Punk rock has always been something of a curious genre to me, where the original intent seemed to get lost on later generations of the style. Punk, in its formative years, wasn’t specifically about a style of music. It was more about a mindset that could care less about commercialism, and flipped a big fat middle finger at mainstream music, styles, and ideals.
Of course, the 2nd generation punks decided to copy the music of their forefathers, totally reversing the ideal of originality and doing what you want, to a style that forced you to mimic previous music.
In truth, just like most indie bands are not independent at all, most punk bands are just about the farthest thing from punk. But there are exceptions. Mudhoney. Fugazi. And Elvis Costello.
Elvis Costello? A punk rocker? Well, not Ramones-style punk, but “I don’t care what you think, I’m going to do whatever the fuck I want”-style punk. His style has always been unique, and he’s switched genres enough to prove that this man could care less about what’s popular on the radio – he just wants to play whatever kind of music he wants to play.
So check out this bootleg of Mr. Costello playing at the Bridge School Benefit last month. It may just change the way you look at punk rock.
Download the entire show here.
Troubled Souls Unite 
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