The DC Public Library’s Punk Archive is turning up the volume again this summer with free rooftop concerts. The next show is Wednesday, August 13, on top of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library.
The all-ages show will feature three local punk bands, including Erasergirl, Heaven Forbid, and Home Remedies. It runs from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
The rooftop series, part of the library’s larger DC Punk Archive initiative, spotlights the city’s underground music culture and offers a platform for emerging and established punk artists alike. Founded in 2014, the archive is a collaboration between the People’s Archive at MLK Library and the Mt. Pleasant Neighborhood Library.
“The shows have always been a part of the work around the Punk Archive, to invest in the community, add to the collection with recordings, posters, etc., and get the next generations of punk musicians and audience members aware of and invested in the Archive,” says Karen McCool, a music librarian at the District of Columbia Public Library. “Many of our performers become volunteers and/or donors, and vice versa, so it’s a pretty symbiotic relationship.”
DC’s punk scene stretches back nearly 50 years, with roots in the DIY ethics of 1970s garage rock and a fierce resistance to mainstream overproduction. The archive documents this legacy, preserving everything from zines to rare recordings and hosting events that keep the community alive and accessible.
“I see DC’s punk history and community as a microcosm of a lot of other aspects of DC’s history and culture. Punk music is largely centered around activism, which is so important in DC, so it’s no wonder that this community came about and grew (and continues to grow) here,” says McCool.
The August show is one of two remaining rooftop concerts planned for 2025. The final event of the season, scheduled for September 4, will feature The Goons, Tosser, and Keep Your Secrets. In the event of rain, the shows will move to the library’s fifth-floor event space.
All shows are free to attend and include food stipends for performers, reinforcing the library’s commitment to supporting local artists.
“The icing on the cake is that it’s such a great genre of music with a devoted following, DIY mindset, and fun shows,” says McCool. “Having grown up in a more suburban punk scene not far outside of DC, I can say that it’s different, and very special, in DC proper. It’s an exciting community to be a part of.”
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library: 901 G St. NW, Washington, DC
Feature image by Karen McCool courtesy District of Columbia Public Library
