At a recent show at London’s 100 Club, a crowd of about 60 people huddled right in front of the stage and danced almost in unison as Ponytail drove aggressively through each song. Molly Siegel, the lead singer, bounced her way through the set, more fitness instructor than punk star. (Before the show a friend wrote: “Don’t look that girl in the eyes or she’ll trap you in her insane stares and flailing.”)

The full interview with Ponytail’s lead singer at INTELLIGENT LIFE

Pistolera front woman Sandra Lilia Velasquez dishes on San Diego slow pokes, fierce New Yorkers, and how to make it without a record label.

Los Angeles was a haven for punk rock in the early 80s. The city is at it again. HERE is my blog post from motherjones.com.

Livermore area teens who play and listen to loud, aggressive, fast music don’t much care what you call it. They’re not trying to create a big music scene. For many of them, the music and its accompanying lifestyle are about being independent, self-aware, motivated and, above all, social.

Scott Goodrich is one of those teens. His efforts to record music quickly and cheaply are helping foster a small scene. And at 16, Goodrich has become a sort of punk rock entrepreneur.

He taught himself how to record music in his parents’ Livermore garage about two years ago. Charging about $20 a session, he’s saved up enough to buy a 16-input mixing board and 10 microphones. It’s nothing fancy, but it gets the job done. The bands he records play music at fast tempos with the amps turned all the way up. The guys in the bands are usually his friends, and most of them have never recorded before.

“They’re garage bands,” Goodrich says nonchalantly.

The Goodrich family’s two dogs meander around the garage during recording sessions, and Scott’s younger sister usually hangs out and watches, too. Since Scott’s parents get up early for work, bands have to stop playing by 7 p.m. — that’s the rule.

Read the full story at the San Francisco Chronicle.