News & Blogs - Top 10 Bands for Oogles, Gutterpunks and "Travel Kids" | Squat the Planet

News & Blogs Top 10 Bands for Oogles, Gutterpunks and "Travel Kids"

Matt Derrick

Retired Wanderer
Staff member
Joined
Aug 4, 2006
Messages
10,542
Reaction score
13,815
Location
Portland, OR
Website
youtube.com
Just wanted to repost this and see what people thought about it. I was interviewed for the article along with DJ from LATFO.

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/rocks/2013/09/oogles_travel_kids_top_10_band.php


Photo by Matt Derrick
My mother-in-law was a Depression-era kid, and she shared stories of the rail-riders who would pass through her small Louisiana hometown looking for work. They carried all they owned from place to place, stopping here and there to do odd jobs for dinner and a place to sleep. Those travelers became known as hobos, whose lifestyle was romanticized in songs of the period like "Big Rock Candy Mountain" and "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?"
History repeats itself, Meemaw often said, and she may have had a point. Our recent economic woes and general unrest have people once again exploring the country by railways and highways. The 2013 model of the American hobo goes by different names -- traveling kid, gutterpunk, oogle -- and isn't necessarily looking for work. Some are looking to escape the conformity or comfort of the suburbs; others are on one long city-to-city party.

Like their tramp forefathers, these new vagabonds turn to music to celebrate their way of life. Rocks Off asked a couple of experts to help put together a list of musical acts these modern-day hobos enjoy.

Matt Derrick of Squat the Planet and "D.J.," from Look at This Fucking Oogle, chronicle the travel lifestyle on their respective Web sites. They shared their thoughts on the bands that keep these travelers moving down an endless road. Together, we came up with these ten groups no homebum should leave home without:


10. Mischief Brew
Derrick is a traveling filmmaker, professional adventurer and founder of Squat the Planet, an online community that has explored nomadic lifestyles since 2001. His site promotes seeing "what the world has to offer when you torch the picket fence and set out for a life of adventure." His first selection is Pennsylvania's Mischief Brew.



Oogle.
Photo courtesy of LATFO.com
"[Mischief Brew founder] Erik Petersen has been around since the beginning of the folk punk genre and has probably inspired a billion different folk punk bands," Derrick says. "He writes really inspiring music with lyrics about revolt, nomadism and the like."
Derrick said it's easy to see why hybrids of folk and punk music are popular with these travelers.

"I've definitely noticed that the 'old-timey'/'folk-punk' genre has gotten really popular over the past few years, and it makes a lot of sense, since much like train hopping, it doesn't take much to get started," he says. "A guitar, backpack and something to sing about are pretty much all you need, which fit in well with the punk-rock background that the majority of us come from."


9. Leftöver Crack
Like any society, the travel society has microcosms. Some of these present-day vagrants are marginalized by other travelers because they've stopped living on their parents' dime to hitchhike, Dumpster-dive and "spange" (ask for spare change) to survive.

These kids are often referred to as "oogles," and make up the focus of Look at This Fucking Oogle; the Web site is subtitled "Pornography for Homeless People."

"An oogle is basically a poseur in the train-riding world, usually a new kid fresh from home with way too much stuff in their pack and a Leftöver Crack shirt with patched-up pants," says site founder D.J. "Leftöver Crack is a big oogle band, probably because they sing about shooting up and killing cops."


8. Gripe
In a bit of self-promotion, D.J. included Gripe among the bands gutterpunks follow. He's the band's vocalist, so those who visit his site have a built-in soundtrack for hours of scrolling through gnarly oogle pics. The band is a mashup of hardcore-grindcore that "tends to focus on negativity and paranoia," he adds.

"Oogle traveling usually consists of riding trains to different shows around the country and getting drunk," D.J. adds. "Without shows and booze, oogles would have nothing left to do."

7. Blackbird Raum
These Santa Cruz anarcho-punks are in their tenth year as a band whose pared-down acoustic work and intelligent lyrics have won them fans in the U.S. and abroad. They recently completed a European tour promoting their latest album, False Weavers.

"This band has gotten fucking huge in the past few years, and it seems like every traveler and their moms are rocking their patches now," says Derrick. "I think they have some really amazing songs, but they're far from my favorite band in this genre."


6. The Hail Seizures
"This is folk-punk that is a lot more fast-paced than most bands in the genre," Derrick says of the Olympia, Washington-based outfit. "I like them 'cause they get me pumped."

They're also a favorite among travel kids who are on the road flying signs (Sharpie-marked cardboard requesting gas money or rides) and their "doogles" (an oogle's dog is called a doogle).


5. Witch Hunt
It's uncertain how many travel kids have actually listened to any music by Philadelphia-based hardcore punk outfit Witch Hunt. Many rep the band's logo, though. It all feels a little like those middle-schoolers who wear Black Flag bars but can't name a single song.

On the other hand, Witch Hunt has been spreading its punk message for more than a decade now, so there's been ample opportunity for fans to learn their catalog.



Photo courtesy of LATFO.com
Rail Yard Ghosts
4. Rail Yard Ghosts
A glance at this band's Facebook band page tells you plenty about the traveling lifestyle. Under "About the Band" there's a single phrase -- "On tour forever." It's a huge band (with a sound it describes as "flailgrass") that has recorded some tracks in abandoned Amtrak stations and budget hotel rooms.
The band's last Facebook entry is a video of "us playing 'Ride Freight, Look Great' to a bunch of kids on psychedelic drugs in Kalamazoo, Michigan at 4:20 in the morning, on April 20th."

3. Johnny Hobo and the Freight Trains/Wingnut Dishwashers/Pat the Bunny
"Honestly, I talk a lot of crap on folk-punk, since anyone can do it," Derrick says. "There's a lot of really bad folk-punk out there, about 90 percent of it in my opinion. That being said, there are a lot of good bands out there, too."

Pat Schneeweis is the mastermind behind all three groups and writes "lyrics about traveling that are just too fucking good to ignore," according to Derrick. Some of the most poignant lyrics of this genre can be found in "Free and Alone," from Schneeweis's days performing as Wingnut Dishwashers Union.


2. Nausea
True travel kids sport "backpatches," large patches sewn with dental floss onto jackets and vests, and few bands are as backpatched as Nausea. The New York-based group was active in the late 1980s and is considered a founding group of the crust punk movement. Its apocalyptic themes hark back to the Cold War. Songs like Nausea's "Fallout (of Our Being)" are beginning to seem all too relevant again.

1. Crass
Oddly enough, perhaps the most beloved of all bands to American oogles is Crass, a punk-rock band from England that was active before most travel kids were born. The band's prevalent themes of anarchy and environmental and animal rights ring true to these modern-day free spirits. Crass's alternating male and female lead singers became a model for anarcho-punk bands to follow.
 
D

Deleted member 7149

Guest
Just wanted to repost this and see what people thought about it. I was interviewed for the article along with DJ from LATFO.

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/rocks/2013/09/oogles_travel_kids_top_10_band.php


Photo by Matt Derrick
My mother-in-law was a Depression-era kid, and she shared stories of the rail-riders who would pass through her small Louisiana hometown looking for work. They carried all they owned from place to place, stopping here and there to do odd jobs for dinner and a place to sleep. Those travelers became known as hobos, whose lifestyle was romanticized in songs of the period like "Big Rock Candy Mountain" and "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?"
History repeats itself, Meemaw often said, and she may have had a point. Our recent economic woes and general unrest have people once again exploring the country by railways and highways. The 2013 model of the American hobo goes by different names -- traveling kid, gutterpunk, oogle -- and isn't necessarily looking for work. Some are looking to escape the conformity or comfort of the suburbs; others are on one long city-to-city party.

Like their tramp forefathers, these new vagabonds turn to music to celebrate their way of life. Rocks Off asked a couple of experts to help put together a list of musical acts these modern-day hobos enjoy.

Matt Derrick of Squat the Planet and "D.J.," from Look at This Fucking Oogle, chronicle the travel lifestyle on their respective Web sites. They shared their thoughts on the bands that keep these travelers moving down an endless road. Together, we came up with these ten groups no homebum should leave home without:


10. Mischief Brew
Derrick is a traveling filmmaker, professional adventurer and founder of Squat the Planet, an online community that has explored nomadic lifestyles since 2001. His site promotes seeing "what the world has to offer when you torch the picket fence and set out for a life of adventure." His first selection is Pennsylvania's Mischief Brew.



Oogle.
Photo courtesy of LATFO.com
"[Mischief Brew founder] Erik Petersen has been around since the beginning of the folk punk genre and has probably inspired a billion different folk punk bands," Derrick says. "He writes really inspiring music with lyrics about revolt, nomadism and the like."
Derrick said it's easy to see why hybrids of folk and punk music are popular with these travelers.

"I've definitely noticed that the 'old-timey'/'folk-punk' genre has gotten really popular over the past few years, and it makes a lot of sense, since much like train hopping, it doesn't take much to get started," he says. "A guitar, backpack and something to sing about are pretty much all you need, which fit in well with the punk-rock background that the majority of us come from."


9. Leftöver Crack
Like any society, the travel society has microcosms. Some of these present-day vagrants are marginalized by other travelers because they've stopped living on their parents' dime to hitchhike, Dumpster-dive and "spange" (ask for spare change) to survive.

These kids are often referred to as "oogles," and make up the focus of Look at This Fucking Oogle; the Web site is subtitled "Pornography for Homeless People."

"An oogle is basically a poseur in the train-riding world, usually a new kid fresh from home with way too much stuff in their pack and a Leftöver Crack shirt with patched-up pants," says site founder D.J. "Leftöver Crack is a big oogle band, probably because they sing about shooting up and killing cops."


8. Gripe
In a bit of self-promotion, D.J. included Gripe among the bands gutterpunks follow. He's the band's vocalist, so those who visit his site have a built-in soundtrack for hours of scrolling through gnarly oogle pics. The band is a mashup of hardcore-grindcore that "tends to focus on negativity and paranoia," he adds.

"Oogle traveling usually consists of riding trains to different shows around the country and getting drunk," D.J. adds. "Without shows and booze, oogles would have nothing left to do."

7. Blackbird Raum
These Santa Cruz anarcho-punks are in their tenth year as a band whose pared-down acoustic work and intelligent lyrics have won them fans in the U.S. and abroad. They recently completed a European tour promoting their latest album, False Weavers.

"This band has gotten fucking huge in the past few years, and it seems like every traveler and their moms are rocking their patches now," says Derrick. "I think they have some really amazing songs, but they're far from my favorite band in this genre."


6. The Hail Seizures
"This is folk-punk that is a lot more fast-paced than most bands in the genre," Derrick says of the Olympia, Washington-based outfit. "I like them 'cause they get me pumped."

They're also a favorite among travel kids who are on the road flying signs (Sharpie-marked cardboard requesting gas money or rides) and their "doogles" (an oogle's dog is called a doogle).


5. Witch Hunt
It's uncertain how many travel kids have actually listened to any music by Philadelphia-based hardcore punk outfit Witch Hunt. Many rep the band's logo, though. It all feels a little like those middle-schoolers who wear Black Flag bars but can't name a single song.

On the other hand, Witch Hunt has been spreading its punk message for more than a decade now, so there's been ample opportunity for fans to learn their catalog.



Photo courtesy of LATFO.com
Rail Yard Ghosts
4. Rail Yard Ghosts
A glance at this band's Facebook band page tells you plenty about the traveling lifestyle. Under "About the Band" there's a single phrase -- "On tour forever." It's a huge band (with a sound it describes as "flailgrass") that has recorded some tracks in abandoned Amtrak stations and budget hotel rooms.
The band's last Facebook entry is a video of "us playing 'Ride Freight, Look Great' to a bunch of kids on psychedelic drugs in Kalamazoo, Michigan at 4:20 in the morning, on April 20th."

3. Johnny Hobo and the Freight Trains/Wingnut Dishwashers/Pat the Bunny
"Honestly, I talk a lot of crap on folk-punk, since anyone can do it," Derrick says. "There's a lot of really bad folk-punk out there, about 90 percent of it in my opinion. That being said, there are a lot of good bands out there, too."

Pat Schneeweis is the mastermind behind all three groups and writes "lyrics about traveling that are just too fucking good to ignore," according to Derrick. Some of the most poignant lyrics of this genre can be found in "Free and Alone," from Schneeweis's days performing as Wingnut Dishwashers Union.


2. Nausea
True travel kids sport "backpatches," large patches sewn with dental floss onto jackets and vests, and few bands are as backpatched as Nausea. The New York-based group was active in the late 1980s and is considered a founding group of the crust punk movement. Its apocalyptic themes hark back to the Cold War. Songs like Nausea's "Fallout (of Our Being)" are beginning to seem all too relevant again.

1. Crass
Oddly enough, perhaps the most beloved of all bands to American oogles is Crass, a punk-rock band from England that was active before most travel kids were born. The band's prevalent themes of anarchy and environmental and animal rights ring true to these modern-day free spirits. Crass's alternating male and female lead singers became a model for anarcho-punk bands to follow.
I tried to share this post and had trouble with it, but I love these bands. Rail Yard Ghosts, Riley Coyote and Rabbit Tail Abigail. Awesome!! My new favorites!!!!
 

Primitive

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 16, 2013
Messages
224
Reaction score
263
Location
san jose, ca
This person sounds extremely confused. And not all traveling kids are punks, and not all punks are traveling kids. I dont think the author understands the difference, especially by his statement on backpatches.
 

Matt Derrick

Retired Wanderer
Staff member
Joined
Aug 4, 2006
Messages
10,542
Reaction score
13,815
Location
Portland, OR
Website
youtube.com
This person sounds extremely confused. And not all traveling kids are punks, and not all punks are traveling kids. I dont think the author understands the difference, especially by his statement on backpatches.

unfortunately i think those are all very common misconceptions. it sometimes helps to picture things from their perspective though, not knowing much about the culture, it can be easy to come to such conclusions based on appearances.
 

Primitive

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 16, 2013
Messages
224
Reaction score
263
Location
san jose, ca
And filth would be the ultimate #1 gutter punk band of all time, in fact if gutter punk were an actual genre it'd be started by filth. He forgot to mention that one. In fact i think itd be safe to say that if scumfucs follow gg allin and juggalos follow icp, then gutter punks follow filth.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: RSTY802510
P

pigpen

Guest
is andrew jackson jihad not cool anymore? what about old crow and devil makes three, they're pretty oogley? I think y'all shoulda gone top twenty.

people still fucking listen to leftover crack?

also I think more people would recognize that fucking filth patch that everyone has more than they would recognize the sound of the band.
 

MolotovMocktail

Subverting from within
Joined
Oct 16, 2013
Messages
851
Reaction score
1,773
Location
Bellingham, WA
is andrew jackson jihad not cool anymore?
I mentioned AJJ to a friend who used to be obsessed with them and she told me that she had stopped listening to them because she's "not an angry teenager anymore." I guess I'm still in my "angry teen" phase though because I still listen to AJJ. :p
 

wombatt

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 13, 2014
Messages
114
Reaction score
92
Website
nogodsnomasterz.tumblr.com
I think even though not all traveling kids are punks it's a very significant part of the community and Very many of us get into traveling through punk and surrounding subcultures. Also filth is the fucking best. Also I'm suprised days n daze aren't on here. They are the biggest oogle band around, it's like every town with dirty kids busking I hear that misanthropic drunken loser song.
 

Coywolf

Make America Freight Again
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Dec 12, 2014
Messages
2,528
Reaction score
4,993
Location
Mormon Country
Website
www.youtube.com
Never heard of the Rail Yard Ghosts. So I checked them out. Turns out one of them are playing the exact same Bouzouki I just bought. Heres the video.
 

About us

  • Squat the Planet is the world's largest social network for misfit travelers. Join our community of do-it-yourself nomads and learn how to explore the world by any means necessary.

    More Info

Help us pay the bills!

Total amount
$10.00
Goal
$100.00

Latest Library Uploads