page_title: Link 80
section_title: Band history
hierarchical_section_title: Link 80 / Band history
caption_attribution_description: English: Link 80 at the train tracks and Gilman Street. 1996. Adam Pereria, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Aaron Nagel, Joey Bustos, Nick Traina. Berkeley, California.
context_page_description: Link 80 was an American punk rock/ska punk band from San Francisco's East Bay, United States.
context_section_description: Link 80 started in the summer 1993 in the East Bay of California. In the beginning, original members (guitarist Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, drummer Joey Bustos, bassist Adam Pereira and singer Jeff Acree) played around town as Drano, The Rag-Tags, and Mr. Slave-Unit, before settling on Link 80.
  The name came from the interstate highway I-80 which they used to get to the drummer's garage for band practice and connected the band members' homes: members lived in Oakland, Berkeley and Richmond.
  In May 1995, Nick Traina joined the band after meeting Adam at a show in San Francisco's Mission District. Nick's passion and voice combined with the rest of the band to make them different from most ska bands and gave Link 80 the "against the rest" attitude they display throughout their lyrics. Far more punk than ska and with an energy and a sense of immediacy lacking in pop-oriented ska bands, Link 80 was able to avoid the clichés of ska-punk characterized by their peers. As Asian Man Records describes them, they are an energetic blend of ska, punk rock, and hardcore.
  The band's lyrics, audio samples and album artwork are notable for their diverse use of film and television references including The Twilight Zone, The Usual Suspects, American Me, Happy Gilmore, Stand by Me, Pretty In Pink and I Walked with a Zombie.
caption: Link 80. 1996. Adam Pereria, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Aaron Nagel, Joey Bustos, Nick Traina. Berkeley, California.
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