CULTURE DEFINING: BANNED IN DC BOOK

If you are a fan of punk music from the 80s or 90s, chances are you have spent your fair share of time spinning the likes of Minor Threat and Fugazi. Thanks to artist and photographer Cynthia Connolly, that epic period in music history was captured in all its hardcore glory in her 1988 book, Banned in DC.

Now finally, after ten years of being out of print, Connolly has re-released the legendary punk history essential, which covers the Washington DC scene from 1979-1985. In the grand tradition of DIY, she cobbled the legendary book together with love and the help of a few friends in 1988, establishing the publishing company Sun Dog Propoganda, to print the first of many runs of the book.

For anyone interested in not only the history of the East Coast music scene, but also the major influence the bands (Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Government Issue, Scream) have had on so much of our modern musical chronology, this is a vital read.

Let’s also give collective thanks to Ms. Connolly for creating one of the most iconic graphics in music history: the sheep cover of Minor Threat’s only studio album Out of Step, which still graces high school bedroom walls, turn-tables and tattooed bodies alike.