SST Records and the Expansion of American Underground Music

This episode traces Greg Ginn’s founding of SST Records, its early Black Flag demo pressings, and its launchpad role for acts like the Minutemen, Hüsker Dü, Meat Puppets, Dinosaur Jr., and Sonic Youth. It examines how SST built a nationwide DIY network through hand‑pressed vinyl, mail order, independent distributors, fanzines, and all‑ages touring that turned small West Coast shows into a national punk infrastructure while wrestling the tension between underground credibility and commercial realities.

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