SANTA ROSA, CA.- The Museum of Sonoma County is presenting Disturbing The Peace: Sonoma County’s Early Punk Underground, on view April 18–August 23, 2026. The first-of-its-kind exhibition chronicles the premillenium punk scene in Sonoma County, and its bands, zines, artists, venues and DIY principles that continue to reverberate today.

Disturbing The Peace spans 1970s punk’s reaction to disco, 1980s hardcore’s rejection of Reaganomics, and the expansion of the punk ethos into 1990s musical genres like emo, pop-punk, ska and indie rock. The exhibit features local punk flyers, vintage photographs, listening stations, photocopied zines, archival video, records, T-shirts, stickers, musical instruments and handmade cassettes. Together, they tell the story of a vibrant youth culture that — beneath all the screaming and stagediving — dared to imagine a better world.

The early punk scene in Sonoma County was shaped by a rural setting and lack of infrastructure, and sought to destroy the suburban status quo while building new economies, ideologies and support structures. Along the way, punk wrestled with issues still relevant today: fascism, censorship, police brutality, homophobia, Nazis, drug abuse, racism and misogyny.

Disturbing The Peace includes:

● The largest-ever public display of vintage Sonoma County punk flyers from 1980–1999

● Photos of dozens of local bands like Victims Family, Capitalist Casualties, Insanity Puppets, the Invalids, Kid Dynamo, the Conspiracy, Nuisance, Disciples of Ed and more

● A listening station with over 50 songs by local punk bands that are unavailable on streaming services, digitized from out-of-print records and rare demo cassette tapes

● A stage with drums, bass and guitar for visitors to play, whether one knows how to or not

● Never-before-seen footage of Green Day playing at Santa Rosa High School in 1991

● The largest assembled collection of pre-Y2K Sonoma County punk zines

● Historical materials from local chapters of Riot Grrrl, Food Not Bombs, Copwatch and other grassroots groups active in the punk scene

● Photos, flyers and ephemera from touring bands like AFI, Dead Kennedys, Sublime, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Operation Ivy, Primus, Mr. Bungle, Neurosis and Black Flag

● A turntable and cassette deck on which visitors can listen to local punk bands’ releases

Disturbing The Peace is guest curated by Gabe Meline, a longtime journalist, writer and musician with deep roots in Sonoma County and its punk community. Assisting with the design of the exhibition is Josh Staples, another longtime Sonoma County musician and artist.

Says Meline, “It’s safe to say that no one in this exhibit ever imagined that their work would be in a museum. Let’s face it: punk is chaotic, antagonistic, messy, and sometimes pointless — all things that museums aren’t. But at a time of unprecedented authoritarianism, it’s important to look to history, even recent history, for examples of resistance to authority, and perseverance in the form of loud creativity, humor and disruption.”

A specially made zine of historic local punk flyers is being produced in conjunction with the show, which will be available for purchase in the Museum of Sonoma County’s gift shop.