A group of people sitting in the corner dressed in black, leather, big hair and a good amount of studs jam along to the song titled “Mandatory Abortion for Tweakers.” The musician, BrAiN-aKE & tHe fAmiLy MuLLet, who played at Black Forest last Friday night, describes his music on his Facebook page as “Good ‘ol fashioned gas huffin mullet rawk!!!”
Make of that what you will, but “mullet rawk” seemed to perfectly describe the universal punk style that was present at the bar. Bullet belts and gauges were seen in abundance.
Black Forest, a venue that has a lot of metal, punk and rock and roll bands, attracts a certain type of person.
“There is a wide variety of people that come out, but I guess I would say more punk rock people. A lot of mohawks and a lot of skulls wearing,” Black Forest employee Nicole Stephens said.
The bar attracts this specific crowd because of the music it plays.
“We definitely attract the crowd interested in that genre of music and that style,” Stephens said.
There is a certain punk subculture that exists around punk rock music, including an array of fashions, expressions and ideologies. That subculture was clearly visible at the bar in the way that people dressed and even the names of the songs that were played. “Censorship is un-American” and “Keep priests away from children” were two of the song titles.
The relationship that exists between music and fashion is inescapably intertwined. For example, the relationship between Vivienne Westwood and the Sex Pistols was key to the development of the punk rock subculture. Westwood is an English fashion designer and is largely accredited for being responsible for the incorporation of punk into the mainstream. The designer helped dress and style the Sex Pistols, a style that was then embraced by many of the band’s followers.
What’s more: Think about The Beatles in the ’60s. While selling albums, The Beatles were also selling trends. Because of their immense popularity, millions of fans embraced their shaggy hair, Edwardian collarless suites and John Lennon’s signature glasses.
Similarly, the punk style music that was being played at Black Forest had a strong correlation to the style of clothing and the trends that people were wearing. Everyone is inspired by different things and for many, music serves as an inspiration for things they do and what they wear.
“The music that I listen to when I wake up in the morning has an effect on what I look like for the rest of the day,” punk rock fan Sarah Robey said. “There is a reason my hair is so big. It’s because I grew up listening to a lot of psychobilly surf rock.”
Similarly Raven Ellingson, who described his style as “Irish punk,” said that music has influenced his life since he was 14.
“Music is what I grab onto whenever I have a question about what is going on,” Ellingson said.