“Vital to understanding the birth of American punk rock…an essential addition to the history of a movement”—Los Angeles Times In 1979, punk was over… but by 1981, hardcore was born. As teenagers in 1981, David Markey and his best friend Jordan Schwartz founded We Got Power, a fanzine dedicated to the first-generation hardcore punk music community in their native Los Angeles. Their text and cameras captured the early punk spirit of Black Flag, the Minutemen, Social Distortion, Red Cross/Redd Kross, Suicidal Tendencies, the Descendents, White Flag, the Last, the Gun Club, Saccharine Trust, Sin 34, Nip Drivers, Circle One, M.D.C., Big Boys, Youth Brigade, D.R.I., the Butthole Surfers, Firehose, and many others at the height of their precocious punk powers. In the process, the duo’s amazing photographs also captured the dilapidated suburbs, abandoned storefronts, and dereliction of the early Reagan era—a rubble-strewn social apocalypse that demanded a youth uprising! Never before seen except in crude fanzine form, these detailed and richly narrative photos are now collected to present an intimate portrayal of a uniquely fertile creative moment. “The Black Flag bus rolled out to the San Fernando Valley to hear Minor Threat play. Jordan Schwartz was there, looking like a reporter straight out of some ’30s movie, wearing a trench coat and a fedora with press pass in the hatband, holding a camera with an old-style flash reflector. It was a pivotal conceptual moment…”—Chuck Dukowski Essential reading...the funniest of the local mags Matt Groening, 1983 The book is a wonderful document of something that has continuity and lasts, the stuff that matters. It s the finding of a voice of a generation. Chuck Dukowski "Vital to understanding the birth of American punk rock...an essential addition to the history of a movement""Los Angeles Times" "Celebrating the hardcore punk scene of 1980s Southern California... a new book by zine gods David Markey and Jordan Schwartz""LA Weekly" "One of the most thorough and lush compendiums of any punk movement"Dangerous Minds "There are no rose-colored glasses, zero phoned-in memories, and no homogenized takes; gritty, raw, and real as real can get is the tone delivered on every page."Metal Army America "This is a book of human stories, funny and sad and tragic It offers a reminder that what separates the heroes from the burnouts can be just a stroke of luck, or a twist of fate.""The Wire" "Absolutely stunning""Creative Loafing" "Stunning and beautiful""AP" "None of the essays are too nostalgic or academicthey're quick vignettes from people who were there, and it feels more like an oral history than an anthology. It's about the zinewe get historical essays from both Power! editorsbut it's more about what inspired them to make it in the first place."Pitchfork "South California's punk explosion recorded in style... the introductory allegorical essay by Henry Rollins himself is a fascinating insight, setting the tone for a scene dead set on its own destruction.""Classic Rock" "A yearbook for SoCal dropouts who changed the world.""Inked" "A seriously impressive collection of hardcore punk alumni""Terrorizer" [5/5 stars] "["We Got Power!"] made an impact on the hardcore punk scene that is still being felt today... A document of bands and people who would go on to be legends in one way or another.""Maximum Rocknroll" "A fearless mix of insight and irreverence...beautifully produced...you'll be inspired""RTE" (Radio-TV Ireland) [5/5 stars] "A history lesson for the novice and nerd alike, packed to the spine with pictures and essays that will blow the mind and flare the nostrils""AOL Noisecreep" "The pair s gritty, deadpan photos captured the bands, DIY venues, and SoCal vagrants that would eventually define an entire subculture...stunning""The Fader" "Hundreds of gloriously candid photographs meticulously curated and fantastically edifying.""Decibel" "The true, on-the-ground account... essential""Metal Hammer" [UK] "The stark, often beautiful imagery presents an intimate portrayal of West Coast punk in the late 70s and early 80s. With the accompanying personal reminiscences of turmoil and tenacity, which add depth and evocative context, it is a fantastic document of the scene s emergence."PopMatters "Phenomenal... Essential reading.""Bakersfield Californian" "Reports from the frontlines of the huge and thriving Los Angeles scene...with first-hand accounts from some of its biggest luminaries"VH1 ""We Got Power!" gives a great impression of the scene s liveliness, the fans intense devotion to the music, the audience s intimacy with the performers and the excitement of being part of something new."Los Angeles Review of Books "[An] entertaining trip back in time... funny and enthusiastic.""Chicago Reader" "A super interesting take on the Southern California hardcore scene... Henry Rollins piece on the late Kim Pilkington is one of the best and most heartfelt things he's ever