MAPA UPDATE: OCTOBER 2026

We're Building Something. It Just Takes a Little Fucking Time.

October is wrapping up, and things are moving along here at Make America Punk Again. Maybe not as quickly as I'd like, but we're making progress. When I started MAPA, the idea was pretty simple: connect punks, support bands, share stories, and hopefully help get some things happening in the real world again. That hasn't changed, and we're slowly putting the pieces together.

FIRST, A BIG FUCKING THANK YOU

We want to give a shout-out and a big thank-you to Mean Gene of Back Ache Records in Michigan for contributing to MAPA. One of the things I want this project to become is a place where people from different scenes can share what they're doing, tell their stories, and introduce the rest of us to music and people we might never hear about otherwise. That's what this is supposed to be about. So, thanks, Gene. We appreciate you being part of it.

If you're involved in a punk scene somewhere, whether you're in a band, running a label, photographing shows, making zines, or just have a story worth telling, we'd love to hear from you.

WE'VE GOT BANDS. NOW WE NEED A FUCKING VENUE.

Here's where things stand with live shows. We've got local bands ready and interested in playing. The frustrating part has been finding a suitable venue. We're looking for a place where we can put on affordable, punk shows and start building something that happens regularly, not just one show and then everybody disappears for six months.

Finding the right room is proving harder than finding the bands, but we're working on it, and I'm not interested in rushing into a bad arrangement just to say we booked a show. When we have a venue and a confirmed date, you'll hear about it.

In the meantime, if you know of a hall, club, community space, or other place in eastern Connecticut that might be interested in hosting punk shows, get in touch. A good lead could make a real difference.

THE MAPA ZINE

The print edition of MAPA will come out during the fourth week of every month. Currently available at Willimantic Records in Willimantic.  The website will get its main monthly content update during that same week. That means new articles, DIY projects, stories, and whatever else we've managed to dig up or create. The website will continue to carry news and announcements between monthly updates when there's something worth sharing. Something to look forward to, rather than just another website that randomly posts things whenever somebody remembers. And yes, we're doing an actual printed zine. Paper, ink, the whole fucking thing.

LOOKING AHEAD TO SPRING 2027

We're also starting to plan some MAPA events for spring 2027. I'm not ready to announce dates or locations yet because we're still working out the details, but the idea is to create opportunities for punks to get together beyond just standing in front of a stage. That could mean music, DIY activities, record and zine trading, and other ways for people to meet and connect. I want MAPA to become something people participate in, not just something they read. We'll share more as those plans take shape.

YES, WE SELL MERCH. HERE'S WHY.

You'll notice MAPA has a shop. We've got shirts and other merchandise available, and I want to be clear about why. Running a website costs money. Printing zines costs money. Organizing events costs money. There are supplies, equipment, and plenty of little expenses that add up. The merchandise is one way to help support those efforts.

Nobody has to buy anything to be part of all this, but if you like what we're trying to do and want a shirt or something else from the shop, your purchase helps support the project.

The merchandise exists to support MAPA. MAPA doesn't exist to sell merchandise. That's the way I want to keep it.

We Still Need People

Here's the part I can't emphasize enough, MAPA needs contributors. Not just professional writers,  not just musicians with famous bands. We need people who have something to share.

Maybe you played in a band nobody remembers. Maybe you've got a box of old show flyers. Maybe you're photographing local bands today. Maybe you're organizing shows, running a little record label, or trying to start something in your town. Maybe you've just got a good punk story. You don't need to write a perfect article. We can start with a conversation or a few questions,a nd we're not just interested in Connecticut we want to hear from punk scenes everywhere. If you have something worth sharing, get in touch.

One Last Thing

I'm not going to pretend MAPA is suddenly some huge operation. It isn't. We're building it piece by piece. Some things are coming together, some things are taking longer than expected, and I'm sure we'll make a few mistakes along the way, but we're doing something. If there's one thing I've learned after all these years around punk, it's that scenes don't appear out of nowhere, people make them happen.

So, thanks to everybody who's been reading, sharing, contributing, or just showing some interest. Stick around. We've got more to do.

We all work together. We all support each other. We all support the scene.

— Ronnie Rocker Make America Punk Again