FIFTEEN

[Download "World Starvation" from Buzz] EXPIRED
[Download "Ain't Life a Drag" from Ain't Life a Drag] EXPIRED

Fifteen is a very important band to me. East Bay punk rock bands like Fifteen, Operation Ivy, Basic Radio, Crimpshrine, and Isocracy taught me ideals I still hold true. Those bands exposed me to ideas and thoughts different from anything my parents or television had taught me. I began to realize that it is okay to question authority. Just because a person is in a position of power it does not mean that they are incapable of lying, stealing, and cheating. Another lesson learned is that your parents arn't always right. Not that I do not have enormous amounts of respect for my parents, but they are human and we make mistakes. Fifteen and the other groups helped me realize that I can make decisions for myself, and that it's okay to stray from the masses. All of which are important issues to a 14 year old that's attempting to find his place in the world.

Fifteen arose from the ashes of the equally as influential band, Crimpshrine. Jeff Ott fronted both groups and is in my eyes a punk rock legend. Fifteen released a dozen albums on a handful of labels including Lookout! and Hopeless Records. After about 8 "official" break-ups and a million line-up changes, Jeff called it quits. The tracks posted are off some of their earlier releases and give a pretty good notion of what they are all about.

-Miike