Punknews.org is a punk rock fansite started by Aubin Paul in 1999. They're reluctant to admit it, and it will likely be struck from this here bio once they set eyes upon it, but Punknews is the most-trafficked, most renowned site of its kind in existence. Were talking hundreds of thousands on an average day. Never mind when they break stories about your favorite punk band signing to a major label or get exclusive scoops from industry jaybirds. Believe me, Punknews has a way of getting to the bottom of everything, and they do it in a timely, accurate manner. For better or worse. But we're getting carried away, back to the facts and historical stuff!
Aubin was a Toronto kid borne out of the "skate-punk" era and took his first swing at underground journalism with a print zine called "Anti-Manifesto"; a name taken from a song by fellow countrymen Propagandhi. He photocopied and hand-stapled about 200 copies, but after four issues he came to his senses. Unlike most of the rags still in existence todaykilling trees and taking up space on magazine racksAubin wisely realized the internet to be the most practical means of sharing information. Duh. But back in '99 the internet was still a pretty absurd place and there were no quality sites for punk rock. Sure, punk has had its moments, but at its core its still a fringe sub-genre of derelict music, and its always a bit of a shocker when of us gets our shit together enough to accomplish something constructive. Aubin wanted to make a genuine contribution to the punk scene, and that contribution is now undoubtedly evident in the form of the now-famous and much-respected site.
Respect? On the internet?!?! Yep. Their site only reports news that can be traced back to a credible source. Its very atypical for the guerrilla landscape of the internet, but in most cases, Punknews gathers their info directly from the band or the record label. Where other sites rely on gossip and pay-to-play news, these guys only deal with facts and reality. Woodward and Bernstein would be proud. Their earnest reporting style surely explains why their site is THE place to go on a daily basis for happenings in the world of indie-punk. Thankfully, these kids were reared on quality punk bands like Bad Religion and Dead Kennedys, and some of those bands virtueslike truth, equality, social justicehave managed to seep into the site.
Credibility comes easy to those who honor fairness, and the sites reputation has earned them the opportunity to interview legends like Jello Biafra and members of the Ramones. On top of that, mainstream media outlets like MTV and the New York Times now look to Punknews for reliable info and have thus cited their reports. Over the years the site has published nearly 5,000 album and show reviews, quickly becoming one of punks most comprehensive archives. In addition, theres now a handful of volunteers, kids from Belgium to the Bay Area, that round out the sites content and help with posting news, reviews, release dates, etc.
Punknews propensity for exposing great new bands afforded them another opportunity in the form of a distribution deal from Epitaph Records. Thus began Punknews Records, an independent label home to bands like Somerset and Ryans Hope. Who better to release music than the guys that have to sift through all the bands and mp3 submissions? The site known as a lightning rod for punk info, may also develop into the conduit of great bands and music. No doubt the future is promising for the creative and hard-working people behind Punknews, but speculation doesnt suit them. Punknews is known for reliability and the punctual delivery of information, and you can count on them to report a dozen or more stories each day and publish 30 reviews per week.
