Bastards of Young are a Sacramento punk band described by Submerge as one of the city's "punk mainstays," formed by members who came up through the local punk scene.[1] They are explicitly identified as local — "Sacramento's Bastards of Young."[1]
At a glance
- Four-piece Sacramento punk band: Nick Ripley (guitar/vocals), Patrick "Pat" Hills (guitar/vocals), Sean Hills (bass/vocals), Wyman Harrell (drums).[1]
- Members are from the greater Sacramento region — Patrick and Sean Hills from Rocklin, Nick Ripley from Newcastle, Wyman Harrell from the Marysville area — and all lived in Sacramento as of 2016.[1]
- Played their first show around 2007 (described as "about nine years ago" in 2016) and maintained the same lineup throughout.[1] The original four-member lineup was confirmed still intact in 2025.[2]
- Released their first full-length, White Knuckles, on April 7, 2016.[1]
- On the roster of San Diego label La Escalera Records since its founding (~2010).[1]
- Released Old Growth, their first full-length in nine years, on September 19, 2025.[3][2]
Origin and members
The band's four members are Nick Ripley (guitar/vocals), Patrick Hills (guitar/vocals), Sean Hills (bass/vocals) and Wyman Harrell (drums).[1] They came up in the local punk scene behind staple bands such as Whiskey Rebels, and three of the four had played in Hanover Saints, a popular local band throughout the 2000s.[1] Bassist Sean Hills also serves as a local punk promoter.[4]
The members originated in the greater Sacramento area: Patrick and Sean Hills grew up in Rocklin, Nick Ripley came from Newcastle, and Wyman Harrell lived in the Marysville area; by 2016 all four lived and worked in Sacramento.[1] This Sacramento-region origin establishes the band as local rather than touring. As of 2025, the original lineup formed around 2007 remained intact — Nick Ripley (vocals/guitar), Patrick Hills (guitar/vocals), Sean Hills (bass/vocals), and Wyman Harrell (drums).[2]
Formation
By Patrick Hills's account, the band came together after Hanover Saints split up, when the members joined with Nick Ripley and began writing songs.[1] They played their first show roughly nine years before the 2016 interview — placing formation around 2007 — and kept the same lineup the entire time.[1]
Local-status evidence
Multiple cues confirm local status. Submerge calls the band "Sacramento's Bastards of Young" and "Sacramento Punk Mainstays."[1] Members detail their hometowns within the Sacramento region (Rocklin, Newcastle, Marysville) and state they now live in Sacramento.[1] They appear repeatedly on local bills — described among "local faves" at Punch & Pie Fest[4] — and in the Friday Night Concerts in the Park lineup of "the best Sacramento has to offer."[5]
Releases
California Redemption (2010)
California Redemption was released on June 29, 2010 and contains 10 tracks, with tracks 8–10 being acoustic versions of earlier songs on the record (Heart of June, Wooden Benches, and Earthquake Weather in acoustic form).[6] (Note: Submerge's 2016 profile described White Knuckles as the band's "first full-length album,"[1] a characterization that may reflect how the band and label framed the 2016 release rather than a complete discography accounting.)
White Knuckles (2016)
White Knuckles, described by Submerge as the band's first full-length album, was released digitally and on CD on April 7, 2016, with a possible vinyl edition planned for later that year.[1] The band tracked the record at a studio run by guitarist Patrick Hills (Earth Tone), recording 18 songs and whittling the release down to 12; Sean Hills noted the project took more than a year to finish.[1] On the album, Ripley and Patrick Hills split vocals and songwriting evenly for the first time, where previously Ripley had written and sung the bulk of the songs.[1] Submerge's review cited touchstones including Bouncing Souls, Hot Water Music (a stated influence) and Alkaline Trio, and highlighted tracks "Never Catch Me Girl," "Mary," "Yankee Bluejeans" and "Like Nails on a Cross."[1]
Old Growth (2025)
Old Growth, the band's first full-length in nine years, was released on September 19, 2025.[3][2] The album was recorded by Patrick Hills at Earthtone Studios and features 10 tracks in the following order: "Tortured Logic," "Care Less," "Tell Me," "Wasted (I Don't Wanna Be)," "988," "Wilted Greens," "Exit Wounds," "Missed Connections," "Over," and "Big Bullet."[3] According to Sacramento News & Review, the album carries "raw, melodic grit blended with a late-'70s post-punk edge," and Sean Hills stated it is best experienced all at once, in the order it is presented.[2] The album release party was held on September 26, 2025 at Old Ironsides (1901 10th St., Sacramento), with supporting acts The Blessing and Half Pint, doors at 7:30 p.m., music at 8 p.m., $19.74 entry, 21+.[2]
Label
Bastards of Young have been associated with San Diego's La Escalera Records since the label's founding (about six years before 2016, i.e. ~2010). They were among the bands on the label's first release, a split 7-inch with the band Success from Seattle.[1] The band's 2016 spring tour was set to end at La Escalera Fest, the label's annual San Diego/Tijuana festival.[1]
Scene relationships
Guitarist Patrick Hills is a fixture of the local recording scene: he runs Earth Tone (in Rocklin) and has contributed to every Tera Melos record in some form, with Tera Melos's Nick Reinhart calling him their "go-to guy" and noting the musicians "all grew up playing in punk bands together."[7] Hills has also played in other local bands including Hanover Saints.[7][1]
Bassist Sean Hills founded and organized Punch & Pie Fest, a Sacramento punk festival he booked with "zero sponsor dollars," staging a week of shows in August 2012 at venues including Press Club and Luigi's.[4] He continued organizing the festival in 2013 (Punch and Pie Fest 2, Aug. 21–25, across Press Club, Old Ironsides, Midtown Barfly and Luigi's Fungarden), where he praised veteran local band The Knockoffs as "elder statesmen" of the punk community.[8]
Notable shows
- The Secretions' 20th-anniversary "Suck-Fest," May 27–29, 2011, at Fire Escape Bar and Grill in Citrus Heights — among "over two dozen of Sacramento's and the Bay Area's best bands."[9]
- Friday Night Concerts in the Park, June 22, 2012, at Cesar Chavez Park, on a punk bill with 7 Seconds and City of Vain.[5]
- Punch & Pie Fest, August 2012, alongside local acts including Kill the Precedent, The Secretions and City of Vain.[4]
- White Knuckles release show with 7Seconds and The Knockoffs, April 7, 2016, at Blue Lamp (1400 Alhambra Blvd., Sacramento), followed by a short southern tour ending at La Escalera Fest in San Diego and Tijuana.[1]
- Old Growth release party, September 26, 2025, at Old Ironsides (1901 10th St., Sacramento), with The Blessing and Half Pint.[2]