Get Up and Go

10 / Get Up and Go

PMA stands for Positive Mental Attitude ; arguably it was this attitude that took four homeless black punk rockers from Washington, D.C. and made them one of America’s most influential and outspoken groups in independent music’s history. Through art and music like the Bad Brains, I was introduced to a new kind of culture; one less preoccupied with standards of perfection and mainstream success, and more focused on producing something positive today; a culture where people opened their homes and their resources to make tours, concerts, festivals, record labels and artwork of their own, that addressed real concerns in their own lives and communities. Even as a very young man, I felt embraced by all of these ideas.