Pennywise and Political Poundage

Jim Lindberg has spent the last dozen years railing against the ills of modern society. Nothing less would be expected from the singer of Pennywise, which emerged from Hermosa Beach at the end of the ‘80s to become one of the most popular acts on the grass-roots punk scene.

The band’s most recent album, “Straight Ahead,” is a high-throttle diatribe against greed, politicians mired in scandal and corruption, kids with guns and urban isolation. But shouting is not nearly enough, Lindberg says now.

That explains the band’s headlining show on Friday at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, where tickets will cost just $10 and proceeds will be donated to a variety of charitable causes, from the Covenant House for troubled teens to the Earth First! environmental group. Other acts on the bill include TSOL, All, the Vandals and the Long Beach Dub Allstars.

“We’ve always been a political band, and I think you have to back that up with some action, instead of just screaming about it all the time,” says Lindberg, 34. “We haven’t done a big L.A. show for a long time, and we wanted to do something for this show to make it really cool for our fans.”

Lindberg also sees the concert as an opportunity to respond to critics within the punk world who question the participation of Pennywise and others in the annual Warped Tour, which is sponsored by the Vans shoe company. It’s an old argument: Any punk act that strays too close to corporate sponsorship is labeled a sellout.

“Look at all the money we’ve raised for all these worthy causes,” Lindberg says to critics. “What have you done, except for complain about the punk scene?”

He adds that the popular Warped Tour would not exist without the sponsorship. Vans, he says, at least understands and supports the punk scene. “They wanted to do a tour,” says Lindberg. “Yeah, it helps them sell their product, but it also brings a really great tour to a bunch of kids who really love it.”

The singer also contrasts the Warped concerts with the apparent greed and incompetence that marred last year’s Woodstock festival, with its inadequate bathroom facilities, overpriced water and rioting. “How come no one reports there wasn’t one single incident in all the Warped tours combined?” says Lindberg. “It’s been running for four years.”

Punk audiences noticeably have evolved over the years, he adds, with large numbers recruited from the extreme sports worlds of skateboarding, surfing and snowboarding. He expects to see the same kind of crowd at the Sports Arena, drawn not only to the buzz-saw chords of guitarist Fletcher Dragg but also to an active punk scene that continues to exist happily outside the mainstream pop music radar.

“We might do a little bit of visual stuff, but we’ve never been one to do a lot of flashy things during a show,” Lindberg says. “We just like to go out and play. Basically, we started out playing in back yards and the back yards have just gotten bigger.”

BE THERE

Pennywise, Long Beach Dub All-stars, Vandals, TSOL, All, Friday at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, 3939 S. Figueroa St. 7 p.m. $10. (213) 748-6136.