Foreword: I am going to post couple of these musings over the next few months and then maybe compile them, when I have the time, with images etc... into a zine.
Hardcore And The Local Scene
I've been going to hardcore punk shows since the 9th or 10th grade. I pretty much used to show up for every local show back then, there was a real sense of friendship and comradery, the same 25-50 people came to every show. In the last few years, especially after a prominent figure in the scene passed, I have become increasingly disillusioned with the local scene and rarely participate. Something just feels off, things have gotten very cliquey, every show feels like I've suddenly been transported to a high school cafeteria.
I am incredibly happy that more people are being introduced to hardcore and that local shows are easily selling out all their tickets now; but I feel like a lot of these people don't show up for the music, the community, or the friendships that they could build. There's some sort of strange competition or popularity contest that seems to have infected the local scene. Everyone wants to show off how tough they are, how pretty they are, how cool they are, or how hard they can roundhouse kick a 120 pound girl in the head. The list goes on...
As a self-appointed hardcore historian I am exposed to music and literature that is, (while before my time and viewed through a definitely biased and nostalgic lens) much more impactful and meaningful than the music and scene that is popular now. I may just be a pretentious asshole but I seriously believe that hardcore, at least in my small corner of the world, has lost its spark and drive. The things that make it more than just another genre of music. Punk has a different meaning to everyone that listens to it, but I don't believe that any of the bands that are are screaming about how "you're softer than baby shit" are changing lives, challenging norms or positively contributing to their communities.
Its easy to be a hardcore kid now, it's accepted, it's cool. There no risk involved in making a heavy hardcore band that has 800 breakdowns per minute and dressing like a white rapper; by this I mean that these people aren't doing anything to challenge society or bring about change. They don't make people angry about how fucked up the world is around them; they just conform to their bullshit hyper-masculine roles and make hardcore an ignorant and easily digestible kind of music. One that can be played on the radio.
Now more than ever I believe that re-integrating experimentation and political themes should be the most important facet of hardcore. I wish I could do more to bring about positive change in my local scene, but as it stands I am swamped by the responsibilities of being a young adult in incredibly tumultuous times. I'm not sure if anyone would share my views anyways.
START A BAND. WRITE A ZINE. PLEASE DO SOMETHING.
Hardcore can be more, it is more, than just an empty, visceral release for your anger. Besides, what's the point of getting angry over nothing?
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