Following the lead of Amoeba San Francisco and Berkeley, Amoeba Hollywood has debuted its own punk section. The section, located in the main room, straight back and on the left from when you walk into the store, has loads of CDs, LPs, Punk T-shirts and patches. Genres include Punk, Hardcore, Oi, Crust, Thrash, Metalcore, and more.









The video below shows some of the shirts you can find at Amoeba.

 
Check out a list of classic punk and hardcore records you can find in the store, many of which have their roots right here in our little corner of the country (more specifically, L.A., especially The South Bay, and Orange County).
 
Adolescents – Adolescents (CD or LP)
 
A supergroup of sorts formed in Fullerton, with members of Agent Orange and Social Distortion, Adolescents’ first album influenced legions with a sound that remained tuneful and dynamic within the hardcore punk rock frame of mostly short songs played hard and fast. It’s difficult to imagine Orange County descendants like Pennywise, The Offspring and No Doubt solidifying the So. Cal. punk sound without this first combustible blast of a record. Plus, their first single was called “Amoeba,” so that’s awesome too!
 

Just as OFF!'s Amoeba Hollywood in-store was back in October 2010, yesterday afternoon's (May 12th) energized set by the SoCal punk rock super-group at Amoeba Music Berkeley was equally off the hook (pun intended) with a sound mix that was perfect, a set list that included lots off the recommended new album (OFF! avail on LP and CD), and between song banter by Keith Morris that was at once entertaining and enlightening.


Check out the official Amoeba Music photos HERE.

As lead singer and former member of the influential and iconic West Coast punk outfits Black Flag and Circle Jerks, Keith Morris has done in the past, again at Amoeba Music yesterday he reiterated how he and his bandmates [Dimitri Coats (Burning Brides), Steven McDonald (Redd Kross), and Mario Rubalcaba (Earthless/Hot Snakes/Rocket From the Crypt)] like to distance themselves from the term "punk" but rather consider themselves simply "human." He made that statement right before OFF! jumped into another five song set of high-energy, fast delivered, short n satisfying punk rock sounding songs. He even made a joke about how their songs are so short, typically one minute in length (like on their new 16 minute, 16 track album), that five songs take five minutes to play.

Yesterday's in-store show was more packed than I have ever seen one at Amoeba Berkeley (easily at, or close to, the 300 maximum capacity mark) and was made up of a wonderful cross-section of people of all ages from new younger teenaged/20 something fans to folks who were followers of Black Flag and the other bands OFF! were in from when they first started out - many of them bringing their kids along with them. Knowing how loud an OFF! show can get parents of some of the kids came prepared by placing muffler headphones (like the guys guiding planes at the airport wear) over the little ones' ears. This became fodder for Keith Morris in one of his many entertaining between song mic breaks when, before he would curse out loud some oppressive power, he advised parents to cover their kids' ears so as not to hear the "FUCK" word. "Oh I see they already have their ears covered," he quipped, pointing to the headphones kids in photo above. Morris, who in his October 2010 Amoeba interview noted that the band's name means "Get the fuck OFF! my back," spoke out against many issues including how the US government needs to stop policing the world and stay the hell out of other countries' political problems and wars (to applause). He had no good words to say about Republicans, but the current administration didn't fare much better either. He admonished Barack Obama, even if he is "a good guy" he said, noting how rather than working on saving the country the prez was busy down "in Studio City hanging out" with Hollywood celebrities for fundraising purposes solely.

The West Coast hardcore punk super-group OFF! play Amoeba Berkeley today at 4pm but if you are a fan of this amazing band you know this fact already, probably attended their anticipated Slim's show last night, and more likely have already snagged your Amoeba wristband for today's free in-store show and signing line that follows which you got from buying the band's just released self-titled official debut album - simply entitled OFF!, on Vice Records at Amoeba (only 300 wristbands available).

Comprised of Keith Morris (Black Flag/Circle Jerks), Dimitri Coats (Burning Brides), Steven McDonald (Redd Kross), and Mario Rubalcaba (Earthless/Hot Snakes/Rocket From the Crypt) OFF! epitomize the term "super group" but unlike so many so-called super-groups who fall short of their collective parts - OFF! somehow manage to push the music to new heights. Simply put; OFF! are off the fuckin' hook! Truly an amazing band!

Around the time OFF! played Amoeba Hollywood (see concert video above + interview below of their October 2010 in-store at the SoCal Amoeba) Vice Recordings released the 4-record set OFF! The First 4 EPs (with artwork, like the just released LP, by Raymond Pettibon). I wrote about OFF! and their 4EPs for the Amoeblog at that time. And, since I am in the East Bay right now, you can bet your ass I will be over at Ameoba Berkeley today at 4pm for their in-store & signing. Note that the capacity of the Berkeley Amoeba is 300 people - hence why 300 wristbands were issued - and that, as of time of publishing this Amoeblog (11am on Saturday morning) there were still wristbands (which guarantee entrance) available.