Waco's Punk Rock Past Part 3

The year 2000 was bringing big change to the underground music scene in Waco. Local bands were being featured regularly by the student DJs at the Baylor radio station. Many of the local band members and promoters were spending time at the radio station. Korc74 had made 2nd place in the local newspaper's top local bands list. The American Culture Experiments, ADD, Mark Needs A Chick and more were playing more often. New venues were being booked, and things moved forward. Korc went into the studio around November 2000, we recorded 10 tracks and started gearing up for our first CD release.

Things were already falling apart for Korc74 though. Clint and I were the original members but Clint was getting ready to go off to college. Growing tension between members and friends, coupled with the reality of adulthood was causing us to drift apart musically. So we decided to play one last show and give away burned copies of the CD. What a great show to have for our last. We had been booked to play with the Huntingtons, a band we had all looked up to for a long time. The Huntingtons were so awesome they asked if they could open up for Korc, since it was our last show.

For a couple of months, Aaron and I had been talking about starting another band. Paperclip Pirates singer, Kevin, had moved away to Austin, but he was there for Korc's last show. That night Aaron and I offered Kevin the spot of singer if he moved back to Waco. Soon the three of us were slamming in the pit with renewed excitement. During that time in the pit, a long time friend made his mark on me. While dancing to the Huntingtons, I fell and a young John Watson stumbled over me, stepping on my rib cage and cracking one of my ribs. 20 minutes later I was on stage, full of adrenaline and red bull, playing the last Korc74 show.

For Korc's final act, Adam set fire to a guitar and smashed it to bits on the stage of the Jubilee Theater. Signaling the end of Korc74, but the story of Waco's punk scene was starting a new chapter. Those guys who had seen Korc a year prior, were now a band named the Decibelz. They opened the night of Korc's last show, thus ending one chapter and beginning another.

Soon more bands would join in and 2001 would be the year the punk scene in Waco exploded into an every weekend experience.