About Us

As is the case with all organized forces for change the genesis of TCSP was a reaction against elements poised to destroy that which we loved and believed in. This was and continues to be the all ages DIY punk rock scene, defined as a participatory subculture controlled by those who comprise it: the punks. The agents of decay we sought to oppose included (and still are) multitudes of “tourists” responsible for wonton violence at shows that contributed to the endemic closing of punk owned/operated DIY venues and soured privately owned clubs from working with all ages punk rock. Our other enemies being those only looking to make a quick buck off the scene including but not limited to false punk bands, dodgey promoters, and bookers who aren’t concerned about setting up touring bands with appropriate and deserving local support acts but only springboarding their own band. As this troubling trend combined with the increased professionalizing of the national punk touring circuit influence over our own scene was in jeopardy. We believe that packaged tours with no ties to the local punk community utilizing outsider booking agencies without sharing the stage with local acts (the very people that create the fan base and financial infrastructure that these touring bands depend on for a crowd and payment), thereby fostering local growth, reduce their music to a mere product and represent the very antithesis of punk. TCSP banned together to combat these forces, keep influence over the scene in the hands of people with a vested interest in the music and movement, and provide a positive and inclusive alternative to the impersonal herding of the club scene.

In the early days TCSP formed from several unnamed groups active in local booking and promotion, mostly members of bands, groups of friends, and individuals involved in various DIY efforts, with the stated goal to provide a scene free of all those aforementioned negative elements utilizing all tools at our disposal, even when it comes to fighting fire with fire, making every effort to keep scene-participatory all ages punk rock shows alive while continuing to attract national and international touring acts willing to share the same stage with struggling local bands, thereby infusing new life into our scene and building bridges with like minded activists around the world. Since then we have hosted bands from all over the globe including the UK, Scotland, Japan, and Germany, to name a few.

Initially joining hands in 1998 the yet-to-be-christened crew grew from long nights spent cleaning up the blood and puke, hauling garbage bags full of empty bottles, and repairing the decaying structure of the infamous Inferno, located on 27th & Lake St. in south Minneapolis. Situated a mere block from the neighborhood police station the club was in perpetual danger of being busted by the Man, and it’s proprietor of facing a laundry list of charges for operating an illegal club, including illegal occupancy! The Inferno, a DIY venue created and operated by members of then local chaos punk powerhouse Onward To Mayhem (with tons of help from various Extreme Noise volunteers and other bands), provided a platform for other raucous local punk bands to play such as hardcore heroes Code 13, longstay rockers the Quincy Punks, the Subversives and the always controversial Murderers, who were having trouble finding legit venues friendly to their antics and fans. The Inferno’s open door policy brought punk and hardcore bands of all styles together in a time when local punk had no home. The legendary Bombshelter had fallen to the riot over a year before, and other upstart DIY efforts had failed to maintain a functional stage. As a result of this welcoming atmosphere the club catered to wayward youth looking for an outlet for their aggression, be it in the pit or behind the mic, and many new bands formed from the myriad of street wandering local youth who called the dingy second story hole a second home. Most notably the Scamps (who later became the Eightysixed) who, along with members of OTM, A-bomb Nation and various non-affiliated punks and skinheads who sought improvement though unity and cooperative efforts rather than competing against one another for shows, formed the first incarnation of TCSP, the acronym chosen for the new member structured organization, Twins Cities Skins & Punks. At this juncture the governing notion was that by working together with an agreed set of bylaws we could accomplish more, share the benefits, and all involved would receive equal dividend without competing for bills, confusing booking agents, over saturating the market and making a mess of shows.
But alas, nothing lasts forever. After the Inferno’s collapse the TCSP not only persisted but actually flourished. Members built bridges with legit local venues in order to continue this fledgling tradition of bringing awesome touring bands into the Twin Cities who had never bothered before. We were able to offer free security, guaranteed headcounts to stingy bar owners, and sign contracts for bigger bands. TCSP efforts were largely localized to the West Bank in the Red Sea Tavern for the next three years and grew rapidly. By 2002 it was no rare occurrence for 200+ spiky heads to cram into the club when bands like the Casualties, Oxymoron, The Unseen, The Forgotten, Lower Class Brats, Vice Squad, Aus-Rotten, Street Dogs and the Varukers came to town, to drop a few names. Local support came by way of bands like Onward To Mayhem, Misery, Big Fuckin Skull, A-bomb Nation, the Scamps, and the Subversives.

In a decade we have never abandoned our efforts regardless of punk’s popularity. We have maintained our dignity by only promoting real DIY oriented bands related to and derived from the punk movement, not whatever trend was popular at the time, never expanding into genres unrelated to our cause and compromising our identity.

For a complete history in fliers visit our MEDIA GALLERY which features a year by year delineation of events and photos going as far back as 1999.

Ten years later the TCSP have grown in both membership and the frequency of events. We now promote a wide range of related underground music focused on our beloved punk and Oi! ranging to hardcore, sXe, ska, even hip hop and reggae. Our focus has never faltered and we have refused to bend to lame fads like emo while staying true to the old school. We continued to provide safe top quality all ages punk rock to the Twin Cities, recruit new members to keep the scene alive and reflect the interests of the next generation, and fight against the corporatization of punk rock. We are proud to have hosted much of the last decade’s most notable names in DIY punk music, often at a financial loss to our non-profit entity, and vow to continue this tradition as a labor of love for years to come. We remember the first tenant of the punk scene is that the people own it. And to continue to exercise any influence we must never tire, never give up, but always be vigilant and dedicated to the cause, otherwise the hipster tourists will dilute the veracity of our styles and opportunists who seek to profit from them will sell our scene right out from under us, leaving local bands and local concerns in shambles, making clowns of an already struggling scene. That is why we fight, what we fight against, and what we fight for.

Today our flag endures on event fliers, member’s tattoos, and crew jackets as a beacon of reliability, the value of perseverance, of preserving a forum for our culture and of friendly atmospheres where punks, skinheads, and thrashers of all ages can share their passion for individual expression, creativity, rebellion and camaraderie.