Pop-punk not just for adolescence, look for mature bands

Blink-182 recently announced a slew of tour dates to commemorate the band’s 20th… Blink-182 recently announced a slew of tour dates to commemorate the band’s 20th anniversary.

By the time the arena tour starts, bassist Mark Hoppus will be the ripe age of 40, with bandmates Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker clocking in at 36. Although they have attempted new, more mature sounds, it’s fair to presume they’re still going to sing about growing up and high school girlfriends, with the occasional dick joke segue.

In all likelihood, the group won’t be able to recapture the magic of 1998, but it won’t matter. Nostalgia is the driving factor in a Blink anniversary tour. But why satiate yourself with memories of junior high? Just dive right back into the sea of pop-punk and find it exactly as you remember it: honest, fast and fun.

Pop-punk has meant a lot of things to its listeners over the years.

It was heartfelt enough that you could put Blink-182’s “Josie” on the mixtape you were making for your hopeful date to the big school dance, yet rebellious enough that you had to hide it from your parents so they wouldn’t see that dreaded Parental Advisory sticker. It was a time to meet your friends in the parking lot of the local VFW — another fact hidden from your parents — to wait for the doors to open for the show so you could buy T-shirts made with stencils in a drummer’s garage. You shouted along to those gang choruses, telling yourself that things were never going to change.

Then you grew up, decided that pop-punk was kids’ stuff unfit for your massive intellect and that the genre as a whole was garbage. The music elitist in you somehow convinced you that fast-paced music brimming with authenticity and fun was beneath you simply because there were no more dances in the school gym. Do not fall for this trap. There are plenty of good, relevant bands in the genre for the twenty-something in college.

While a good chunk of pop-punk is still about friendship and relationships, this isn’t a bad thing. It’s not like these issues disappear at any point in your lifetime. The trick is finding the bands that write about these things while also finding ways to make them more age-relevant. Thanks to the widespread availability of music through sites like Bandcamp and If You Make It, there’s something for everyone.

Feeling bummed and need a reminder of the people who help you through it? Check out Spraynard’s Funtitled, an album filled with positivity about subjects such as giving up video games for the sake of real-world accomplishments and finding yourself with the help of friends.

Maybe you’re still lost in the world but want to be happy and jam. Iron Chic’s Not Like This was made for you with philosophical reminiscence of defining life moments.

Perhaps you’re at a crossroads, unsure of whether you should cling to your past or head into an unknown future. Look no further than The Menzingers’ new album On the Impossible Past as the band reflects on memories while growing into a more alternative sound.

Or possibly you just want to be silly again. Go for Direct Hit!’s Domesplitter and its references to monsters and “Home Alone 2.”

But most importantly, get to a show.

The pop-punk show, whether it’s played in a friend’s basement or on an established stage, is a sight to behold. Countless bodies vault from the stage into the crowd. I’ve been jumped on, battered and kicked in places feet shouldn’t reach. But each time these things happened, multiple show-goers were there to pick me up and make sure I was OK before jumping back into the pit.

This camaraderie is the heart and soul of pop-punk. Bands play for gas money and release their material for donation-based prices through the internet. Fans line up for merch and colored vinyl LPs.

When my hometown venue Café Metropolis shut down in 2010, local punk favorites Title Fight gathered with friends from the scene to establish a new locale, Redwood Art Space, so other aspiring musicians could have the same opportunities they did.

It’s a bond between musicians and fans that is unrivaled in any other genre, and one that you’re never too old to be a part of. Support the bands that come through Pittsburgh at Roboto and Ormsby, and don’t think you’re too mature to have some fun.

Jeffrey Shucosky is the training director at WPTS-FM, stage-dive enthusiast and host of “So Jeff, So Clean,” which airs on the station every Tuesday night from 7 to 9. He can be reached at training@wptsradio.org.