Back in 1992, the Crumbs took over the garage at drummer Chuck Loose's house and turned it into "Garageland," a place for kids to party on the weekends while avoiding the authorities. Fourteen years later, the band members have racked up plenty of stories to tell their kids: albums released on TKO, Recess, and Lookout! Records, and tours with FYP, the Queers, Swingin' Utters, and the Donnas.
When the band first started playing its surfy, four-chord punk, the days of the Cameo Theater (and the South Florida punk scene, by extension) were already over. Rather than giving in to hopelessness, frontman Raf Classic saw that period as an opportunity to rebuild the entire scene from scratch. "There were no more twenty-dollar punk shows," he says. "In a way it was a blessing because if we wanted to do anything, it was up to us." In 2007 similar challenges await the band as it works on material for a new album.
Local act Stay Hitt is also working on a new album to win fans over to its aggressive combination of Bon Scott-like vocals over anger-management punk rock. Todd Skimak, the band's drummer, sees the South Florida punk scene lacking in some key areas. "We need some good all-ages venues and more national touring acts coming down here," he notes. "And just cool, honest musicians, because I only know a few."
Local bands come and go too quickly, he adds. "We need a lot more bands to stick things out. Too many of these guys play in bands to get laid, not because they love rock and roll."
