Punk, Protest, and Independent Music in the Early 2000s: “Skratch” Magazine, 2003

Skratch Magazine Punk culture

Periodical

Five issues of “Skratch,” the Southern California music magazine that connected local punk and ska scenes with a national readership. Founded by Scott Presant in 1996, the free publication grew from a photocopied fanzine into a monthly magazine covering established performers alongside lesser-known bands. These 2003 issues document the breadth of punk, hardcore, ska, and related music at a moment when independent labels and regional record stores remained central to the circulation of alternative music.

“Skratch.” Southern California: Scott Presant, 2003. Five issues, Nos. 83, 85, 87, 88, and 94. Illustrated wrappers.
[1] No. 83, January 2003. Cover names include Joe Strummer, D.O.A., Rilo Kiley, and Electric Frankenstein.
[2] No. 85, March 2003. Cover names include 10 Foot Pole, Authority Zero, From Autumn to Ashes, and Plain White T’s.
[3] No. 87, May 2003. Cover names include Dead Kennedys, the Ataris, Rise Against, and Avenged Sevenfold. Cover also announces Ska Summit, Facedown Fest, and more than 150 CD reviews. Cover art by Kristen Ferrell.
[4] No. 88, June 2003. Cover names include Buzzcocks, Coheed and Cambria, the Starting Line, and the Movielife.
[5] No. 94, December 2003. “End of Year Issue,” with cover names including Anti-Flag, Thrice, Give Up the Ghost, and Norma Jean.

“Skratch” connected punk, ska, and hardcore musicians with a national audience through its coverage of established performers and independent bands. These 2003 issues document the relationship between punk’s earlier generations and emerging pop-punk and post-hardcore scenes, while advertisements for Epitaph Records and Bionic Records reveal the independent labels and shops that sustained them. Published during the Iraq War, the issues also belong to a period of renewed political activism in punk, with the December cover naming the outspoken antiwar band Anti-Flag. The covers bring together first-generation punk figures and newer bands, offering a record of the genre’s changing personnel and related musical styles. Back-cover advertisements for Epitaph Records and Southern California’s Bionic Records document the commercial networks through which independent music reached listeners. Illustrated wrappers show rubbing, some minor wear, most visibly to the December issue Overall in very good condition.

Item #24086

Price: $350.00