SCENES
. as far as the scene goes, some things should best go unspoken. the sad truth is, we will probably never be united. straight edge follows in ancient Buddhist tradition. in keeping with this philosophy, one would do well to guard oneself against foolish pride. this "representin" is just ridiculous, and is
basically just small-scale nationalism. your location is unimportant, your heart is what makes you who you are. it's great to support the voice of straightedge, but it is pointless to debate its origin. straightedge is a worldwide voice, one which is over and beyond all of this petty bickering. as far as the pit goes, violence is the greatest obstacle to enlightenment. if straight edge represents enlightenment, then why the fighting? why seek to destroy your brothers and sisters? dance, express, don't fight! there are many people who walk the face of this lonely planet who do not/ will not
understand straight edge. who cares? let go of your pride! we are all so much more than this! their words pour as water into the sand. will you choose to be offended? will you draw blood from them to soothe your injured ego? why? are you so fragile? only by example will others follow. until we let the demons of violence, pride, and desire go, we are slaves to them. tread lightly, speak truth, and love all you can---------for you pass this way but once. i wish you all well. remaintrue to what has made you strong,
and reject what still weakens
Arjuna79@aol.com
. SALT LAKE CITY SAYS LEAVE US ALONE. WE DON'T NEED EVERYONE TALKIN THERE SHIT. THINGS HAPPEN AND IT GIVES US A BAD NAME. BUT IT'LL HAPPEN TO YOU ONE DAY, SO DON'T TAKE WHAT THE MEDIA HYPE SAYS AND TRY TO USE IT AS TRUTH AGAINST US. SO ALL I'M SAYIN IS IF YOUR GONNA TALK SHIT, AT LEAST COME AND SAY IT TO OUR FACES, AND NOT SPREAD IT OVER CHAT ROOMS AND INTERNET PAGES LIKE YOU KNOW WHATS GOIN ON.
SALT LAKE REPRESENT XXX
. I haven't been going to shows as long as some kids have and I have been going to shows longer then others. But in my short 2 or so years that I have been coming to shows in wilkes-barre I have seen the entire scene go down hill. And its not just us young kids. Its a lot of the older kids too. Everyone is
getting used, and judged, and fucked over in many ways... Our scene has become a ladder of people. Kids go to shows anymore cause they have nothing better to do not because they want to support the scene and keep it alive... They get friends to make themselves look better, and they join organizations to make themselves look more important. I guess its the "cool" thing to do... You have kids making statements like "Hardcore isn't about New Balance shoes and looking nice" and kids saying "Hardcores not about mohawks and boots." but hey fucking wake up. Its not about either. Its about the music. When you go to a show you see little cliques of kids... And you can usually tell who from who and what from what... You've got kids spreading rumors about who
egged whose house and what fucking crew they are in. Crews are stupid. Then you've got other kids starting "anti- (enter name here)" against their ex's or against kids they don't like. I used to wonder how kids hated the scene... Its no longer a question. The scene has become one big high school lunchroom,
just what most of us came to get away from. You are judged by what you wear, who your friends are, what music you like, and yes sad enough sometimes your sexual preference... You see young kids looking up to the ones who start the fights and judge and act like they rule the scene... Hardcore is about the
music, its about unity, its about acceptence. Whether you are straightedge, vegan, carnivore, drug addict, or gay... Fucking open your eyes kids... Look at what we could have if we all just stopped judging, started accepting, and started supporting what we have. Without untiy and support the scene is going to go right down the drain, No more hardcore no more punk no more anything. It'll all be over... So Wilkes-Barre PA wake up stop being close minded fuckheads and start looking at who people really are instead of their fucking shoes.
xNinax
. This scene is killing itself. Unity used to be the word of honor. Friendship used to mean something. Loyalty once was important. Respect is now just a word. Nowadays, it feels like you have to be vegan to be sXe, if your not sXe, you're no HCKid, and if you are, you can't love anything than else than
sXe bands. For 3 years now, I tried to fix this scene. Here, Unity, Friendship and Respect lives. I'm the only sXe I know, I hang out with vegans, my best friends don't even know what sXe means ! I'm in a band, with very different people. When we're together, we feel the strenght : the strenght of deversity ! As long as you're true to yourself, nothing else matters. As long as your true to your friends, nothing should get between
you. As long as you respect the choices of others, the spirit will remain. Together we hold we power to erase hatred and let the spirit of unity thrive.
AS LONG AS YOU STAY TRUE !
AS LONG AS YOU JOIN THE CREW!
"Maytag the X"
. First off about the Salt Lake City guys, Noone was there, so noone knows what really happenend except those fellas, they could have been totally defending themselves for all we know. Some guys start beef with them, they turn around and fuck these guys up hard...Who knows? All as I know is they take the SxE oath the only way you can take it VERY SERIUSLY. I know
nowadays, there are so many people that where SO into being str8 and out of nowhere they fall off, thats just stupid. It's always the kids who talk so much shit about str8 edge that fall off. But the kids who stay that way, and keep their mouths shut never get any credit. These guys and girls in Salt Lake make SxE their number one thing, and thats good. So I say give them the benifit of the doubt, don't just assume they are nutty attackers because the press blew sumthin outa preportion. Don't beleive anything you hear and half of what you see.
Now about dancing, I say dance as hard as you can. let it out, if you hit and hurt someone, slow-up, say sorry, shake a hand, it happenes, but if you are going out just to hurt people, well then your days are numbered, it's only a matter of time before people catch on and make you a target. Dance for yourself, cause it feels good to move like that and forget, not so all the new kids can look at you and sweat you, so you think. Dancing like that is one of the things that makes hardcore unique, so keep it fresh. As far as Pennsylvania dying out...PENNSYLVANIA is the FATHER LAND, So many great bands and kids are in Pa. from one corner to the other, it's a big
state, and kids in Scranton usually don't know whats up in Erie, so the scenes are sectioned off, but when you get a chance take a trip, go to Stroudsburg, Erie, Pitt., Philly, or Wilkes Barre. Pa. has a huge scene, it's just torn apart by distance. So kids, make those trips, jump in with your area bands when they go out of the area. Thats the way you see whats up
with the rest of the state. PAHC won't die, theres noway, it may slowdown, but it will never die. We need the younger kids to start practicing those guitars, drums, whatever. Start a band, come out and sound good, after awhile you'll see how many kids are coming around. Don't book a show and go out there sounding like shit. Get it together and give it time. Kids will be coming out.
Rich Krutch
MobHit99@aol.com
. this is zac from strong intention and i am writing this just to get the record straight.i just recently read the opinion of one (sno-ball t.m.c. shocka) and its all bullshit. the show he is speaking about happened over a year ago(april 98).we were supposed to play 3rd.when we showed up the 2nd band was done and my friends in SFA asked if they could go next,we said yes. well after they were done we were supposed to play but we were told no(why i dont know) to make a long story short the kid who got us the show(justin) got kicked out of the show for drinking(and for the record this issue has been totally squashed between us) it was our drummers last show,we were fed up.by the time we were supposed to go on it was 1am,and there was 2 kids there,no lie 2 kids!!!we got $50 and we split.in hindsight we should have played we gave $25 of the $$ back.so we lost money going up and back as it cost $47 in gas in our van.like i said we were in the wrong but we had got screwed also,so it went both ways.i am not sure who wrote the opinion but hey kid whens the last time your band toured the us/canada.have you played over 300 shows?? hell know !! before you cast the first stone you need to have walked in our shoes,and just because my band does not sound like vod/25 ta life like your band don't talk shit.we have admitted our mistake and i know clearfield is building a good scene and thats cool.i reject your assertion that we change our sound,you know how many fuckin tough guy we -wanna -be 25 ta life or be like a nyhc band ,bands there are in pa.its like a fucking breeding ground for that shit.pa has a ton of good bands and a ton of bands that try just to copy everyone else,so for you to say my band changes as to whats popular is a joke
. ok, here it is, this is goin to be a long one, jack, sorryi hate talkin shit about the scene, but its that time of the month(ha,ha)to write about somethin that pisses me off, actually a lot of shit that pisses me off. ok, where should i start. i,m sick and tired of people coming to sea seas and acting like they run the place. it almost feels to me that someones barging into our home,crackin open a beer, and turnin on the tv. seriously though, kids come with bands and ya know they gotta represent, dancin 4 a band you came with doesnt bother me, its just these kids that come and are like yo,yo,yo waz up represent from the ghetto. these kids probably go home to their middle class home and tell mommy how exciting the show was.my friends and i joke about it, but its true. they come and are like, yo kid weez in the stix now,kid. sometimes i wanna vomit. im from a middle class family , my parents bust there asses everyday, im from a smalltown,yes, but the kids i know , could give a shit where your from, so lose the attitude. most kids i met, that actually are from the streets, keep quiet and to themselves, their the ones you don't want to fuck with. i,ve seen kids with gangster attitudes get knocked right the fuck out by a so called hillbilly, then their friends are like,"yo, weres my gat or my blade". be a man and settle it like a man,I, personally, have been labeled as a toughguy,i,m not the toughest kid, but i will stand up for my self. a fight breaks out, a fight breaks out,period. #2 give me a break you rodonos kids and cafe kids, you know shit about the scene,your still in diapers, and you will tell me i dont belong, next week when your boyfriends band breaks up or (its not cool or you werent excepted right away(hazleton kids) youll talk shit.thats the problem, i know very few kids that stick up for themselves, could this be the reason ,people think the scene in wilkes barres a joke. when shit goes down, its the" toughguys" that bail your asses out, then you talk shit on us. yeah, believe it or not,remember 2 years ago, when a couple of these" toughguys" stood up for you pussys at the old cafe, they got no thanx for savin your pacifist asses and i remember one kid that fought was like, its better that i got in the fight than one on these smaller kids, then you talk shit again. im tellin ya one of these days your gonna need us and were gonna laugh.Just cause i wear tommy and nautica , i dont belong at your punk?show,listen up, i dont hide behind trends(clothes,attitude,purple hair,hats tilted to the side,x's on my backpack), oh my god, i like the music, thats a rare one, the music, yes, oh i almost forgot about that part. To sum it up, I have more respect for a kid with nut huggers and long hair that know the words to a cro-mags song,than the kids that run home and quick learn the lyrics to a gorilla biscuit song , so they can sing at the next magnus show, and everyone thinks their old school. ive been listenin to hardcore 4 five years doesnt mean im oldschool , im not. so if it was before your time, dont act like you were down in 88, you were still wearing diapers ,asshole.
EDDIE
. My whole opinion of hard-core is more than just the music. It's more so like a lifestyle. I've overheard people at shows say things like, "Ahh they're good, but they're not hard-core enough." What exactly does that mean? Not hard-core enough for their standards??? Just because a band doesn't play the
same chugging rhythms for 5 minutes doesn't exactly mean they're not "hard-core enough". Don't get me wrong, I love the music..always have, always will. But I sense a slight competition in the whole genre. Maybe i'm just paranoid, maybe i'm not. There's more than just the music when it comes
to hard-core. To me, it's about being true to yourself and your beliefs and such. Hanging a chain down to your knees doesn't suddenly make you hard-core. Now before you attack me for saying that, let me set the record straight that I don't think all people who do that are fake or whatever. I'm
just saying that, there's more to hard-core than just an image and music. Back to the whole music thing, if you get up there and play your heart out and you're doing it because you love it and you find it to be a way to express yourself....that makes you hard-core. Or if you go to shows because you love the music, you love the people and it all around makes you feel
better. I'm no hard-core expert, i never wrote a book on it, that's just my personal feelings on it. It's not the music, it's not the image......it's all about you. You may agree, you may not. That's just my take
Jeff
. Listening to everybody bitch about how ununified and selfish
all you hardcorerers are is pissin' me off. not to be rude or nothin'. i live over here in good 'ol sharon on the opposite end of the state. theres like 16 thousand people(a term i use loosely) in this town, and until recently, i was the only hardcore fucker! i got some of my friends into that shit, but besides them its dry as hell. its true that all the tough guy hardcore "cliques" (which is really just such a disgusting concept anyway) have got to stop flinging their egos around and join together. what do you ever hope to accomplish if you cant
even work together with people who share similar ideals? nothin.
and maybe while youre at it, you can spread some love eastward so im not so goddam lonely anymore! if any of you punkers, sxe, non-sxe - anybody wanna get some shit goin' (are there ANY shows outside of pitt and erie overhere?) then let me know and to everybody - keep it going. be the wrench in the fucking political
machine!
Cat Daddy
.what's up guy's, i'm here to defend salt lake city. i just had to move down to Arizona cause i was part of a fight that a kid got stabbed and beaten to death. people are in jail now and others are still getting charged. yes it was violent and dumb, but unlike what the media says it wasn't a hate crime and it wasn't cause we like to be violent. we were chillin on the corner when these gangmembers started shit and knocked out 2 sxe kids before i did anything. i say that it is there dumbasses fault and not ours. people say we just go and fight for no reason, but 90% of the time we are defending what we believe. for you from salt lake city you'll know me by my 9 inch scar on my arm from a dumb fight also.yes i like to fight kids that talk shit, and so do my friends, but it has nothing to do with sxe, just are own personalities. so don't go off on all the good kids of salt lake, just the 100 of us that do fight. so for all you kids that talk shit on SLC , you come stay for one week with anything that says you are sxe and every punk-ass fagot will start shit and try to fight you. everyone hate's us so i don't feel guilty at all for beating asses. to all you salt lake kids i'll be back in may.
XDANX SxLxCxSxE drugfree4life@eudoramail.com
.i don't see why Salt Lake sxe get so much shit about one kid who carved an X in some dirty fucking heshians back. Chances are he started shit with him first and he just took care of his business. We don't start shit we finish it. We stand up against drugs and users in our own way. Get off our backs!
Kearns Sxe
.I WOULD JUST LIKE TO ADD ON TO WHAT WAS SAID ABOUT SALT LAKE. I MY SELF AM FROM SALT LAKE AND FUCKING LOVE IT. I MOVED TO PA ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, NEAR HARRISBURG WHICH DOSEN'T SEEM TO HAVE MUCH STRAIGHT EDGE GOING ON. BUT BACK TO SALT LAKE KIDS, LIKE ADRI HAD SAID, NOT ALL sXe KIDS FIGHT, BUT SERIOUSLY I LIVED THERE AND STILL GO THERE AND I KNOW WHAT REALLY GOES ON, I'M SO SO SICK OF HEARING KIDS TALK SHIT ON SALT LAKE, CAUSE THEY THINK THEY KNOW THE WHOLE STORY, YOU WILL NEVER GET THE
WHOLE STORY OR YET ALONE A TRUE STORY FROM READING SOMETHING IN THE NEWS PAPER OR WATCHING SOMETHING ON TV, COME ON PEOPLE I THINK EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW BETTER BY NOW. AND THAT WHOLE THING ABOUT CARVING AN X ON SOMEONE'S BACK IS OLD NEWS, AND THE KID WHO DID IT IS NO LONGER A PART OF sXe ANYLONGER. AND FOR ANY BAND MEMBERS OUT THERE WHO THINK COMING TO SALT LAKE TO TALK SHIT, IS THE WAY TO BECOME THE HERO OF THE MONTH OR
SOME SHIT, DON'T EVEN BOTHER CAUSE IT'S A WAIST OF YOUR TIME. THIS ISN'T TO TALK SHIT I'M GIVING MY OPINION BUT JUST TO LET KIDS OUT THERE KNOW THAT THERE IS ALWAYS TWO SIDES TO A STORY AND DON'T ALWAY'S BELIVE WHAT
YOU READ AND HEAR. OF COURSE THERE WILL BE VIOLENCE, BUT JUST SO YOU KNOW IN SALT LAKE EVERYONE HATES sXe KIDS AND NOT BECAUSE WE FIGHT, BUT TO BE DICKS, AND SOMETIMES I THINK TO MY SELF PEOPLE ARE JEALOUS OF THE FACT THAT WE HAVE MORE WIL POWER TO SAY NO TO PEOPLE WHO CALLL THEMSELVES FRIENDS BY SAYING HERE SMOKE THIS AND YOU'LL BE COOL. AND THINKING WHAT WE BELIVE IN IS FUCKING STUPED, THE ONLY THING IS WHEN FIGHTS BRAKE OUT BETWEEN sXe KIDS AND SOME FUCKING FRUITS WE WON'T BACK DOWN, AND WON'T LET OUR SELVES GET HURT THAT'S ALL. BUT LIKE I'VE SAID THIS IS MY OPINION AND NO ONE ELSES, AND I HOPE KIDS WILL RESPECT THAT.
MACHETE
xSALT LAKE REPRESENTx
. hay this is just my very own opinion on the whole "hard core" "punk music" "straight edge" "Anarchy" scene... True morals have been diluted by so much.. punk emerged into this world by using shock to get their IDEAS and IDEALS into the open, to make a stand for the positive. now people go out and rob stores cause it's the "punk thing" to do... Punk never was intended to be associated with efforts to cause mass destruction and chaos.. but to be at one, each single being, with their souls, it was the ideal that people could make thier own decisions, lead
their own lives, be thier own person, and have controll of their
reactions to others actions, The idea.. I suppose I thought.. was not to dilute your being for other people's pleasure.. then there are people saying "i can't like them, they're not punk.. everyone knows about them". It'd be different if fame diluted their values, but if you dislike a band because they aren't underground enough, they're not shocking enough.. people are judging other people and bands are judging other bands because of fame, and what music they listen to, when the actual
definition of fucking punk, is to go BEYOND judgement and see the being in everyone, that has some fucking thing to say. Instead there's "punks" judging "Trendys" and "Trendys" judghing "punks".. that's a viscious cycle.. what are we trying to prove? Punk is used like a fucking filler, like a religion now for generally a great deal of people, It's like that one idea depicts thier entire life, if you listen to the Nofx then
generally people seem to have this image of who you are, IF you listen to Gorilla Biscuits, and anti45, then people think of you differently.. Punk is the idea that we are all individuals, but now it's become a label for people who roll up thier pants and wear spikes. I'm not here to say evyone is wrong and everyone should listen to what I say and no one feels like this except me, I'm stating my own opinion in accordance to my own ideals and experiences. And all it accounts for is that. I suppose it bothers me.. if music makes your foot tap, it makes your foot
tap, you like it, I don't understand why people are ashamed of their own tastes.. it's like... are we in a world that we feel we need to be? ashamed of what we each personally enjoy? Liking deep local hardcore just because then people will have the impression you're not a "Fake" how silly is that? doesnt that.. defeat the entire purpose? Why can't you like link80 operation ivy, and earth crisis and naked agression? What do we call them? "Half fakes"? Society needs to label EVERYTHING because if everything isnt in a nice neat box then it feels the need
spawn out of ignorance to destroy all things that fall out of crammed boxes because they can't BE in crammed boxes.. I guess there will always be labels and judgement.. even about people who claim thier ideal is to allow individuality. IT's sad when people step down from what they really are to please someone else.. becaus they need to be excepted.. it's also sad we don't offer anyone the oppurtunity to be excepted. What it comes down to is.. "i dont like you because you're not more like us"
and "i cant like you because you're not more like me" well, that's my riot. Have a nice day.
Jake
. Our scene in the N.E.P.A. area is divided BIG-time and it
SUCKS!!!...The scene here could be and SHOULD be alot more UNIFIED. Everybody is against everybody it seems...if I don't like this music or that band then I wont go to a show is BULL@#$%-I know by who is playing a show what the turnout will be. I know alot of kids who are in the Wilkes-Barre scene who wear the Earth Crisis t-shirts but when there's a show where are they?...a band like Hatebreed or VOD will draw alot of
people, but a local band like Strength For A Reason or FCK will only draw the kids who know the music...the kids who care about the music...alot of the wilkes-barre kids are only into the popular hardcore bands and it's a fact-face it-I know it and they do to. The Wilkes Barre scene is nuthin but a little club for the mall rats to hang out at places like hot topic and post show info at gallery of sound. It's not the WB Hardcore scene its the PA Hardcore scene...I laugh at those kids cuz I can stand on my own and don't need the ever so-popular mall to
cling to....I know there are alot of kids in the scene who are devoted and to them I say thank you, it's tough with school and work and whatever you do in your own life but for me I make the time, I love hardcore and won't ever forget it. I say for everybody who supports the pa scene in whatever way good for you-two thumbs UP!!!...and for the kids who only go to "certain" shows how about changing that and going to all the shows you can. You may just come across a band who is good that
you had never known about. If my comments are taken the wrong way or offend anybody tough SHIT..I am not being ignorant its just that I dont care...cuz I know what I said is true and everybody who breaks their back to get to shows and do their
part knows it to. Go to shows-as many as you can-as much as you can and get into the bands you are missing and then you will realize a world of hardcore you have been passing up.
~PEACE~
XbrianX
.What is the scene coming to? I know at least five guys that go to punk/hardcore shows to GET GIRLS!!! I know at least twenty girls that go to meet boys! I admit, this is my first year into the scene- and when I first went, I went to see my best friend's band. But now I go cause I like the f*cking music! There's nothing wrong with meeting girls/guys there, but you should at least like the music!!! I was surprised that some of my friends went to a show at St E's and I asked them, "Do you like punk???". Response: "Nah. I do like 311 tho. Is that close?" All of you out there- go to shows cause you want to go to shows. If you want to meet girls/guys, go to a dance club or something. A local bar. Whatever. Just don't ruin all the true punks time, k? -GO SXE VEGGIE-
Peace- sheeps
.My band played in clearfield pa at a club called "the rock". the lineup was "not without resistance",SFA,dysphoria,and strong intentions. the show wasn't packed but it was good,scheduling the band lineup was hell cuz half the bands didn't show up on time including us. anyway... people went off for all the bands but sfa,b/c they were talk'n
sh*t about the crowd as well as rick(25 ta life) strong intentions got the shaft and had to play last because they showed up REALLY late!They said they needed to get payed right away so they could gas up before they played but they didn't play! those muther f@ckers took off with more money than any other band got payed and didn't even play for the kidz who payed money to see a good show!These guys are shady!if your looking for bands to put on shows forget these guys exist!clearfield is trying harder than any other shitty little town to start sumpthin for themselves and people like "S I" give them the idea that bands are a bunch of rockstars.I ain't talk'n trash i'm talk truth these guys change
their style like they change their underwear, wutevers popular at the time is what they will soundlike... garunteed!Bunch of Fakes!Learn from next step up, then come back to pa!
Sno-ball T.M.C. Shocka
.I'm a strong believer in unity and togetherness, more-so than a lot of people. that is, among those who truly belong... I hate to say "I belong and you don't" however there are some of you out there who have no clue on why you go to shows.is it because there's nothing else to do? or maybe because you wanna pretend your a hardass for a couple hours.??? These kids who pretend they're "hardcore" until the next fad comes along,or until it's not "cool" to be a hard core kid anymore. i'm sick of those people, and sea-sea's is a haven for these little F#cks. I love sea-sea's i'm there every weekend even though it's a
2 hour drive for me, but one thing that pisses me off more than anything is the kids who think it's a fuck'n green day concert. the next kid who asks me to "put them up" so they can grab the rafters to look cool in front of their 14 year old girlfriend, is gettin a head-butt right to the face! i hate to single people out, but the 437 or 347 or wutever the fuck you guys call yourself.You make me sick! I'm a young kid too, and i'm not saying that i'm the hardest kid around, but what i do know is,
that i've been doin what i've been doin what i'm doin since i was 11 years old ,and unlike you guys, i'm not gonna go listen to the New Kids On the Block as soon as that shit becomes popular again.(witch it won't... sorry guys...)so the next time you wanna get "floated" think about have'n a mouth-full of my fore-head before you tap the guy in front of you on shoulder. On a positive note:I think our scene is doin pretty good considering all the negativity this world has to offer,it's good to know that kids
are smart enough to relize the good from the bad.We owe alot of it to the guys who do web pages like this one. so the next time you see someone from the nanticoke str8-edge crew.,thank them.
Judd T.M.C.
. I would just like to say that I am glad for once I have found a
website run by kids who have the right idea in mind - UNITY !!!
Everyone has to realize that all hardcore bands have one common
thread - HARDCORE. Whether they be sXe, tough guy, brutal, beercore, whatever - too many people have forgotten that hardcore is about music and having fun and not about tattoos, piercings, what you eat, drink, smoke, etc. We played in Hazelton, PA back in June and even though there were not a lot of kids there, I was glad to see a mix of sXe, non sXe and the like in the crowd. That's what it's all about - SUPPORTING EVERYONE EQUALLY REGARDLESS OF THEIR SO CALLED LABELS !!! All too often in Boston I always see the same crowd of kids at every show but then when Earth Crisis or Snapcase or Ten Yard Fight plays there are like 200 kids who you've never seen before at a Madball or 25 ta Life show. What the hell is that all about ? Why would you
support one group of bands but totally close your mind to another ? DROP THE LABELS AND START SUPPORTING HARDCORE !!! I want to give a shout out to all the kids everywhere who really know what's up - N.A.S.E., Richie & Krutch, Rick ta Life & T Skin, Ian Larrabee, Mike Mahoney, DFF and all the kids who go to ALL the shows in Boston. PEACE !!!
Andy Cambria WITH ONE INTENT
ajcambri@holycross.edu
. The attitude in the P.A. scene definately needs some improvement. Too many people got the wrong idea about hardcore music and the scene. People need to be a lot more open-minded about accepting other kinds of bands than the one's they like. If you're into emo, that's cool but there's other great bands out there that aren't emo. If you're into screamy metal/"hardcore" bands
you might be into some of the emo or other hardcore bands that are out there if you just gave 'em a chance. It seems to me that a lot of people are into on or two bands and won't support any others. Some people are into emo and you'll see them at every Bedford show but they won't support "yo-core" bands or metalcore bands because there "too tough" or they're not straight edge activists or whatever. A lot of people that are into heavier hardcore won't go to any punk or emo shows cause they're "just a bunch of wimp bands". You'll never see them unless Burial Ground is playing. Hardcore is about the music and the heart that goes into it not the people in the bands or their personal opinions. The only way this scene is going to strengthen is if we stand together. Close-mindedness and stereotyping are among
the things that divide this scene. Any band that goes up on stage and puts their heart into what they're doing deserves support. Hardcore comes from the heart, and unless you're sincere about it don't even show your face in "the scene" because you're only weakening it for the people that LIVE for it. Putting on an Earth Crisis, or VOD, or 25 Ta Life shirt doesn't make you hardcore; you're not hardcore if you only support
a few of the local bands because your friends are in them; and you're definately not hardcore if you're "into hardcore" just 'cause your friend is. Those kinds of people will be crushed under the heel of those who ARE sincere and do live for the scene. We will not let this hardcore scene turn into the same kind of trend that we are trying to escape from. I could go on for hours, but enough of this rambling. UNITY!!!
ZITO
. I'm from Ct and don't really know what the deal is in Penn., but it sounds like the problem is having too much of an opinion at all. I just moved to Boston in September, and I knew like two kids here. I went to a lot of shows, and people started getting used to seeing me and my friend around. No one judged me at all, or even asked if I was straight edge or anything. It was good, because then no one had any ideas about me. Just the fact that I was there is what mattered, at emo shows and Earth Crisis shows- anywhere that seemed like it would be a good time and bands were playing that I respected. It took like a month to make friends here that I know I will have for a long time. The only time I had
a problem was with some girl that goes to school with me who started for no reason with the vegan stuff. Because I wasn't, they didn't like me. And that ruined a few shows that I would have had a lot of fun at. So basically, if you keep your opinions on the DL, and just have fun (good or bad) no one will care! If you're there, then you're my friend. Like Zito says, we're family. Here in Boston, people fight, but we let it go because we know it's unavoidable. And everybody has a good time. I miss CT, but the friendship I found here means more to me than just
where I'm from. And the CT kids come up, and it rules. I think everybody needs to branch out of their local scenes and get to know other places. You learn more that way. Maybe if no one made sXe T- shirts anymore or something then we wouldn't feel the need to label ourselves. I have more respect for you if you don't tell me you're sXe. I'm not, and if you have that strength than you're amazing.
BOSTON KATE
. I have to agree with you and the others who write on your page
regarding the fact that the scene is to factionalized -- it is. Most of my friends, to be honest, are NOT straight-edge -- far from it. Then again, most of my friends are nerds are frightened by loud noises. My biggest concern isn't that some people don't show up to support a diversity of bands, it's that so many people listen to only one genre of music. I personally grew up on jazz, classical and punk, but that doesn't mean I won't listen to other stuff too. Plenty of people ARE too caught up in labels, but I've said it before and I'll say it again, most of those labels are along socio-economic lines and not philosophy lines. Plenty of snotty SXE kids won't hang out with crust-punks or whatever, but will hang out with the cool soccer players at their school, etc. That's no good! On the other hand, don't make the mistake of talking about all the new kids in the scene. They're the future of everything, and everyone was new once. These kids have to be supported and shown that hardcore can be a positive place where they can be accepted. THAT'S when they'll start going to more shows...NOT when some older scenester makes fun of them. So what if Warzone has a new bunch of fans? That's great for them! I guarantee the band doesn't mind! Like I said before, I don't expect everyone to like my band. On the other hand, I don't expect people who don't like it to come see it. In the United States there is no reason anyone should pay money to see any band they don't want to. I know unity is important and all, but if that means everybody paying their money to see bands they don't like and never will, what good is that? As far as the preaching goes, I got into music for the sake of art, not for the sake of politics. I'd rather play the songs with no space in between and not talk about that stuff because it too easily divides people. Ed, on the other hand, feels differently, and I respect that. He always has some cause that he wants to talk about, and I usually find something more constructive to do, like tuning my guitar, during that time. While I don't really like it when he does that, I respect his right to free speech and divergent points of view. I must confess, I go to shows more to have fun than to hear politics.
Phil from Bedford
.I THINK IT IS TIME FOR ALL THE REAL HARDCORE KIDS TO START REBUILDING OUR DIEING SCENE. I SEE TOO MUCH DIVISION AMONG OURSELVES BECAUSE OF STUPID PEOPLE THAT TALK BEHIND EVERYONES BACKS. IF PEOPLE HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY JUST SAY IT TO MY FACE(UNDERDOG). DON'T TALK BAD ABOUT A BAND IF YOU DON'T LIKE THEM, JUST SAY YOU DONT LIKE THERE MUSIC OR SOMETHING. DONT
GO AROUND SAYING THEY SUCK AND THAT YOU WONT SUPPORT THEM. WHEN EVERY BAND STARTS OUT, THEY ARE NOT REALLY THAT GOOD. SUPPORT ALL THE TYPES(I HATE SAYING THAT WORD TYPES) OF HARDCORE MUSIC. DROP THE LABELS IT IS ALL THE SAME. IT IS TIME FOR REAL UNITY, PUNKS, DRUNKS, STRAIGHT EDGE, GANSTERS,METALCORE, EMO, SKINS TO BE TOGETHER AS ONE TO THE END!!!!!!
KEITH FROM STROUDSBURG
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