We Never Learn - the Gunk Punk Undergut

My friend and garage rock aficionado, Erick Z, has kindly stepped up and contributed this review of a new book he thought y'all might be interested in - the recently published We Never Learn: The Gunk Punk Undergut, 1988-2001 from Backbeat Books. The nice extra about this book is the download you get with purchase compiling many of the bands mentioned in it. Take it away EZ:

In We Never Learn: The Gunk Punk Undergut, 1988-2001 (Book), New Bomb Turks frontman Eric Davidson casts a wide net in covering what he dubs the "gunk punk" movement of 1988-2001. This was the last wave of punk rock that burst through the underground before MySpace, Facebook, and blogs facilitated the spread of new and exciting sounds. The bands documented within these pages fall into a tight little niche: slightly less aggro than hardcore but with a fanatical reverence for old 60s garage rock that avoided the corny parody and Beatle boots of typical 60s tribute bands. Davidson is the perfect tour guide for this journey that starts off in his hometown of Cleveland Ohio and then leaps around the globe, touching down in the midst of the varied scenes that comprised the gunk punk movement: San Francisco's "budget rock"; the garage rock of Japan and Detroit; NYC; the Pacific Northwest; and more. What gives Davidson the cred to write about all of this is that he was no mere hanger-on or after-the-fact historian. He was a notable member of this movement who spent ample time on the road with many of these bands. As he relates these histories he also manages to offer a glimpse into the story of New Bomb Turks. A quick glance at the "honor roll" at the back of the book includes a wide range of groups: The Dwarves; Teengenerate; The Gories; The Rip-Offs; The Mummies; Nine Pound Hammer; Supercharger; Boss Hog; Dead Moon; The Supersuckers; and so many other noteworthy inclusions.

In addition to honoring the bands who comprised this movement, Davidson also pays homage to the record labels who promoted and released these sounds. A great deal of time is dedicated to Crypt Records founder Tim Warren. The zany, amped-up walking encyclopedia of garage rock released the first edition of the Back From The Grave comp series in 1983 which exhumed the long forgotten sounds that served as the backbone for much of this music. From that point up to the present day, he has provided a platform for many bands who didn't have many other options for releasing their records. Other important labels are given mention as well, including Estrus, Norton, Rip-Off,and Sympathy For The Record Industry. Davidson manages to squeeze in a ton of band histories that are too numerous to list along with the requisite road stories that are an integral part of any book about bands. As an extra, there's a little bit of gossip about why the denizens of the Detroit garage scene are less than enthralled with Jack White.

We Never Learn is a raucous joyride full of love and humor that pays tribute to a musical era that truly deserves to be documented for posterity.

 Order it here.