Punk rock history takes center stage in Lambertville on Saturday, November 21, when the Acme Screening Room hosts a special screening of Punk the Capital, exploring Washington, DC’s influential punk underground.
The evening goes beyond the film, bringing together filmmaker James June Schneider and Howard Wuelfing, a writer, musician, former participant in the DC punk scene, and longtime Morrisville, PA resident.
The screening begins at 6 p.m., with a post-film conversation and audience Q&A featuring Schneider and Wuelfing. The discussion will be moderated by Amy Yates Wuelfing, founder of DiWulf Publishing, the independent publishing company behind Descenes and Discords: An Anthology. Following the discussion, attendees will have an opportunity to purchase signed and individually number copies of this limited edition book, meet the participants, and spend some time hanging out. A local musician will also perform, rounding out an evening celebrating the music, people, and independent spirit of punk rock.
For Wuelfing, the event brings together two very personal pieces of his history. Long before becoming a published author and music publicist, he was documenting the Washington, DC, punk scene as it was happening. His fanzines, Descenes and Discords, captured the bands, personalities, performances, and irreverent energy of a scene that would go on to influence punk rock far beyond the nation’s capital.
Wuelfing also appears in Punk the Capital, offering firsthand perspective as one of the scene’s original participants and, as the documentary affectionately positions him, something of a punk rock elder statesman.
“It’s a little surreal to look back at something you were part of when you were young and realize just how important it became,” says Wuelfing. “At the time, we weren’t thinking about making history. We were just going to shows, forming bands, putting out fanzines, and trying to capture what was happening around us. We had no idea that people would still be interested in it decades later.”
Directed by James June Schneider and Paul Bishow, Punk the Capital traces the emergence of Washington’s punk underground, starting with the early bands, DIY venues, and creative community that helped shape a movement. The film goes on to explore the rise of now legendary groups including Bad Brains, Minor Threat, and others, as well as the development of the Dischord Records label and the beginnings of the straight-edge movement. It tells the story of how a relatively small community of young people built something that would have an international impact.
For Wuelfing, preserving that history has become an important part of his work. His book, Descenes and Discords: An Anthology, brings together reproductions of the original fanzines, offering readers an opportunity to experience the scene through the words, artwork, photographs, and observations of the people who were there.
“What’s important about the book and the film is that they preserve different pieces of the same story,” Wuelfing explains. “The film captures the people and the music, while the fanzines show you what those people were thinking, reading, writing, and talking about at the time. It’s history from the inside, rather than someone looking back and trying to reconstruct it.”
The evening promises to be an engaging opportunity for longtime punk fans, music historians, and anyone curious about the creative explosion that helped redefine independent music and culture.
And, as Wuelfing points out, punk rock has always been about more than the music. It’s about community, creativity, and making things happen yourself.
The event takes place Saturday, November 21, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Acme Screening Room, 25 South Union Street, Lambertville, NJ.
Tickets and additional information are available at AcmeScreeningRoom.org.
For more information on Diwulf Publishing please click here.
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