Best Bastion Of Punk Rock Toxic Ranch
424 E. Sixth St. STAFF PICK: Times are tough out there in Punkland. The
once promising indie movement is now mostly co-opted by the voracious
major labels and their "distribution deals" (yes, kids,
corporate rock still, after all these years, really sucks). The
most alterna-oriented record stores are often simply outlets for
the fat cats. Even the founder of Maximum Rock 'n' Roll up and
died on us. What's a poor, disenfranchised slacker to do? Go Fourth,
young man (actually, East Sixth Street, but almost at Fourth
Avenue) to Toxic Ranch, the spread with the proper underground
attitude, the DKs on the sound system, the not always great inventory,
but avowed keepers of the punk flame. Looking for the latest by
Jughead's Revenge? Punk icons NOFX? Drunks With Guns? Toxic Ranch
is virtual home-base for local stalwarts like the Fells and the
Weird Lovemakers. Toxic Ranch also does a newsletter and mail
order, and they have vinyl, T-shirts, comix, 'zines and, oh yeah,
that latest snotty issue of MRR. We mean it, man.
