The Punk Rock Museum will open March 10 in Las Vegas, celebrating the personalities, music, history and influence of the genre on the wider culture.
The 12,000-square-foot museum at 1422 Western Ave., between the Strip and downtown, will house artifacts and memorabilia such as handwritten lyrics, instruments, clothing, photos, flyers and artwork. It will also include a Jam Room, where guests can play instruments donated by punk stars, and a bar operated by a Vegas nightlife veteran. A tattoo studio is planned to open later this spring.
What was initially conceived to be a punk-oriented retail shop two years ago quickly turned into a museum concept for Mike "Fat Mike" Burkett of NOFX, former Warped Tour manager Lisa Brownlee and their friends. They formed the Punk Collective -- musicians, industry professionals and investors -- to collaborate on the project.
Self-described "merch junkie" Vinnie Fiorello, who founded the ska punk band Less Than Jake in 1992, was among Burkett's first calls and eagerly participated in the museum's birth.
"Punk rock saved my life, punk rock gave me a purpose, punk rock gave me the life that I have," said Fiorello, a Punk Rock Museum co-founder whose entrepreneurial spirit has led him to co-found a record label, open a tattoo parlor and build a toy company, among other projects.
A passion for punk, respect for his peers and a drive to build something from the ground up motivated Fiorello to get involved.
Punk rock's influence
The museum's mission is to "show the reverberation of punk rock through culture, fashion, other musical styles and art," Fiorello said. "Once you unwind that ball of influence of punk rock music, it starts to get pretty awe-inspiring."
One example of that influence is the DIY culture that has grown since punk's genesis in the 1970s. "No one would book punk bands," Fiorello said. "So punk bands started to find places to play and book themselves and then book their friends," he said, noting that EDM (electronic dance music) started in a similar way.
"The do-it-yourself culture, while it didn't necessarily start with punk rock music, [began with], 'Hey, there's no one here to do it for you. So you have to do it yourself,'" Fiorello said. "And for me, that's a prime example of ground zero and those reverberations, those ways out, and teaching people, 'Hey, you don't necessarily have to wait around for someone to help' and it lets you know that you can take up the torch yourself and lead. I think that's cool."
Anything having to do with the Lookout Records label (which released Green Day's first two albums) and the artists Operation Ivy, Rancid and Tim Armstrong resonates for Fiorello, but punk fans will find their own personal touchpoints throughout the Punk Museum, he said.
A leather jacket worn by Johnny Thunders of the New York Dolls is among the items on display at the Punk Rock Museum. Photo Credit: Punk Rock Museum
Artifacts include a Sid Vicious belt; a necklace and other personal effects from Darby Crash of the L.A. band the Germs; a Vultures t-shirt worn by Blondie's Debbie Harry; Johnny Thunders' 1959 Les Paul guitar from his days with the New York Dolls; molds for Devo's "energy dome" helmets; and the chainsaw that Sum 41 used to kick off their shows during the Does This Look Infected tour.
The Jam Room will have guitars, bass guitars, amplifiers and a revolving selection of other instruments used live or in recording sessions for guests to play.
"To be able to go, 'Hey, Fletcher [Dragge] from Pennywise played this guitar on this record and he played it on these tours' and be able to plug in and channel that feeling and that awesomeness of like, 'Hey, this is cool, man.' And as a fan. I'm most stoked that you can do that," Fiorello said.
P Moss, author, songwriter, musician and owner of the popular Frankie's Tiki Room in Las Vegas and the Double Down Saloons in Vegas and New York, is collaborating with the museum on the Triple Down bar.
And starting April 1, some of punk's legends will provide guided tours of the museum. Tour capacity is limited to 20 people, who will hear first-person stories from the punk era.
Tour guides include Louiche Mayorga (Suicidal Tendencies), Noodles (The Offspring), Stacey Dee and Linh Le (Bad Cop/Bad Cop), Don Bolles (The Germs/45 Graves), Angelo Moore (Fishbone), Greg Hetson (Circle Jerks/Punk Rock Karaoke), Warren Fitzgerald and Joe Escalante (The Vandals), Pete Koller (Sick of it All) and Smelly (NOFX).
"It's history according to the people who lived it," Fiorello said. "It's hearing stories about the L.A. punk scene from people who were part of the L.A. punk scene in the '80s. [It's] hearing tour stories from the 2000s from someone like Chris No. 2 from Anti-Flag."
General admission tickets (starting at $30 plus tax and fees), guided tours ($100), and special opening packages that include merchandise and drinks are available for purchase.