If someone were to ask which place has the coolest punk scene, the city of Riverside would most likely be the last location anybody would think of. People would be quick to point to other places like New York, with bands like the Ramones and Agnostic Front, or London with the Sex Pistols and The Clash.
It’s hard to believe that Riverside, a quaint little city best known for its Spanish missionary architecture, donkeys and chaparral could be the locus for something as bold and brash as the punk scene. Riverside Art Museum’s newest exhibition, “60 Miles East: Riverside’s Underground Punk Rock, Hardcore & Ska Scene from the Late 1980s to Early 2000s,” sheds light on the history of the scene while proving that Riverside can rock as fast and harder than any other city in California.
Curated by Zach Cordner and Ken Crawford in collaboration with the 98 Posse and Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, “60 Miles East” displays a bygone era in which Riverside, being miles away from the more prominent music scenes in Los Angeles and Orange County (OC), began building a culture of its own.
Harnessing the punk, hardcore and ska sounds present during the ‘90s, Riverside-based bands invited people to watch them play in tightly packed backyard parties and venues. At a time when the GPS and internet weren’t accessible to everyone, scene-goers got to where they needed to go either by word of mouth or by following instructions on posters. Most importantly, the exhibit highlights the community that was formed out of love for the Riverside sound.
Posters and ‘zines make up a substantial portion of the exhibit, giving testament to the DIY ethos associated with punk. Due to the unreliability of ‘90s printers, a lot of the posters were etched with pencil markings to fill out missing information. What’s most astounding about these posters was that many of them had directions written on them, usually when it came to house parties.
People had to memorize and draw the correct streets to turn and stop at as GPS was still relatively new at the time. Although the names of bands and streets were often misspelled and the directions being vague, the passion was there. In a way, many of those responsible for making posters could be seen as modern-day cartographers.
Bands hailing from Riverside as well as the greater Inland Empire have also received their fair share of recognition by the exhibit. Despite their ‘90s heyday, many of these bands have gone on to better things. For instance, the Riverside born and bred punk band Assorted Jelly Beans had their song “Rebel Yell” used in the video game “Tony Hawk’s Underground.” The Skeletones, one of the longest-running bands in Riverside, played ska alongside like-minded bands such as Sublime, No Doubt and Red Hot Chili Peppers. The ska punk band Voodoo Glow Skulls had a cover of “Used to Love Her” by Guns N’ Roses being featured in the “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” soundtrack. The exhibition displays instruments, posters and photos from other Riverside bands like the Debonaires and Los Infernos. 
From signs to official documents, the exhibit additionally showcases memorabilia from long-gone venues such as Spanky’s Cafe and the Showcase Theater. The two venues served as epicenters for those wanting to take in the hardcore punk and alternative scene.
The Showcase Theater in particular has housed influential bands such as No Doubt and Green Day. Spanky’s, a small but rowdy venue, also had well known punk bands like The Vandals and The Melvins perform. The exhibit also referenced The Barn at the University of California, Riverside, which surprisingly was another venue that welcomed punk, hardcore and ska band performances.
Away from the LA and OC spotlight, Riverside bands had creative freedom when it came to building their identity. Some bands added more niche genres such as cowpunk and psychobilly into their sound, while others had performances as experimental and macabre as an Alice Cooper concert.
In an interview with punk scene photographer and exhibit curator Zach Cordner, Zach asserted, “[Riverside has] always been the underdog out here. We’ve been in the shadow of LA and Orange County forever, but Riverside holds its own.”
As much as it was about highlighting the artists and venues of the time, “60 Miles East” also exposes the community and comradeship established from those who experienced the Riverside punk, hardcore and ska scene. Photos of concert-goers relishing the chaos of the gigs can be seen around the exhibit.
Despite Riverside being a self-contained area as well as the technology of the ‘90s being close to useless, people still managed to connect with one another due to their love of the same bands. Many of those who were lucky enough to experience the scene made lifelong bonds within the pandemonium of the music scene, as was the case for Zach Cordner and Ken Crawford.
Overall, the punk, hardcore and ska scene of the ‘90s remains a vital chapter in Riverside’s history as a cultural and artistic hearth, which is a sentiment that “60 Miles East” captures well.
