God save the scene

~The area's best punk bands are reason to celebrate anniversary of the genre.

Who could've guessed that 30 years after the English band the Sex Pistols released its shocking first single, "Anarchy in the U.K." in November 1976, it would be celebrated in any way by anyone.

And what rational person could've seen punk -- begun with snotty attitudes, on- and off-stage violence, aggressive instrumentation, overt sexuality and political confrontation -- go from extreme underground to, in some cases, poppy.  

Cape Girardeau , although weak in some other genres, has its share of talented anti-establishment rockers.

Squadcar

"The band was formed by (drummer) Andy (Whelan) and myself to enter the Benton Neighbor-Day thrash-punk talent show back in 1999," said frontman Shiv Schiwitz. "We lost to Acme Blues but gained the attention of the custodian."

That kind of humor is what you get with these guys, whose body of work includes "I Hate Jackson" and, from their new album "Death Jacket", "Will U Help Me Move." Squadcar can be reached through their MySpace site www.myspace.com/squadcar.

Steerjockey

They may not play much in these parts anymore, but Steerjockey is the best punk act around (although Squadcar is so good it's almost too close to call). Their newest album, a split with Carbondale's "Big Jesus," showcases the band's explosive sound and the fantastic vocals of Jason Priest. The band can be reached through their MySpace site www.myspace.com/steerjockey.

Doom in the A.M.

See story.

Last Day Fighting

I'd never heard of LDF until they played City of Roses '05. And not only did they sound like Green Day, they sounded like old Green Day (thank god). This band, comprised of four high schoolers, plays music better than a good deal of their local counterparts. LDF can be reached at their MySpace page www.myspace.com/lastdayfighting.