Famous for its revolutionary aspects in musical, political, sexual identity and consumerist ideas, punk rock also has its lesser-known gangster ethos as well, explained here by players in the various punk gangs in Los Angeles, Orange County, and South Bay.

Some blue collar kids, responding to the violence and aggression of punk songs, formed punk gangs that got into beatings, drug dealing and murder. No gang was more notorious than La Mirada Punks, or LMP. Says LMP chieftain Frank the Shank after getting arrested by police for murder: “After having my hands in so much bloodshed over the years, I most certainly had it coming. I deserved whatever I got.”

Unexpectedly Frank was bailed out from prison by his father’s friend, a mob gangster. “Too many people died at the hands of punk rock violence,” said Frank. “I got lucky, some didn’t. The gangs ruined punk rock. I still have people telling me today that they quit punk because of LMP. I dig graves at a small cemetery just outside Los Angeles. What else would you expect for Frank the Shank?”

Kudos
“Disco’s Out Murder’s In! is one of my favorite books of all time. I devoured it—An absolute page-turner. It’s an exciting and visceral account of the LA suburbs in the 80’s and an anti-coming of age story. It felt like I was right there. This book is so fucking punk – READ IT!” — Terry Richardson, Photographer/Director

“If you’ve never been in the jungle, a story about a tiger is just a story. Yes, you may shiver… but to you, it’s still just a story, an exciting escape from your every day life. But not to me … It’s real, it’s frightening, and the savagery of that world haunts you forever. I was afraid when I read this book. I caught my fingers tracing over old scars as I turned the pages, and I knew it was real. You can tell yourself that people like this don’t exist, but they do, and they would be pleased to meet you in the dark night of a hardcore boulevard.” — Jack Grisham, Author/Singer TSOL

Click the photo to hear an exclusive playlist created for the book!

“All bands have a lifespan and die Kreuzen were lucky to have burned so brightly during their tenure.” Steve Albini 

 Before Nirvana broke, before metal crossed into hardcore, there was Die Kreuzen.

 In the industrial shadows of early-’80s Milwaukee, a band emerged from the wreckage of Midwest punk and Rust Belt disaffection with a sound that was as brutal as it was visionary. Die Kreuzen didn’t just blur genre lines—they detonated them, fusing blistering hardcore with metallic urgency and whispers of 4AD melodic noise to forge a blueprint that countless others would follow.

Were they punk? Metal? Something else entirely? Die Kreuzen’s self-titled LP became a defining document of American hardcore. But rather than stand still, the band evolved—each album more experimental, more unpredictable, more uncompromising than the last. They toured relentlessly, made little money, and called it quits before most mainstream critics could even categorize them. And yet, their legacy only grew.

For the first time, Don’t Say Please: The Oral History of die Kreuzen tells the band’s story from the inside—through the voices of members Keith Brammer, Brian Egeness, Dan Kubinski, and Erik Tunison, as well as the musicians, producers, and friends who were shaped by their sound.

Featuring rare photos, artwork, and firsthand accounts, the book includes reflections from influential artists like Thurston Moore, Steve Albini, Neko Case, Butch Vig, and Lou Barlow, who lay bare the band’s lasting impact on underground and alternative music.

Sahan Jayasuriya is a Milwaukee-based music writer and musician whose obsessive love of underground music was forged in the fires of ‘90s alt radio, Dischord releases, and dusty bins at independent record stores. A veteran contributor to Shepherd Express and Milwaukee Magazine, Jayasuriya has spent over a decade researching Die Kreuzen’s history—interviewing the band, scouring archives, and unearthing lost ephemera.