Image of black right-triangle against white background with text in black and white.

The Pretenders are a rock band that formed in England in 1978. The original band members included Chrissie Hynde on vocals and rhythm guitar, James Honeyman-Scott on lead guitar and keyboard, Peter Farndon on bass guitar, and Martin Chambers on drums. Following the deaths of Honeyman-Scott and Farndon due to drugs, the band has shifted members, but still remains active in the music scene to this day.

Black and white comic of a child and her parent and black text on a white background

The Neighbors was an early 1990s punk rock band from San Diego, California. Following a decade of touring and one album release, the members went their separate ways and The Neighbors disbanded.

In this comic panel, we see the titular character Nancy, of the American comic strip Nancy, speaking to her Aunt Fritz. The Nancy comic strip is a syndicated cartoon strip that has run since 1938. The original creator of the strip – Ernie Bushmiller – received high praise for his distillation of the gag comic strip into an enduring art form. Cartoonists and art professor’s Mark Newgarden and Paul Karasik have compared Bushmiller’s work on Nancy to the work of architect Miles Van Der Rohe. In 2018, the strip was given to a young cartoonist who works under the pseudonym Olivia Jaimes. Jaimes has been lauded with reinvigorating the Nancy comics after years of the decline of the comic since the passing of Bushmiller.

Grayscale photograph of  the Kinks band members (Dave Davies, Jim Rodford, Ray Davies, and Mick Avory) below capitalized green text, all over a yellow background.  

Low Budget is the 17th album by The Kinks. It was released in 1979. While many of the Kinks's former albums focus on nostalgic themes, this album focused on current events and had a harder rock sound.

Started by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964, The Kinks were an English rock band who gained large success in the United States following the British Invasion. They were inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as well as the UK Music Hall of Fame.

Black text on a white background

The Great Rock ‘n” Roll Swindle is a 1980 British mocumentary film that focuses on the British punk rock group Sex Pistols and their manager, Malcolm McLaren. The footage used for the film is real, taken during 1978 just before the group split up, but the story is fictional despite being told from the point of view of their former manager. 

Black text on an orange background

The Fall was an English punk and post-punk band that lasted for 42 years and made 32 studio albums. These led to over 100 unauthorized live and compilation albums. The band formed in 1976 in Prestwich, Greater Manchester. After seeing a Sex Pistols show, Mark E. Smith and friends decided to form a band. Smith was the only continuous member in the band’s history. Other members rotated in and out with dizzying frequency. With so prolific of a band that has been described as, “pure Manchester,” The Fall inspired untold numbers of underground garage bands, and such diverse artists as the Pixies, Pavement, and LCD Soundsystem.

Black and white photograph of the Clash on a white background with an outer red edge with black text

Give ‘Em Enough Rope is the second album from the English punk group, the Clash. It was released on November 10, 1978 and was their first album released in the United States. The album peaked at number two in the UK albums chart and 128 in the Billboard 200. The album produced two singles: “Tommy Gun”, released on November 24 in 1978 and “English Civil War”, released on February 23 in 1979. 

Black and white illustration of the band with black text above on a white background

The Clash formed in 1976 in Notting Hill, London, England. The original members were Joe Strummer (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Mick Jones (lead guitar, vocals), Paul Simonon (bass guitar, vocals), and Nicky "Topper" Headon (drums, percussion). The Clash disbanded in 1986, but not without leaving a significant impact on rock and alternative rock. They were often referred to as "The Only Band That Matters" and in 2003 were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  

Black and white photograph of the band with black text above on a white background

The Boomtown Rats are an Irish rock group that formed in 1975. They released a series of hit singles in the UK from 1977 to 1985, until their breakup in 1986. They later reformed in 2013 but with only 4 out of 6 of the original members. Some of their hits include “She’s So Modern” (1978), “Banana Republic” (1980), and Lookin’ After No. 1” (1977). 

Black and white photograph of a man in a hat and sunglasses with a yellow and blue outer edge and yellow text

“There’s a Tear in My Beer” is a country song written by Hank Williams between 1950-1951 during his Nashville sessions but despite having recorded it, he never released it. The song would eventually see release in 1989 after Hank Williams Jr. received a demo of the song. With the use of merging technology, Hank Williams Jr. recorded his voice over his father’s recording and released it as a duet. In the music video for the song he also used previously recorded footage of his father.  

Illustration of a banjo with a musical note and stars with black text on a yellow background

The Philadelphia Mummers Parade occurs annually on New Year’s Day. The parade is a tradition that started in 1901, but mummers in Philadelphia, and around the world, have roots that stretch throughout history. Mummers are people who enjoy getting dressed up in costumes to dance, sing, and put on skits. This has roots as far back as ancient Egypt, however, it is best documented during the medieval period. In Europe, mummer’s plays were a popular pastime for the poor, with a wide variety of plays that were characterized by big masks and pantomime traditions. European mummers would also parade around the streets, enter random houses, and play dice in silence. As time went on, these mummers would beg for food and drink after performing a skit or poem.

In the late 17th century, Swedish immigrants settled down in Philadelphia. Mummers became a celebration of the rivalry between Philly neighborhoods and could get very rowdy as they reveled through the streets. Mummers would go into homes, cause a ruckus, and demand soup and alcohol before they left. Some shot guns into the street. In the 1860's, this began to take the shape of the parade that is known today, and in 1901, the City of Philadelphia got involved. This was the year of the first official Philadelphia Mummers Parade and with the cities involvement, there were no more guns allowed and the ruckus and commotion were toned down.

With the involvement of the city came the designation that participants must belong to a club to register for the parade.  These clubs can compete for prizes in 5 categories; comics, wench brigades, fancy division, fancy brigades, and string bands. Clubs plan and rehearse all year to prepare for the parade. Mummers still go into people’s homes to beg for soup and drinks, but only if the owners leave the door open as an invitation. This parade also has a history of mocking minorities and using blackface, and though this has been banned since the 1960's, it still appears every so often in the parade as of 2020.

After 2008, when the city of Philadelphia had budgetary problems, the Mummer Parade had to find other means to fund the parade. They began a, “Save the Mummers Fund,” and companies such as Southwest Airlines and SugarHouse Casino have helped fund the parade throughout the years. Interestingly, in 2009, Philly natives Kevin Bacon and his brother Michael, known as the Bacon Brothers, recorded a version of, “New Year’s Day,” and proceeds from the sale of the song went to the Save the Mummers Fund.