Punk and Hardcore Fliers, Zines, and Ephemera

Punk and Hardcore Fliers, Zines and Ephemerais a dynamic representation of a period when music subcultures adopted methods used by earlier culture-jamming groups such as the DaDaists and Situationists to creatively promote their own movement. The materials span from the early 1970’s covering the glam rock and punk scenes of New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, as well as the garage rock and power pop revivals, American hardcore, English peace-punk, and industrial music scenes to form an overview of underground music culture of the last forty years.

Often there is a common thread of restless youths seeking to express themselves as much visually as they were musically. But in an age without the Internet, the flier, the handbill, and the zine were essential to the experience. Iconic design elements still recognized today were the result of often simple experimentation fueled by the very soundtracks they were advocating.

In addition to more than a hundred and fifty fliers on view, the presentation also includes a broad selection of self-published zines and periodicals. Like the show announcements, the b&w staple-bound publications have been assembled with tape and scissors at the xerox machine, reflecting the energetic and often scrappy character of the burgeoning scene. Featuring reviews of shows and recent album releases, musician interviews, adverts, artworks and writing, the zines capture the disaffected but spirited voice of the overlapping communities that cared most about the movement.

Bands such as The New York Dolls, Black Flag, The Ramones and those whose success was more marginal such as Crime, The Residents, and The Nuns are among those featured.

Punk and Hardcore Fliers, Zines and Ephemerais curated by Johan Kugelberg.