Punk Rock Etiquette: The Ultimate How-to Guide for DIY, Punk, Indie, and Underground Bands
Grade 8 Up—From the first steps of forming a band through going on tour,Punk Rock Etiquetteprovides how-to advice on aspects of the indie and underground music scene. Nichols's narrative has a "been there and done that" tone and borders on the cheesy, as it at times tries too hard to use teen slang, but his advice is valuable even beyond the rock environment. Suggestions are offered for silk screening posters and T-shirts, designing Web pages, and using social networking sites to help create a brand, all of which could apply as easily to poetry-slam hosts and other creative groups as to rockers. For would-be performers, the author provides sage advice on recording and tips on touring, from what vehicles to use to what to pack. Parents and advisors should be aware that tour tips include sleeping in cars while traveling cross country or staying at the homes of strangers, practices that seem unsafe, particularly for teens. In areas where many students are hoping to make their way in the music world, however, the good advice is valuable and will appeal to a broad audience. The illustrations, spread throughout, are most successful in the comic of one band's road trip in the middle of the book. In other places, the animal characters are so cute that it is hard to tell if Nichols is being ironic, which would appeal to his audience, or if he felt that the cuteness would gel with the punk rock style.—Alana Abbott, James Blackstone Memorial Library, Branford, CTCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.