Robert Burnett, [1] (born 1973) better known as Robert eggplant, is an American writer, publisher, musician and activist from Pinole, California, United States.
Robert eggplant has been the editor and publisher of the Absolutely Zippo fanzine since 1987. The zine has documented the East Bay punk subculture from a "front-lines" point-of-view, due to eggplant's intimate involvement with this scene. Contributors have included Aaron Cometbus, Larry Livermore, Jesse Michaels, and Billie Joe Armstrong. The zine has been compiled and released in a paperback edition entitled Absolutely Zippo!: Anthology Of A Fanzine 1988-1998. [2]
Robert eggplant was one of the founding members of the seminal East Bay punk rock band, Blatz, in which he played guitar. The band released a number of recordings on Lookout! Records that are regarded as integral representations of the East Bay punk sound. They often released split recordings with Blatz on one side and notable bands like Filth and Tribe 8 on the other. During this time eggplant was also a volunteer at 924 Gilman Street Project, where Blatz frequently played. The band existed from 1989 till 1992. Eggplant's next group was The Hope Bombs which existed from 1994 until 1996.[ citation needed ]
In 1995, he became a member of the S.P.A.M. Records collective and helped organize Geekfest, the free festival that helped introduce a new sensibility into the punk rock scene. The Hope Bombs frequently played at Geekfest. He has played in Harbinger with Aaron Cometbus and John Geek, a fellow member of the S.P.A.M. Records collective and organizer of Geekfest, who also performs with his own bands, Fleshies and Street Eaters. Eggplant also formed a band with members of Absolutely Zippo called Fugitive Kind. All the groups he has been a member of are noted for their DIY ethics, working with independent record labels and playing all-ages shows. He is well known for holding memorable shows in his backyard in Pinole, California, including the last show by Operation Ivy.[ citation needed ]
Bratmobile is an American punk band from Olympia, Washington, formed in 1991. They are known for being one of the first-generation "riot grrrl" bands. The band was influenced by several eclectic musical styles, including elements of pop, surf, and garage rock.
A punk zine is a zine related to the punk subculture and hardcore punk music genre. Often primitively or casually produced, they feature punk literature, such as social commentary, punk poetry, news, gossip, music reviews and articles about punk rock bands or regional punk scenes.
Lookout Records was an independent record label, initially based in Laytonville, California, and later in Berkeley, focusing on punk rock. Established in 1987, the label is best known for having released Operation Ivy’s only album, Energy, and Green Day's first two albums, 39/Smooth and Kerplunk.
39/Smooth is the debut studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on April 13, 1990, by Lookout Records. After finalizing their line-up, the band played frequent shows at the 924 Gilman Street venue, where they started attracting a following and eventually caught the attention of Lookout Records' founder Larry Livermore. Following the release of their debut EP 1,000 Hours (1989) and stints in other bands, Green Day went to Art of Ears Studio, located in San Francisco, California, to record their debut studio album, which was co-produced with Andy Ernst. Sessions started at late December 1989 and ended in January 1990, costing $675. 39/Smooth has been tagged as punk rock, pop-punk and skate punk, with comparisons made to the work of older punk bands the Buzzcocks and the Ramones, as well to contemporaries Crimpshrine and the Lookouts. Written mostly by frontman and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, unrequited love and longing for desire served as the main lyrical topics, while reminiscing on youth appeared in two of the songs.
This Bike Is a Pipe Bomb was a folk punk band from Pensacola, Florida, United States. Their first recording was released in 1997 on Ghostmeat Records. Their later releases have been on Plan It X Records and No Idea Records, but now appear on their own label Plan-It X South. This Bike Is a Pipe Bomb initially started as a new wave band, with folk singer David Dondero on drums. They quickly switched to playing country music, but their punk roots were evident enough in their music that they became one of the premiere bands at the forefront of the folk-punk genre. They did several US tours, including an Alaska tour 2003 played at Geekfest, and toured Europe.
Outpunk enjoys the distinction of being the first record label entirely devoted to queer punk bands.
Sweet Baby was a pop punk band that originated from Berkeley, California, and was part of the 924 Gilman Street scene. They were signed to Ruby Records.
Crimpshrine was an American punk rock band from Berkeley, California. The group was formed in 1982 by Aaron Cometbus, founder of the seminal punk rock zine Cometbus, and future Operation Ivy vocalist Jesse Michaels. They grew out of the East Bay scene, centered on 924 Gilman Street, and had an important influence on later East Bay bands such as Operation Ivy, Green Day and punk rock in general.
Aaron Elliott, better known as Aaron Cometbus, is an American musician, author, songwriter, roadie, and magazine editor, best known as the creator of the punk zine Cometbus.
Jeff Ott is an activist, musician, author, and longtime member of the Berkeley punk community, best known for playing guitar and singing in the bands Crimpshrine and Fifteen.
Lawrence Hayes, better known by his stage name Larry Livermore, is an American singer, musician, record producer, and author, best known as the co-founder of Lookout Records.
Spitboy was an American anarcho-punk band founded in the San Francisco Bay area in 1990. The all-female band aggressively criticized patriarchy and gender roles but did not associate with the contemporaneous riot grrrl movement. They released several records and toured extensively and then disbanded in 1995. Members later played in the bands Instant Girl and Aus Rotten, while drummer Michelle Cruz Gonzales and vocalist Adrienne Droogas have been active as writers.
A punk house is a dwelling occupied by members of the punk subculture.
Punk literature is literature related to the punk subculture. The attitude and ideologies of punk rock gave rise to distinctive characteristics in the writing it manifested. It has influenced the transgressional fiction literary genre, the cyberpunk genre and their derivatives.
Geekfest is the name of a series of free, all-ages concerts organized by California indie label S.P.A.M Records during the 1990s. The first Geekfest was held in June 1996 on the shoreline at Point Molate in Richmond, California. This site, a former Navy fuel depot at the foot of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, became the default location for dozens of Geekfests, though other locations were eventually used.
Blatz was an American punk band formed in 1989 in Berkeley, California, United States. Blatz came out of the 924 Gilman Street Project scene during the late 1980s, and early 1990s along with bands like Operation Ivy, Filth, and Green Day.
Filth was an American hardcore punk band from East Bay, California. Formed in 1989, Filth was a crustcore band that helped define the "later East Bay hardcore" style. The band combined upbeat, sometimes poppy guitar with harsh screamed vocals.
Monsula was an American punk rock band from the San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States. The band was conceived in 1988 by Pete Zetterberg and Paul Lee in an art class at Benicia High School. With many member changes over the years, they performed regularly at Berkeley's Gilman Street Project and were known for their simple East Bay pop punk style of music. The band played hundreds of live shows throughout North America before disbanding five years later in 1993.
Can of Pork is a compilation album of various punk rock artists. It was released as two 12-inch vinyl records or one CD in April 1992 by Lookout Records. The vinyl version has a booklet of lyrics and photography and the CD version has information on contacting the bands and a detailed description of the compilation's production.
Bobby Joe Ebola and the Children MacNuggits is an American comedy folk rock duo from Pinole, California. Formed in 1995, the traditional incarnation of the band consists of vocalist Corbett Redford III and guitarist/vocalist Dan Abbott. The duo is often joined onstage and in the studio by numerous musicians and friends for full-band stage performances and recordings. Early performances featured occasional backup vocals from John Geek, who also sings for Fleshies. Abbott, Redford, and Geek were also founding members of the indie label S.P.A.M. Records, and co-organizers of Geekfest, a series of free all-ages music festivals held in the late 1990s. This began largely in response to the band's rejection from a then insular East Bay punk scene centered on 924 Gilman.