Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave

by Bill Kopp

Bill Kopp's chronicle of the groundbreaking Bay Area independent record label, 415 Records. Based on nearly 100 interviews with the nearly 30 acts that released music on San Francisco-based 415 Records between 1978 and 1989, 'Disturbing the Peace' charts the rise and fall of the influential punk/new wave record label. The careers and music of Romeo Void, Red Rockers, Translator, The Nuns, Pearl Harbor and the Explosions, Roky Erickson and many others are part of the 415 story.

Genres: Music, Punk, Nonfiction

360 pages, Paperback

Published December 28, 2021

Reviews

[Mason Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid 3.5 stars, really. It's a fun read, but maybe only for the truly dedicated music fanatics, especially those with some connection to San Francisco music history. From the early to mid-'80s, 415 Records was near the center of post-punk and new wave music, and this is a nice history of the label, the people around it, and the bands that were involved. It was a nice reminder for me, and I'm certainly a fan of many of those bands. I'd forgotten about The Units and how great their synth-driven punk was, among others. Anyway, the book is great fun and can lead you back to some terrific albums while getting nostalgic about a time when a group of under-employed friends could rent a warehouse flat at 1st and Mission...

[David Cohen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is going to appeal to a pretty select audience of certain music fans from a certain time, and perhaps especially of a certain place. 415 Records, based in San Francisco, was a cool, indie music label that put out music by some cool indie bands in the late '70s to late '80s -- a time when "indie" wasn't really a term used all that much. I was drawn to the book because I was a California teen in those years, wearing out my LPs and cassettes of Translator and Wire Train in particular, though I was familiar with several other 415 artists. (One of my favorite concert memories is seeing Monkey Rhythm open for Wire Train in L.A.). But beyond the deep insights into the bands, the book offers some interesting history of the entire Bay Area music scene (mostly in S.F.) - music producers, clubs, promoters, radio stations, along with stories of the bands on tour, and sometimes making albums in other places. I grew up in L.A. but moved to the Bay Area just in time to get a little first hand experience with some of Kopp writes about. If you love the music and all the accompanying information, you'll enjoy the book.

[Brian Rosser · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very fun overview of of the what happened as Punk swept through the San Francisco bay area in the late 70s. The book includes lots of archival images including photos, flyers, ads. record jackets and even badges which ads to its appeal. I enjoyed reading about bands I was familiar with as well as bands I hadn't know much about at the time. It is my opinion this book could have benefited greatly from a tighter edit and less redundancy.