A diverse crowd packed into Old Sheepdog Brewery on the afternoon of June 28 to gather for the third Pages and Pints festival, co-hosted this month by El Paso Matters. The event had a punk edge as it featured a panel with Tara Lopez, Ph.D., author of “Chuco Punk.”
Co-owner of Old Sheepdog, Gus Delgado, is an advocate for community building, a value Chuco Punk has always embodied. Old Sheepdog is home to an array of events including open mics, plant and art markets and more, but he especially feels the need to celebrate and encourage literature in El Paso.
“This is more than just a book fair. It’s a book festival,” Delgado said. “It’s important for us to continue the actual reading of physical books—not just digital or audio. It’s a different experience to hold a book…We want to push this into El Paso and make sure El Paso continues reading. We know how to read, and we have so many talented authors.”
El Paso Community College English professor Richie Marrufo introduced the speakers of the “Chuco Punk” panel, who are veteran punks themselves and encourage education from diverse perspectives. The panel consisted of Lopez, veteran producer, promoter and El Paso punk Bobbie Welch and former Faction X punk band member Jesse Youngblud.
Although Lopez was raised in Albuquerque’s punk community, she found a particular love in El Paso’s punk culture. Her book “Chuco Punk” delves into her perspectives of the “rebellious sonic history of the city” through various interviews with local punks and touches on old memorabilia and media in punk culture. It discusses the evolution of El Paso’s punk scene from its roots in the 1970s to the early 2000s.
Although punk is a subculture of the Sun City, Lopez gets into the nitty gritty of the intersections of punk with life on the border, specifically women in the early beginnings of the scene.
“[Growing up in the punk scene] I felt as if all us girls were in the background. The dudes were doing their stuff, and we were just ‘accidental,” Lopez said. “At the same time, I was always in the pits. I’m up front… I knew we [women] were there. I knew if we were there in Albuquerque, I knew we were there in El Paso.”
For Lopez, it’s crucial for people to know the complete story of the punk movementand acknowledge everyone who had a part in building it up, which includes marginalized groups like women who tended to be overlooked.
“How can you have a complete story without everybody,” Lopez said, stressing the importance of acknowledging every identity and background in the making and building of the scene. “I think it makes [the story] richer.”
Welch explained how El Paso’s rich Latino culture creates a whole new punk experience when diverse identities start coming into the mix.
“There is endless possibility in El Paso… In the same way punk has a story to tell—a lot of it is political, a lot of it is taking back power to change the world, I think Chuco has that inherently. I think in this city we see it right now. We have to take back our power right now. I think that’s something in the bones of this city,” Welch said
The punks on the panel did not shy away from showing their love for the El Paso punk scene and the open mindedness of the city for all subcultures.
“El Pasoans, in my opinion… are actually more open, are actually learning, and questioning, but in a productive way instead of tearing it down or having preconceptions. Maybe I’m lucky, but I’ve always thought everyone always talks about how welcoming El Pasoans are, but that even existed for the oddity of punk,” Welch said. “Punk never dies. Punk is the perfect experience of being young, a little bit angry and to care.”
The Pages and Pints events rocked on with live music from local alternative bands, a book signing with Lopez, and a celebration of many perspectives and experiences through literature.
Jesie Garcia is a staff reporter and may be reached at [email protected] or on Instagram @jeslorenwrites.
