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PennywiseFormed in the garages of Hermosa Beach in 1988. A small beach community south of Los Angeles, Hermosa is the cradle of Southern California Hardcore - having been the birthplace of such legendary hardcore bands as Black Flag, Circle Jerks and the Descendents. By 1989, Pennywise managed to record and release a five song EP “Word from the Wise” on local label, Theologian Records. Pennywise began to develop their reputation as a ferocious live band. Pennywise signed to Epitaph records where they released Pennywise S/T, Unknown Road , and About Time . Relying on the board culture for support, Pennywise lent their music to a variety of skate and surf videos and established their music as the soundtrack for skaters, surfers and punks everywhere. The intensity of the music coupled with the bands righteous anger spoke to a legion of fans that wanted something more than frivolity of pop or nihilistic drudgery of grunge. Pennywise have always tried to pose solutions and have aimed to inspire their fans to embrace life and live every day to its fullest. For the members of Pennywise, everything that the band stood for was tested in July of 1996 when founding member Jason Mathew Thirsk tragically lost his life. Devastated by the loss of Thirsk, the surviving members rededicated themselves to the band and sought answers in their music. The result was Full Circle, the bands darkest and most personal album. The fan response was overwhelming, and Full Circle became their best selling album yet. |
After a year of touring in support of Full Circle, the band returned to the studio to begin work on their sixth album, Straight Ahead. The band’s goal in the making of Straight Ahead was to create an album that would both deliver goods for their long time fans as well as take chances with different material. Again the band turned toward social relevancy for inspiration; My Own Country explores the individual desire for autonomy and separation from a government more concerned with scandal and the cult of personality than the will of the people. A voice in the wilderness, Pennywise speak out to inspire courage and determination to create a better world in Might Be A Dream and Still Can Be Great while pointing out the problems within our culture, our communities, and our world in songs like Victim of Reality and Can’t Believe It. The result of almost 5 months of constant work, the band was driven to write their strongest and most diverse album to-date.
Through over a decade together the members of Pennywise have remained doggedly faithful to the ideas and inspiration that launched them. Although the band has grown to a level beyond any of their expectations the band at its core remains just another punk band from Hermosa Beach. Their first purpose is to serve their fans and give voice and inspiration to a to a generation searching for a world better than the one they have inherited. In the final song on Straight Ahead, Badge of Pride, Jim Lindberg sings about what it means to remain true to these ideals -‘I’ll believe what I wanna believe / true to myself that’s how it’s gotta be.’ |
