The Kids Are All Right: Panic Land

By Michael Weiler
Contributing Writer

Punk rock and those who are considered to be “punk” are known for many things. But more than anything, they are known for what they are not. They are not the type to cruise the malls. They are not the type to go to Hot Topic. They are not the type who to buy clothes off of racks for more than a few bucks—opting to find their gems on the racks of Thrift Stores instead. They are not the type to listen to whatever is hot on iTunes or what is pushed through social media outlets.

It’s not a certain look, not a hairstyle, not a “tat” or a piercing—it’s about dancing to a drumbeat all their own. In the face of acceptance or rejection, of social convention or “selling out,” they choose rejection almost every time—no matter the consequences.

Panic Land, from Winnipeg, Manitoba, recognizes that their fight is an uphill battle.

“We don’t want to stick to normal pop punk song formulas like last year, or normal pop punk anything,” explains Brandon Horbacio, lead singer and guitarist. “We’d rather not wear striped shirts and baggy Dickies.” 

It was December, 1980—and in early 1981—in Washington D.C., where America’s version of punk rock and the D.I.Y. (Do-it-yourself) method were born. Bands like Minor Threat and Government Issue and S.O.A. burst onto the music scene. And with that, the landscape of music was changed forever.

It was about doing it your way. It was about doing it without help or input from major record labels, seen by many as little more than “hit factories,” trying to squeeze every last dollar out of every singer and every cliché song. For these trailblazers, it was about being different; sometimes even indifferent. Panic Land does not stray far from this code.

“We try to do as much as we can ourselves instead of waiting for people to do it for us,” Horbacio explained. “For example, we try to organize all of our own shows. We make the posters and print our own tickets. Everything from recording our music the way we want to, to printing our own T-shirts ourselves. It’s all about us being in control.”

Though simple, that—in a nutshell—is what punk rock has been and always will be about. No compromise, no excuses, no backing down.

Questions and comments: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

IF YOU GO:
What: Panic Land open for Ice Station Zebra
Where: Gio’s Event Center
When: Friday, March 25. Music starts at 7 p.m.
Cost: Cover is $7 for this all-ages event.