Netpunk February 2000

I've been thinking a lot about the websites I visit for this column. Some are way cool, and some are stupid. Some are rich with content, and some (like my site) don't get updated often enough. The coolest thing about them, though, is that they all represent people (individuals or organizations) with something to say. Sometimes I want to kick their teeth in for what they have to say, but it is the availability of the web to everyone (even those without a computer, as libraries and schools often have web access) that is so fucking cool.

Another thought running through my head is about music on the net. I often mention sites where bands have put up songs. With advancements in MP3 and Real Audio technology, the music you download sounds as good as anything I have on vinyl or CD. That being said, why aren't more bands who "aren't in it for the money" putting their entire albums or CDs online for free. If they really weren't doing it for a bit of cash, they'd stick their music up for the world to hear. I've done it at http://www.diehippiedie.com/sl9/ . Now, how about you?

Okay, on to the websites. First up this month is a super cool site I ran across for the Flex Your Head radio show, which apparently has been on the air in Vancouver, Canada for over 10 years. Lots of good stuff here, including streaming audio, reviews, interviews (some over 15 years old!), photos, and more. Well worth a visit, you'll find it at http://flexyourhead.vancouverhardcore.com/ .

Speaking of radio, P.R.O.D. (Punk Rock on Demand) Radio is a weekly internet only "radio" show at http://www.club-web.com/prod/ , and they play quite a bit of good music. The current show at this writing includes stuff by Crass, Rudimentary Peni, AFI, Aus Rotten, Reagan Youth, and a bunch more. They also archive their older shows, so there is a ton of stuff to listen to.

I got e-mail from Felipe about a site that he and some other punks have put together as a resource about Latin American punk. Divided by the countries in Central and South America, they are a mini BYOFL of the Latin Punk scene. In both Spanish and English, you'll find the site at http://webs.demasiado.com/punk/ .

A small site, but worth your time for the audio files, is Hukka Pukka. Hukka Pukka is a small distro, and this site has their catalog, a link to some hardcore flyers and photos, and Hukka Pukka Radio, which are short (5 or 6 song) shows that you can download or stream in Real Audio. Some classic hardcore and punk tunes here. Visit it at http://members.xoom.com/hukkapukka/hph.htm .

Speaking of distro, I have a couple other mailorder websites for you to take a look at. Get a Loife Mail Order from Belgium has a pretty good selection of punk and oi and is easy to look through. You still have to send them cash, and if you're in the US then shipping is expensive, but you might find that hard to find European HC record here. Get a Loife is at http://gallery.uunet.be/getaloife/ .

Another interesting, but overpriced, mail order site is the Metro Music site (http://www.metro-music.com/). Carrying all genres of music, Metro Music is a site for record collector geeks. Most of the stuff they have is WAY more than I'd be willing to pay, but it is fun to read and see what my collection would be worth if I sold at their prices (Black Randy's Idi Amin 7" is $75 here!). Anyway, as a collector geek, I found it to be fun.

If your taste runs to hardcore, noisecore, grind, power violence and the like, you might want to visit Robodog Records at http://robodog.tasam.com/ . In addition to information about the various Robodog bands, they also have a pretty nice selection of sound files, in MP3, wav, and Real Audio formats.

I ran across a goofy site (actually, I think someone probably posted the URL to the punk-list, but whatever) of Punk Rock Power-ups. Of course, those of you raised on Nintendo and the like know that Power-ups are the little icons you can pick up in games to give you more life, better weapons, invincibility, etc. Well, the guy who does this site has come up with a slew of punk rock oriented power-ups. Take a look, cuz it's a riot -- http://www.monkey.org/~nemickol/writings/punk.html .

Hey, if you're pissed at the world (and what self-respecting punk rocker isn't), then the next site will be a place you can go let off steam. Pissed Off, at http://www.pissedoff.com/ , is mostly bunch of message boards where people say what they think about all sorts of controversial issues, call each other names, and generally have a good ole time. Probably screaming at the converted (or non-convertible), but what the heck. They also have some silly cartoons, some interesting java games, and lists of "good" and "bad" organizations.

A relatively new, but extremely developed, punk site is Mister Ridiculous dot com. You'll find a ton of writing and record reviews, scene reports, a DIY section, and more. More stuff than you could possibly read in an afternoon, go to http://misterridiculous.com/ .

That's about all I have time for this month. Feel free to e-mail me with your cool website, or throw me some links of the sites that you visit all the time. E-mail netpunk@diehippiedie.com or visit http://www.diehippiedie.com/netpunk/ . See ya.