The punk in the hearts of those who have punk in their hearts is grumbling and breaking bottles at the thought of being "accepted." Yet such a seemingly asocial phenomena has thrived and now aspires to influence its surroundings with a two-day music/media/info mini-fest called Punk: The International Incident.

"What better way to reach people than through a genre which is universal and has staying power?" asks Pamela M. of Bat Country Booking, one of the organizers of the fest. "Punk is not anti-peace. I would say punk is more realistic, less idealistic. Punk is political." Especially in Prague, which another festival organizer characterizes as "the city in the heart of Central Xenophobia."

Bands from Italy, Germany, Hungary and Austria will be on the same stage as Czech punk rock bands like Better Way and Dreadrot. Expect a heavy dose of punk perversions, from the Foo Fighterish emo-punk of Forty Winks (Italy) to the contrabass "turbo rock 'n' roll" of Flaming Cocks (CR). The girls of Lipstix from Leipzig will sweetly serenade "life's a bitch and then you die," alongside Italy's The Twinkles' rendition of Zorba the Punk, complemented by Bankrupt's So-Cal/Budapest sound complaining of a "Bad Hair Day," and "fast, aggressive, partially melodic punk rock" from Austria's Unavoidable.

Samuel El Action of Scheisse Minnelli (Germany/USA) foresees a central role in the action. "Seeing that we are an international band with members from all over the world, we feel that we are at the heart of this fest," he says. "We are really looking forward to this opportunity to show [an equally] multicultural audience our digs and check out what they've got going on."

Along with the varied methodologies of melody, the organizers have invited several informational awareness groups to participate in educating fest-goers, including Antifascistá Akce (Antifascist Action) from Brno. Svoboda Zvířat (Freedom for Animals) will offer instructions on how to liberate animals when the circus comes to town. They'll be joined by A-Kontra, an independent left-wing bimonthly magazine, and the World Car Free Network, which promotes alternatives to car dependence.

There will also be English-language films shown with Czech subtitles, courtesy of Provokátor magazine. These include DIY or DIE: How to Survive as an Independent Artist by Michael W. Dean, and Live Nude Girls Unite!!! by Julia Query.

Punk and its inherent rebellion is a potent force found in the hearts of the young and moderately old alike. As Nick Mess of The Twinkles, bordering on the dangerous age of 30, effuses, "We can't wait to come there! We're the kids, just like a shock! We're the kids, ready to rock!"

And who among us can't agree to rock?