Shawn Stern, the frontman of Youth Brigade and co-founder of BYO Records, is a pivotal figure in the L.A. punk scene. Not only for the time he played a backyard show with Jonathan Gold in 1978, but for weathering more than four decades of punk rock in Los Angeles.
In 1999, Shawn and his brother, Mark Stern, launched Punk Rock Bowling in Las Vegas, initially a casual bowling tournament for punk musicians, other labels, and fans. What began as a small gathering has become one of the country’s largest independent punk rock festivals, now spanning three days at the Downtown Las Vegas Event Center. It’s a relentless celebration of unabashed punk culture. The festival, which survived COVID-related cancellations in 2020 and 2022, has become a pilgrimage for punks worldwide.
It’s also the home of the punk phenomenon known as the world’s only documented “pool pit!” That’s when punks start slam dancing in the pool during the day-drinking oasis pool party shows, starting at 11 AM. Yes, there are still club shows every night that end at 1 AM or later…