Times Square

Emerging on the Manhattan club circuit in 1996, Times Square channeled the playful, witty dimension of punk rock through nods to the Ramones and the Buzzcocks. The group steered clear of any heated socio-political stance, favoring lyrics that veered from the silly to the upbeat. Its three members—lead singer and guitarist Jill Matthews, bassist Bobby Steele (formerly of the Misfits), and drummer Dave Turetsky—treated the endeavor as a part-time pursuit. Matthews herself works as a professional boxer and, in 1995, became the first woman to capture a "Golden Gloves" title. By 1998 she had risen to the "junior flyweight" division, a climb she has described by calling boxing "the punk rock of sports." Her husband Turetsky, meanwhile, works as an attorney. The band’s first album, Learn It, appeared on the Peep Show label in 1996.