Spoke: Images And Stories From The 1980s Washington, Dc Punk Scene

(Hardback)

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Description

The Washington, DC, punk scene of the 1980s gave birth to bands like Bad Brains, Minor Threat and Fugazi. Here that scene is portrayed in its purest form: an oral history by the creators themselves, including nearly 200 photographs capturing the power and spirit of this politically progressive corner of American underground music. Features rare images from Jim Saah, Cynthia Connolly, Lucian Perkins and other talented photographers of bands including Bad Brains, Teen Idles, Minor Threat, Faith, Fugazi, Soulside, Shudder to Think, Nation of Ulysses, Dag Nasty, Jawbox, Swiz, King Face and more.

Reviews

Spoke...explores a dynamic music scene that could not be ignored. Each chapter reveals a different band, their oral history and photos with the same intensity of the documentary.
--Punk Globe Magazine

Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Void, Swiz, Government Issue...Where would hardcore be without the '80s DC scene Spoke: Images and Stories from the 1980s Washington, DC Punk Scene features rare images from the photographers that documented the movement. Curated by Scott Crawford--the guy behind the superb Salad Days documentary--Spoke covers all of the usual suspects but also includes lesser-known yet important DC bands like Beefeater and Marginal Man. Its coffee table size is also a bonus, making any living room 100% cooler with it in it.
--No Echo

As a visual record, the coffee-table book succeeds commendably with page after page of gorgeous, oversized, black-and-white images of the prime movers in D.C. punk circa the Me Decade. So you get the expected--Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Fugazi--but also a hefty dose of the underdogs--Fire Party, Beefeater, Nation of Ulysses. The photos tell the story better than accompanying texts--all kinetic action, the pages are almost humid with sweat and spit.
--Orlando Weekly

This book has been published to accompany the recent (and rather excellent) documentary Salad Days, which was directed by this book's creator, Scott Crawford. The core of the book features over 200 high quality photos from the likes of Jim Saah, Cynthia Connolly and Bert Queiroz. Most of these are monochrome (some with a sepia tone, a few others in full colour), several never published before and all strikingly clear and evoking the era perfectly. These images alone captivate, bringing this most influential and politically progressive Punk scene to life.
--Scanner Zine

Features profiles of more than two dozen bands, beginning with the Bad Brains and including Fugazi, Minor Threat, Shudder To Think, Jawbox, Government Issue, and SOA (with a young Henry Rollins).
--Bay Area Reporter

This volume serves as a visual and narrative companion to Salad Days, a 2014 documentary, also by Crawford, that explores the 1980s Washington, D.C., hardcore punk scene. Like the film, the book sheds light on the ways in which the music coming out of the nation's capital, by bands such as Bad Brains and Fugazi, served as a mode of political and economic critique.
--Publishers Weekly

Loaded with photos (lots from photographer Jim Saah), the volume is a joy to thumb through, or read cover-to-cover. The images practically jump off the page and a reader can't but help be energized just looking at this.
--A Pessimist is Never Disappointed

Praise for the film Salad Days:

Acts not only as a musical primer but as a monument to a moment: when punk was both a way to find kinship with like-minded oddballs and a tool for fighting issues like racism and economic disparity.
--Rolling Stone

An enlightening documentary.
--New York Times

A sharp exploration into what made DC punk tick, and how it continues to inspire.
--MTV News

Author Bio

Scott Crawford is a filmmaker, music journalist, and graphic designer. As a teenager, he founded Metrozine, a fanzine dedicated to the DC hardcore punk scene. In 2001, he launched Harp magazine and served as its editor-in-chief for over seven years. His documentary debut, Salad Days, played around the world and received critical accolades from the New York Times to Rolling Stone. He lives in Washington, DC.