Tearing Down the Orange Curtain Charts the Rise of OC Punk and Ska Legends

A new book exposes the raw roots of Orange County’s punk and ska rebellion.

TEARING DOWN THE ORANGE CURTAIN feels less like a punk history book and more like a long-overdue house party thrown by Orange County’s most misunderstood misfits. Journalists Nate Jackson and Daniel Kohn pull no punches in this raw and raucous chronicle, bringing the untold story of OC punk to life through firsthand interviews, unfiltered memories, and deep dives into a movement that shaped—and sometimes scarred—the kids who built it.

Out May 20 via Da Capo, TEARING DOWN THE ORANGE CURTAIN: How Punk Rock Brought Orange County to the World doesn’t just namecheck the legends—it gives them the mic. From Social Distortion and The Adolescents to The Offspring, Sublime, No Doubt, and Save Ferris, this book drops readers into a vibrant, volatile era. It’s a 400-page love letter to a scene built on DIY ethics, suburban dysfunction, and mosh pit therapy sessions.

What sets this apart from your typical rock doc is the intimacy. You get the music, yes—but also the trauma, the triumph, the shit jobs, the overdoses, the skate parks, and the stolen amps. It doesn’t shy away from the pain behind the power chords. And with OC’s complicated relationship with race, class, and rebellion all bubbling under the surface, this is a punk rock history with teeth.

The book’s release comes with a stack of live events—including a May 28 stop at the Grammy Museum featuring No Doubt’s Adrian Young, The Vandals’ Joe Escalante, and manager Jim Guerinot. Other stops include Fullerton Museum Center, Fingerprints in Long Beach, and the Punk Rock Museum in Vegas with Jonny 2 Bags. That’s right—this isn’t just a book, it’s a movement marching across the Southwest, Warped Tour-style.

Jackson and Kohn make it clear that the Orange Curtain was never a barrier—it was a fuse. TEARING DOWN THE ORANGE CURTAIN is the firestarter for anyone who grew up blasting mixtapes, dodging cops at backyard shows, and knowing that the best band in the world probably played last night in a VFW hall.

Preorder the book now.

BOOK EVENTS

5/20 Fullerton, CA - Fullerton Museum Center

w/Noodles of the Offspring, Georgette Collard and Jim Washburn

5/21 Long Beach, CA - Fingerprints Records

w/Jim Ruland

5/25 Las Vegas, NV - Punk Rock Museum

w/Jonny 2 Bags (Social Distortion, Cadillac Tramps)

5/28 Los Angeles, CA - Grammy Museum

w/Adrian Young (No Doubt), Joe Escalante (The Vandals), Jim Guerinot (former manager of Social Distortion, No Doubt, the Offspring, Gwen Stefani, more) and moderator Kat Corbett

5/30 Reno, NV - Shea’s Tavern

w/Bud Gaugh of Sublime

Grab the book. Go to a Q&A. Scream along. The past is here to start another circle pit.