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Gainesville Punk: A History of Bands & Music
Known for The Fest, Less Than Jake and Hot Water Music, Gainesville became a creative hub in the 1980s and '90s for many of punk rock's greats. Whether playing at the Hardback or wild house parties, earnest acts like Against Me!, Spoke and Roach Motel all emerged and thrived in the small northern Florida city. Radon burst onto the scene with chaotic energy while Mutley Chix helped inspire local torchbearers No Idea Records. Through this succinct history, author Matt Walker traces each successive generation's contributions and amplifies the fidelity of the Gainesville scene.
- GenresMusicPunkNonfiction
160 pages, Paperback
Published November 7, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
September 15, 2025
Dookie was described as, "snotty" and BJA legit shot bottle rockets out of his ass in 1993.
Chris from Less Than Jake met Roger at a party and brought him in for a practice. Less Than Jake were viewed as controversial careerists because they practiced, "religiously" and some people in the Gainesville scene frowned upon ska music, even though ska is cool.
Hot Water Music started as acoustic porch songwriting and almost folded early in the game because of European touring.
Laura Jane Grace met Andrew Seward at a show in Murfreesboro, Tennessee and they exchanged emails. He sent Laura an email when he was drunk saying that (s)he should kick out their bass player and let him join. Seward was in Gainesville in two weeks with only a bike, his bass, and amp, sleeping on a floor for over a month because he loved Reinventing Axl Rose (hashtagmetoo).
The first bass player that jammed with my first band sent us a nasty email when he was blackout drunk that said our music would never make people dance (it did). Recruiting potential members for a startup band from OkCupid may not have worked out in the long game, but heck, it was actually a decent idea because you could search what artists they liked (also similar to early .edu era Facebook).
Even after releasing New Wave and White Crosses, Against Me! still played house shows under the name Gift Certificate or the Bitchy Ponies!
Hashtagupthepunx.
Chris from Less Than Jake met Roger at a party and brought him in for a practice. Less Than Jake were viewed as controversial careerists because they practiced, "religiously" and some people in the Gainesville scene frowned upon ska music, even though ska is cool.
Hot Water Music started as acoustic porch songwriting and almost folded early in the game because of European touring.
Laura Jane Grace met Andrew Seward at a show in Murfreesboro, Tennessee and they exchanged emails. He sent Laura an email when he was drunk saying that (s)he should kick out their bass player and let him join. Seward was in Gainesville in two weeks with only a bike, his bass, and amp, sleeping on a floor for over a month because he loved Reinventing Axl Rose (hashtagmetoo).
The first bass player that jammed with my first band sent us a nasty email when he was blackout drunk that said our music would never make people dance (it did). Recruiting potential members for a startup band from OkCupid may not have worked out in the long game, but heck, it was actually a decent idea because you could search what artists they liked (also similar to early .edu era Facebook).
Even after releasing New Wave and White Crosses, Against Me! still played house shows under the name Gift Certificate or the Bitchy Ponies!
Hashtagupthepunx.
December 15, 2016
Terrific, quick, enjoyable read about a scene I was lucky enough to be around throughout my 20s & 30s. Great to learn some of the background and hard work of folks who built the Gainesville scene. So much great music came out of our town (im a proud Gainesville native) and it's great for so many of the people who made it a special place get their just due.
Walker -- a fine writer -- does a great job managing expectations about the scope of such a history in the introduction but I had three minor quibbles:
(1) I would have liked the book to be ~40 pages longer as third section about the 2000s feels a bit rushed and less in depth than the first 2/3rds giving short shrift to some great bands; (2) some added attention to the role of the Civic Media Center as an accessible all-ages venue -- especially in the immediate post-Hardback/Dish years; and (3) some discussion about the effect of Fest on the local scene. The Fest is great, no doubt, but it felt like as it got bigger and bigger (say c. 2006-8) touring bands would come though much less frequently since they knew they were coming in October. What effect did this have on bands, venues, etc. Tricky to tackle in a history since the scene and Fest are still ongoing but would have been interesting discussion.
Walker -- a fine writer -- does a great job managing expectations about the scope of such a history in the introduction but I had three minor quibbles:
(1) I would have liked the book to be ~40 pages longer as third section about the 2000s feels a bit rushed and less in depth than the first 2/3rds giving short shrift to some great bands; (2) some added attention to the role of the Civic Media Center as an accessible all-ages venue -- especially in the immediate post-Hardback/Dish years; and (3) some discussion about the effect of Fest on the local scene. The Fest is great, no doubt, but it felt like as it got bigger and bigger (say c. 2006-8) touring bands would come though much less frequently since they knew they were coming in October. What effect did this have on bands, venues, etc. Tricky to tackle in a history since the scene and Fest are still ongoing but would have been interesting discussion.
March 20, 2023
Taught me so much about downtown Gainesville and its musical history, can't recommend enough for Gainesvilleites
July 10, 2025
feeling nostalgic about gainesville :(
February 2, 2026
I really enjoyed getting a history of my college punk days in Gainesville. I was in college there from the late 1990s to the early 2000s and I’ve always felt lucky to have experienced the scene there. I knew Gainesville was special, but this book really highlighted that with stories about the variety of
bands, the inclusion of women and LGBTQ community, and the awesome venues. I was a volunteer at Wayward Council and loved the section on this unique space. It felt special when I volunteered there, but being young I didn’t appreciate it for its inclusivity at the time. Gainesville and the scene shaped me in ways that I still carry with me and this book was a fun encapsulation of a punk town in a swamp. It is true “we can’t help it if we’re from Florida”, but we built an amazingly fun musical scene out of that deficiency. I highly recommend if you grew up in Florida (or even beyond) and love punk music!
bands, the inclusion of women and LGBTQ community, and the awesome venues. I was a volunteer at Wayward Council and loved the section on this unique space. It felt special when I volunteered there, but being young I didn’t appreciate it for its inclusivity at the time. Gainesville and the scene shaped me in ways that I still carry with me and this book was a fun encapsulation of a punk town in a swamp. It is true “we can’t help it if we’re from Florida”, but we built an amazingly fun musical scene out of that deficiency. I highly recommend if you grew up in Florida (or even beyond) and love punk music!
November 9, 2016
This is a solid chronicle of the Gainesville punk scene. Everything is here, from the record stores and house shows to stories of musicians selling plasma twice a week to make rent from show to show. So good, I could almost smell the anarcho-punks, taste the pizza from Leo's, and feel the hard wooden floors that I've taken an all-too-brief slumber on after so many amazing Gainesville nights.
March 5, 2017
Having grown up in Gainesville, a high school and college kid in the 90s, I was intensely engaged in the punk scene during that time. So, as a history of a scene I know very well I'm glad to see the feeling of it come through so well. Walker really has done the punk music scene in Gainesville a great service, and it makes me nostalgic for that time and reawakens my natural activist instincts.
October 21, 2024
Love some of the bigger Gainesville bands and this book gave me a whole slew of smaller ones I’d never heard of to check out. Can’t wait to get into the city and see some of these places at The Fest.
December 18, 2017
This makes me want to go to The Fest even more!
November 14, 2021
Interesting, if concise, book on the history of punk in Gainesville.
May 5, 2022
A fun canter through an excellent scene.
December 4, 2025
Quick, fun read. Loved learning a little history about a scene in my hometown that I enjoy from afar, and getting new music recommendations at the same time.
March 28, 2023
A nice short book about the punk scene in Gainesville. This was a nice read and there’s not too much more to say than that- but I have discovered some new bands from this
February 14, 2017
A loveletter to punk rock fans. Especially those involved in the Gainesville scene.
This book is short, sweet, and to the point but packed full of great stuff much like the music it covers.
This book is short, sweet, and to the point but packed full of great stuff much like the music it covers.
February 6, 2017
I've only been to Gainesville twice--once for an Against Me! show in... 2010(?), and again in 2012 for Fest (punk rock Mecca, no?). But No Idea bands have been a pretty big part of my life for the last decade or so. The label definitely had a big hand in shaping my post-teenage taste--my musical second act, maybe.
California and Florida--the two places in the country from which I live the farthest--have given me more music than anywhere else in the country, or world. This book kind of makes me want to move. Lots of cities have great scenes, but punk rock is like a way of life in Gainesville.
Good job of capturing it in words, Matt. It was almost like being there again. And the trip was significantly less expensive this time.
California and Florida--the two places in the country from which I live the farthest--have given me more music than anywhere else in the country, or world. This book kind of makes me want to move. Lots of cities have great scenes, but punk rock is like a way of life in Gainesville.
Good job of capturing it in words, Matt. It was almost like being there again. And the trip was significantly less expensive this time.
December 16, 2016
Is punk news.org your home page? Have you ever made the annual pilgrimage to the Fest? Is Hot Water Music your favourite band? If you can answer yes to any of those questions, this book is essential reading for you.
Not meant to be an all encompassing guide but an overview of the history of the Gainesville punk rock scene to the present day. With such a rich history of great punk rock bands Matt Walker did his best to scratch the surface of this scene.
If you take anything away from this book it's the great DIY spirit of punk rock and a giant list of bands you need to check out.
Not meant to be an all encompassing guide but an overview of the history of the Gainesville punk rock scene to the present day. With such a rich history of great punk rock bands Matt Walker did his best to scratch the surface of this scene.
If you take anything away from this book it's the great DIY spirit of punk rock and a giant list of bands you need to check out.
December 24, 2016
Fantastic read! And from such a dashingly handsome author, ooh lordie!!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews