In 1977—when else?—misfit teenager Alicia Armendariz became L.A. punk firebrand Alice Bag. Though her band Bags released just one 7-inch record over its three-year existence (the bold, buzzsaw-in-your-face Survive), the group secured a place in first-wave West Coast punk history thanks in part to its insane live shows (the drummer once punched Tom Waits at a gig) and an appearance in Penelope Spheeris’s 1981 cult classic film The Decline of Western Civilization. Bag’s recent memoir, Violence Girl, is full of encounters with underground luminaries and juicy tour stories (the Tom Waits incident is told in glorious detail), but it’s also an intimate look at how she grappled with a childhood marred by violence, low self-esteem, and discrimination (Bag’s parents emigrated from Mexico to East L.A. when she was a kid). Fortunately, she channeled her rage into music. Bag will read from the book and kick out the jams with a new backing band, perhaps, if we’re lucky, invoking that revolutionary spirit of ’77.

Alice Bag performs with Troll Tax and Big Mouth at 8 p.m. at Joint Custody, 2337 18th St. NW. $5. jointcustodydc.com. 202-232-3050.