My Dream Punk Band

I love punk music, mostly new school punk music. I'm not as into the old school stuff, but I like some of it. After much time thinking about this, here is the dream punk band that I would love to see come together someday!

Lead Vocals: Mike Herrera (MxPx)

This was the hardest spot for me to fill, because there are many great singers who could take this role. For me, it was a toss-up for me between Mike and Trever Keith. To be honest, I could go either way. I went with Mike, though, because of his overall songwriting skills, singing ability, and more melodic style. MxPx was the first punk band I ever got into (if you don’t include Plankeye), and Mike Herrera has been the band’s frontman for over 18 years. Further, it’s important to consider that the lead singer is often the leader of the band as far as stage presence, and Herrera has great stage presence, so it just makes sense.

Lead Guitar: Jackson Mould (Slick Shoes)

This one was a no-brainer. In fact, Jackson Mould might actually be able to be a punk band by himself. In the early days of Slick Shoes, he wrote all the lyrics, all the guitar parts, and was lead vocals. There are other great punk guitarists out there from whom to choose (e.g. Rufio, Saosin, Hangnail, Four Year Strong, Strung Out); however, I’m going with the guy who single-handedly introduced an entire generation to new school punk rock with an 80s flair, AND who is not ashamed to talk about Jesus! I’ll never forget the 99’ Tooth and Nail Winter Festival in Salem, OR; Jackson Mould and the Supertones were the only two musicians to take time in the middle of their set to share about Jesus Christ. Not that the other bands weren’t Christian, but on that day, Jackson Mould sealed his title as greatest punk guitarist ever in my book.

Backup Guitar / Backup Vocals: Trever Keith (Face to Face)

Trever Keith almost made it as lead vocalist, but I gave it to Mike for the reasons listed above. Also, Face to Face is doubly represented in my lineup, so I had to give extra cred to MxPx. Trever Keith not only has one of the coolest voices for a punk singer, but also is a great guitarist, too. On the Face to Face “goodbye” tour in 2005, Trever Keith was the only guitarist, playing all lead and rhythm parts, and it sounded great live. That’s pretty amazing, considering one of the key distinctives of Face to Face is their use of two guitars on their recordings. I should also mention that Trever Keith would only play backup guitar if it was in no way offensive to Jackson Mould. As I said earlier, does Jackson really need another guitarist? No. Does he even need other band members? Probably not. But, my guess is that Jackson would be humble enough to let Trever play, too, so I’m all for it!

Bass Guitar: Scott Shiflett (Face to Face)

This one was an easy one for me, because I’ve known it for a long time. Scott Shiflett is just the best punk bassist out there. He’s one of the only punk bassists I know who routinely does cool bass lines between verses and during the verses that isn’t simply the bass note the guitarist is playing. I don’t know much else about the guy, except that he is a great bassist AND a great backup vocalist. I would like to see Scott sing some backup vocals, too, but the prime backup position goes to Trever Keith.

Drummer: Travis Barker (Blink-182)

This was another easy one for me. I am at a point now, where I mostly listen to Blink-182 just to hear Travis Barker drum. I like Tom Delonge’s guitar parts, but it’s pretty much the Travis Barker show. I haven’t heard another punk drummer who plays like him. Granted, this isn’t my area of expertise, but from what my ears tell me they like to hear, they like to hear Travis Barker on drums. Off the top of my head, I would probably give honorable mention in this category to the drummers in Saosin and Four Year Strong.

Lyrics: Collaborative effort by Sick of Change and Broken Cedars

No punk band has better lyrics in my book than Sick of Change and Broken Cedars. So, they will work collaboratively to write the most unbelievable lyrics ever to be heard from a punk band. These bands have led me many times to moments of spontaneous worship, reminding me of the amazing love of God, and the wonder of his grace that he fully displayed by dying in our place on the cross for us and being resurrected from the dead. To this day, I have all of the lyrics from Broken Cedar’s first CD printed on my office wall. These guys will bring you into the throne room to worship Jesus!