Agent Orange

Orange county punk trio Agent Orange were the pioneers of surf punk, melding the guitar figures of classic surf music with the fast-and-loud attack of hardcore punk rock, and they became one of the truly enduring bands in the West Coast punk community.

Formed in 1979 by guitarist and vocalist Mike Palm, they became one of the leading acts in West Coast punk with the release of the single “Bloodstains” in 1980, which received extensive radio support from iconic DJ Rodney Bingenheimer.

The group’s debut album, 1981’s Living in Darkness, became a touchstone in the skate punk underground, and 1986’s This Is the Voice found them adding some polish to their sound without robbing their music of its intensity.

The group’s recording activities dropped off in the mid-’90s after the release of 1996’s Virtually Indestructible, but Palm kept Agent Orange busy as a live act well into the 2010s, touring the world and pleasing fans despite numerous lineup changes.