Event

Let Them Know: Youth Brigade and BYO Records

A lasting tribute and testament to over 25 years of BYO, Youth Brigade and the DIY spirit that has inspired and continues to inspire so many to change the world.

By the time the second wave of Los Angeles punk rock began to crest in the early 1980's, most historians had already closed the book. But things were just starting to get interesting. The music was getting harder and faster, politics became integral to the scene, police-on-punk violence and massive riots were de rigueur, and the concept of "D.I.Y." transformed from a necessity into a battle cry. It was at this time that the Better Youth Organization was born. Founded by Canadian brothers, Shawn and Mark Stern of the influential L.A. punk band Youth Brigade, the BYO was part political movement and part business venture. Even though they were only teenagers at the time, Shawn, Mark, and the BYO crew found a way to organize punks to take positive action to help sustain their scene and way of life. Among other things, they helped countless bands put on shows, they were instrumental in the creation of the landmark punk documentary "Another State of Mind", and they started BYO Records, which remains one of the oldest surviving independent punk rock labels in the world. BYO, Youth Brigade, and the Stern Family are three intertwined entities that comprise an all-too-often overlooked chapter in the history of punk. This movie is that chapter.

Interviews with Ian MacKaye (Fugazi, Minor Threat, founder of Dischord Records), Fat Mike (NOFX, Me First & The Gimme Gimmes, founder of Fat Wreck Chords), Matt Skiba (Alkaline Trio), Gary Tovar (found of Goldenvoice Promotions), Brendan Mullen (founder of The Masque Club, author of "Lexicon Devil: The Fast Times and Short Life of Darby Crash and The Germs", members of The Bouncing Souls, Swingin' Utters, 7 Seconds, and many others involved in the So Cal Punk Scene.

Additional info found at BYO Records -- http://www.byorecords.com/index.php?page=one_band&aid=69