Punk Turns 30

It was on this date 23 years ago that Thin Lizzy bassist and frontman, Phil Lynott passed away. He was a formidable talent and fan of punk rock. We've often acknowledged him at Punk Turns 30 - and remember that night he jammed with the Plimsouls at the Starwood. You can read a tribute here: Hot Press Phil Lynott Anniversary Special from 2008 One year ago today, I embarked on the final year-long leg of my current touring exhibit, Unguarded Moments: Backstage and Beyond. Coincidentally, it was Plimsoul Eddie Munoz who picked me up from the train, joined me for lunch and random Hollywood picture taking before taking me to the airport so I could hit the road. The Unguarded Moments tour kicked off in October of 2007 and winds down at the end of this month. It is hanging at the Metropolis Gallery in Lancaster, PA. If you live in and around Central PA - or if you ever wanted to visit Amish Country and get a dose of vintage punk rock memories... you have until January 31 to do...

Drink all this information in: They are undisputedly THEE power pop superstars of the underground era playing together at last - Cyril Jordan, Clem Burke, Eddie Munoz and Paul Kopf. Together, the sum of the parts is Magic Christian. The parts have influenced so many bands and have carved out a special place in the annals of popular music. Individually, they were founding members of The Flamin Groovies, Blondie and The Plimsouls. Texan Eddie Munoz who plays guitar in the Plimsouls switches to bass in Magic Christian, forming a magic rhythm section with Blondie's Clem Burke, who is not just punk rock's Most Valuable Player, but if there is rock n roll royalty, he's Prince Charming, to be sure. Clem Burke and NY Doll Syl Sylvain, 2004 These guys are doing a tour of the East Coast starting next week - so mark your calendars Right Coasters!

Clem Burke They are one part Blondie, with punk rock Most Valuable Player, drummer Clem Burke and one part Plimsouls with guitarist Eddie Munoz playing bass, forming with Clem a rhythm section with the purest power pop/punk pedigree ever. On the front lines, Paul Kopf and the legendary Flamin' Groovy, Cyril Jordan. "They" would be Magic Christian, who are filling the weekend days and nights at SXSW with their expertly crafted tunes. Eddie Munoz Here's the schedule of the hardest working band from California: Magic Christian Mar 14 2008 3:00P Cheapo Records, In-Store Appearance! Mar 14 2008 5:00P The Ginger Man - The Dogfish Head Brewery Showcase Mar 14 2008 11:00P B.D Riley’s, SXSW Festival, With Muck And The Mires, Downbeat 5 and The Chevelles!! Mar 15 2008 1:00P Dog and Duck Pub - Pop Culture Press! Mar 15 2008 4:00P SpiderHouse Day Party! Mar 16 2008 4:30P Headhunters, John Warner’s Celebration Party! Billy Bragg is another old pal who's making an appea...

A month ago, I started out on the first leg of my traveling photo exhibit, Unguarded Moments: Backstage and Beyond. In the past four weeks, I've been to Oxford, Mississippi, Memphis, Tennessee, Houston, Texas, Los Angeles, California, with pit stops in Little Rock, Arkansas to catch planes and busses, and of course... my home in the vineyard-covered hills of Santa Barbara county. Along the way, I've seen old friends and made new ones. Last night at the party at La Luz de Jesus for PUNK 365 , I saw a lot of old friends from back in the day, including Eddie Munoz of the Plimsouls and Magic Christian, featured in the photo above, on the left ( Peter Case at the mic). I'm always pleasantly surprised by the relative frequency I actually do run into Plimsouls Eddie and Peter... The last time I saw Eddie was in August at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood where we were both seeing Detroit's great rock n roll band, The Go. Eddie even bought records from them! Peter ...