All photos by Kelsey Reckling.This week on Style Rider, we decided to talk to a half-naked punk band about fashion. Meet No Parents, an L.A. pop-punk quartet fronted by the second coming of Fred Durst, except this time he’s wearing shorteralls, a doo-rag, and goes by the name of Zoe Reign. Known for his partially nude, on-stage acrobatics (we say partially because he'll sometimes tuck his manhood in between his legs before taking a stage dive), Reign has a distinctly operative approach to fashion. He explains, “Sometimes it’s not about what you wear, but how you wear it, or don’t. Fashion is important to No Parents because it gives us something to take off during shows. I see it as the only thing that keeps us from getting arrested for public indecency.”But just because a person likes to strip down at the gig doesn’t mean they can’t appreciate a little sartorial nuance. Even a punk like Reign knows the importance of having a look. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find him without his Jaegermeister doo-rag, though that might be all he’s wearing. With Zoe at the helm, No Parents makes thrashing yet melodic punk that pits Blink 182 against the Descendents. Given the nature of their crotch-kicking tracks like “I’m a Dildo” and “Dick City,” you can see where performative nudity and the spirit of their music intersect. We’re talking full-frontal rock and roll. Zoe Reign gave us the play-by-play on how to dress up when you're out to dress down."For when your hair is sticky from Jaeger bombs.""This is not a shirt. This is not a dress.""You can burn my flag but not my freedom!""Get yourself a pair of overalls and cut them legs off, boi."You can catch No Parents kick off an East Coast tour at Baby's Alright on August 22 with Honduras and Surfbort. Buy their debut album "May the Thrist Be With You" here from Burger Records.
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