that later.

In this photo - which I am surprised is lit in anyway - as we snapped it in the dark - Chip and Tony surround Punk 365 author, Holly George-Warren. In town to promote Public Cowboy No. 1: The Life and Times of Gene Autry, Holly has written just about every book about pop culture heroes and concepts that ever mattered to me, like the aforementioned Autry bio, Honky-Tonk Heroes and Hillbilly Angels: The Pioneers of Country and Western Music; Shake Rattle and Roll: The Founders of Rock n Roll as well as a cool book about Cowboys, called Cowboy and several titles from Rolling Stone, including one about Neil Young which is mighty important to me.

The party was filled with friends and family and there was reminiscing about the good old punk rock days as well as previews of the future old punk rock days. Yes, the best news, other than us being able to rightfully now call him an old man, Chip has a new album ready and while he didn't play it for us...it sounds as though the man has more aces up his sleeve with PCH. We will definitely keep you posted on the release of his punk rock masterpiece...

But until then, let's just wish Chip Kinman a very happy birthday, which is actually today. Many Happy Returns Chip!