Looking to start an underground band? Don't make a move until you've read this book! So you KNOW you are destined to rock... well you're in luck -- all you need is this book! (Please note musical talent, bandmates, a car for touring, and an uncle who owns a record label might also help.) An original blend of nonfiction how-to's about all things DIY rock created by an indie-circuit veteran with a knack for hysterical snark, PUNK ROCK ETIQUETTE teaches you everything from how to pick your bandmates and choose a name (Never deliberately misspell your band's name. C how lame it lookz?), to detailed guides on screenprinting your own merch, and interviews and advice from studio owners about the do's and don'ts of recording. PUNK ROCK ETIQUETTE is an unfiltered peek backstage that will appeal to aspiring musicians and anyone who's curious about what goes on in the hours between the last chord and the next big show.

Gr 8 Up—From the first steps of forming a band through going on tour, Punk Rock Etiquette provides how-to advice on aspects of the indie and underground music scene. Nichols's narrative has a "been there and done that" tone and borders on the cheesy, as it at times tries too hard to use teen slang, but his advice is valuable even beyond the rock environment. Suggestions are offered for silk screening posters and T-shirts, designing Web pages, and using social networking sites to help create a brand, all of which could apply as easily to poetry-slam hosts and other creative groups as to rockers. For would-be performers, the author provides sage advice on recording and tips on touring, from what vehicles to use to what to pack. Parents and advisors should be aware that tour tips include sleeping in cars while traveling cross country or staying at the homes of strangers, practices that seem unsafe, particularly for teens. In areas where many students are hoping to make their way in the music world, however, the good advice is valuable and will appeal to a broad audience. The illustrations, spread throughout, are most successful in the comic of one band's road trip in the middle of the book. In other places, the animal characters are so cute that it is hard to tell if Nichols is being ironic, which would appeal to his audience, or if he felt that the cuteness would gel with the punk rock style.—Alana Abbott, James Blackstone Memorial Library, Branford, CT

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