Underground: The Subterranean Culture of DIY Punk Shows

by Daniel Makagon

Underground is all about the history and future of DIY punk touring in the USA. Daniel Makagon explores the culture of DIY spaces like house shows and community-based music spaces, their impact on underground communities and economies, and why these networks matter. He shows that no matter who you are, organizing, playing, and/or attending a DIY punk show is an opportunity to become a real part of a meaningful movement and to create long-lasting alternatives to the top-down economic and artistic practices of the mainstream music industry. Punk kids playing an illegal show too loudly in someone's basement might not save the world, but they might just be showing us the way to building something better.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2015

Reviews

[Lucas Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

The nature of DIY punk is inherently sporadic, spread-out, and non-inter-connecting except through its ethos, which can make it a challenge to piece together in a book- Something the author makes a point to address. As a reading experience, it becomes clear that the book will be limited by the author's unique experiences and the research he is able to conduct within his web of connections. This may sound like a harrowed-in experience but as you continue, much like DIY culture itself, those discoveries become a universe in its own right.

Everybody experiences DIY culture differently- That's what makes it beautiful. What I found most interesting about this book was the surprising intersectionality between DIY punk house shows and my job as an urban planner. It's not like the author was dropping facts on car-centrism or zoning law, but it did go in depth on the concept of space and how it shapes the experience and behavior of groups in concert with the organization of DIY shows.

It may seem odd to take a "big picture" view of DIY culture that is so spread-out and island-like, but it will make you smarter on how these spaces and movements come together and work. It's less focused on the music itself (At least, compared to a book like David Byrnes "How Music Works") and is moreso about the culture and spaces. Recommend if you're into that or something you've ought to explore!

[Andy Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grant my rare five stars to this socio review of punk communities, their spaces and behaviour. Makacon writes with energy and extensive research. It's a profound point of connection being made between the punk movement, maker-spaces, project management, community groups, publishing and promotion. Not exhaustive and concentrated in America it still manages to import a great deal of inspiration.

[Topher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Way more insightful and interesting than I expected, diving into the economies and psychologies of different approaches to DIY & community spaces through the ages. Would love to read a second edition post-Ghost Ship fire though, since that felt like such a monumental shift for DIY.

[Malik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engaging and informative read deconstructing the world of American punk.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. As someone that goes to a fair amount of shows but has never booked one it was interesting learning more about the inner-workings of the scene and how much effort it takes to book shows and the differences between doing house shows, volunteer-run spaces, and random one-off spaces. I liked how the author's examples ranged from early 80's scenes to today's scenes. It shows how the times and technology have changed some things but other things have stayed the same. Plus being from the Chicago burbs, i have been to some of the houses mentioned in here and seen some of the bands interviewed or pictured which is cool. I've read some other books about punk(American Hardcore, Our Band Could Be Your Life) and while they were good i didn't feel the same kind of connection to them since i wasn't a part of those scenes, i was either not born yet or a little kid when all the bands discussed were together. This book, since it's partially about the very recent past, now, and future of diy punk that made it more interesting for me. So yeah all-in-all a great book.