Hello, my name is MXV. In real life I work as a video game designer. In my non-real life, which is the life I prefer, I write a lot for this site, and I got to a lot of shows and I take a lot of photos. I also have a myspace page because yes, I am a dork.

I used to publish a punk rock fanzine called Spontaneous Combustion that has now become a webzine. The zine started in an age before there was a computer in every home and it was all done cut and paste style for the first 12 issues until I started doing it on the computer. I did nearly the entire thing myself, layouts, writing, etc with the help of a select few very good people who contributed reviews, shared in interviews, and various other tasks.

Spontaneous Combustion is also a record label. I recently put out a Government Issue 7", a Cheifs 7" and a JFA/Faction split 7". There will probably be more releases in the future. If you were in an old punk band get in touch, I might want to put out a 7" of some of your material! The label is obviously not a full-time job and I don't have any interest in new bands, so please don't bother emailing me and telling me you have this great new band you play in and are looking for a record deal. I'm not that kind of label. Currently there are two "new" bands that I'd be willing to put out a 7" by and those are Curl Up and Die, and Since By Man. Alright, make that three bands because I'd also put out a record by These Arms Are Snakes given the chance because they are pretty damn sweet too.

Speaking of record labels, I once did time at Invisible Records (home of the once-great Pigface) and I, on occasion, do some artwork/layouts for Mystic Records. Yeah, the label has had its share of controversy in the distant past thanks to certain bands saying they got ripped off. All I can tell you is that the label put out some great punk rock that helped fuel my youth that I feel shouldn't be forgotten and should be heard by countless new generations of kids, and that the guy has always paid my invoices on time. It has been a lot of fun helping get those old records reissued on CDs so the people could hear that music again without paying ebay prices for it.

I am a huge mark for punk rock. I discovered punk rock around 1982 when I was in the 7th grade. It totally changed my life. I couldn't imagine what I'd be doing now or what my interests would be if it weren't for punk. Back in the day, punk was its own little community and everyone tried to contribute to the scene by doing something. My part was doing a fanzine. Back then I would spend every cent I had on records and I wanted to spread the joy of what I found with all my friends and turn them on to this great new music that was so exciting to me. I couldn't play in a band and I didn't have the know-how or the means to start a record label back then, so I did what I knew how to do and that was write.

The name, "The Punk Vault", comes from the fact that I collect punk rock records and have more than you probably ever would want to own yourself, let alone be able to listen to in an entire year if all you did was sit home and play them. I am talking many thousands of them. I have been collecting them ever since I got into punk rock back when I was a kid (which was over 20 years ago now). I spend a lot of my free time (and money when I have it) tracking down records and acquiring them. I must have completion. It is a seemingly unending task and there are plenty of bastards out there with unlimited income cheating me out of my punk rock! Those damn records are my BIRTHRIGHT, and they hinder my quest for completion! Anyway, an old friend of mine named Cheddar Nines once said that my house is like a punk vault and that records and old punk memoribilia are safer there than anywhere else, and the name just stuck. The punk rock museum if you will.

I also collect pinball machines. Pinball is my favorite sport. Yeah, I know what you are thinking, pinball is not a sport, but you get my drift. I have a bunch of pinball machines in the basement as a sort of tribute to Just Games, the arcade I spent a considerable amout of my childhood at. Actually I don't watch many sports. I will go to a baseball game anytime anyone asks me to go with (provided it is a White Sox game and not those shitty Cubs), and the same would probably apply to basketball but I do not watch any sports on TV except for pro wrestling. I know what you are thinking, that is not a sport either, but more like theatre for men. With chairs. Laugh all you want but I enjoy it and have a huge respect for the business and all that it entails. Having worked on a wrestling game, I got to see another side of it that I wasn't exposed to before and it made me apprecaite it all the more. I'd love to try my hand as a writer/booker for the WWE. I can guaran-damn-tee it that I could come up with some more compelling stuff than the crap they've been producing for the past few years for the most part.

My favorite band of all time is Skinny Puppy. My favorite punk rock band of all time is The Germs. However, my favorite song of all time is by neither. It is "You and Me and Rainbows" by the Tear Garden, which included members of Skinny Puppy. Also probably my most favorite album of all time, is Doubting Thomas - The Infidel. That also happens to include Skinny Puppy members. Funny how punk rock is my favorite music, yet my favorite band, song and album are not by punk rock bands! The above equations probably make little sense to you but it makes perfect sense to me. I like other styles of music other than punk, but punk is my mainstay.

In 2004 I started doing the "Selections from The Punk Vault" series where I feature a random record from the vault and provide a sample mp3 track. This was born out of my love for these old records and my wanting to expose the world to some great music they likely missed out on when it was new. If I had the means, I'd have a regular radio show where I could play this stuff for even more people. On occasion, the klowns and I will do an internet radio show called "Live From Combustion Manor" where we spin old punk records. You can listen to that here.

Thanks for taking the time to check this out, if you happen to be a former member of a punk band who was around pre-1990 please get in touch and share your stories with me. If you happen to have a job available that I may be a fit for, so much the better!