Chase Keller, creator of the zine “Knuckle Dragger 614,” shows off a new shirt design created by Jack Beighley at Dirty Dungarees on Sunday. Credit: Tristen Gulasa | Lantern Reporter
Sometimes, a microphone is simply not enough for Columbus’ hardcore punk artists to share what’s on their minds.
Aiming to give these musicians a voice stretching beyond their heavy-hitting lyrics, Ohio State student Chase Keller created a zine titled “Knuckle Dragger 614” in April 2023. Published monthly, the zine — a miniature, self-made magazine — features photographs alongside interviews with artists and music industry professionals.
Keller, a fourth-year in anthropology and history, said he hopes the zine encourages more local love for punk music.
“A lot of these bands, all these people, have a lot to say, and you can only say so much through putting songs on,” Keller said. “I don’t think I’m making anybody start a band, and I don’t think I’m making anyone start a zine, but I hope that they’re inspired by the people that I do talk to.”
Keller encountered Columbus’ punk scene when he moved to the city from Tiffin, Ohio, in the summer of 2020. His close friend Jaden Fletcher, creator of hardcore record label Collyde Records, introduced him to a hotspot of Columbus’ music hub: Dirty Dungarees, a laundromat-bar that often doubles as a concert venue for local musicians.
After attending a handful of shows, Keller formed strong friendships with fellow concertgoers and never looked back.
“I think this is a great place for people from all walks of life to come into,” Keller said. “I wanted to give something back to the scene that gave me everything.”
Keller said the zine’s name has two meanings, alluding to Baltimore-based hardcore band Stout’s track of the same name and his own service in the United States Marine Corps, in which the term “knuckle dragger” is frequently used as an insult. For Keller, the “614” embellishment — which refers to Columbus’ area code — is especially important.
“I think people are proud to have something that is from Columbus,” Keller said. “Having something that is from Columbus for Columbus by Columbus, it’s pretty cool.”
Volume seven of “Knuckle Dragger 614,” featuring Josh Brown, S.M.I.L.E. and Sour from Oct. 27, 2023. Credit: Courtesy of Chase Keller
Keller said new copies of “Knuckle Dragger 614” are mainly showcased during shows at Dirty Dungarees, with additional merchandise items like stickers and T-shirts also being sold at the venue. Community record stores Magnolia Thunderpussy and Used Kids Records also receive a few copies to freely distribute.
“[Zines] were very important to the punk and hardcore community because [they] allowed ideas to transfer from city to city, state to state and more importantly, small town to small town where there was really no other way of getting any sort of information of this kind,” Jimmy Buttons, lead buyer at Used Kids Records, said. “It’s cool that they still exist today because it’s a tangible piece of media.”
Many images seen in “Knuckle Dragger 614” are credited to photographer Josh Brown, who is also a vocalist in the Columbus-based hardcore band Salt. Since Columbus lacks zines exclusively dedicated to hardcore punk, he encourages artistically minded people to start experimenting with the format.
“F*cking do it. You can use my pictures,” Brown said. “It just gives the opportunity for the scene to like, get to know the bands and stuff like that a little bit more.”
Besides bands, Keller said “Knuckle Dragger 614” sheds light on those working behind the scenes. He said labels like Collyde Records and Delayed Gratification Records, as well as one-person graphic design operation Silverman Designs, have been featured in the zine’s past issues.
Though collaboration is a large facet of “Knuckle Dragger 614,” Keller said it is ultimately a personal passion project.
“I’m making something that I want to see, like the design, the logo, the layout, that stuff that I like, the whole mascot and talking in all caps on Instagram,” Keller said. “That’s funny to me. I try to put on something I like and I hope that people resonate with that.”
Keller said he is grateful for the zine’s dedicated readers, as he never imagined it would be so readily embraced.
“I have never left a show with extra copies, they have been gone at the end of the night,” Keller said.
At the time of publication, Keller said he’s interviewed roughly 18 bands for “Knuckle Dragger 614.” Every message back feels like a small victory, he said.
“I fully expected to be ignored,” Keller said. “The continued responses from everybody else has really emboldened me to reach out to bigger bands or send those DMs and just hope for the best.”
A sticker on the wall of Dirty Dungarees promoting “Knuckle Dragger 614” as seen Sunday. Credit: Tristen Gulasa | Lantern Reporter
With eight copies of “Knuckle Dragger 614” officially out in the world — nine including a special edition mainly circulated in Detroit — Keller said he plans to continue pumping out fresh volumes each month. With plans to move away from Columbus after graduating this May, he said he is unsure how the zine will evolve.
“I have no plans of stopping,” Keller said. “This is something I’ll probably carry with me.”
Despite its seemingly violent facade, Columbus’ hardcore punk community opens its arms to people from all walks of life, Keller said. He said “Knuckle Dragger 614” exists to highlight and preserve this fact.
“I’ve been knocked down and I’ve knocked people down, and I’ve been held up and I’ve helped people up,” Keller said. “And that’s the epitome of what this is.”
