THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 27, 1995 TAG: 9510270051
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E11 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALICIA LUMA, HIGH SCHOOL CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines
HARD (adj.) 1. Solid and firm in substance and outline; not easily receiving indentation or impression.
CORE (n.) 1. The central or innermost part of a thing.
I'd been interested for quite some time in the hardcore music scene, but I, like most people, lacked a clear perception of both the music and the people.
After my story on all-ages clubs I got a few calls from people who thought it was unfair not to include the all-ages hardcore shows at the King's Head, so I called someone. His name is Matt Dauer. He's 19, a freshman at ODU and a show organizer, T-shirt printer, 'zine writer and hardcore kid. Matt and I, along with two of his friends had an on-the-record chill session at IHOP in Virginia Beach about what hardcore is and what makes it so.
Hardcore is music at its most political, most emotional and most personal. It is definitely not a style, but a lifestyle. That becomes an evident fact when you meet any of the hardcore kids. So deep-set are the standards that it shows in their speech and actions as well as in their clothing and such.
Closely related to the punk movement (the real one, that is), hardcore had its start in the late '70s. Jessica Humphrey, 17, a freshman at ODU and a hardcore kid, said her stepfather remembers going to shows in the early '80s.
Jessica takes photos of hardcore bands, has helped organize shows, does T's and is trying to put out a 'zine but it isn't working too well. She has been involved in the scene for about four years.
One of the basic principles of hardcore is that it's almost totally do-it-yourself. ``Everybody has their certain part,'' Jessica said, ``Some people write for 'zines, some take pictures and some are in bands.''
Shows are held in rented school auditoriums, clubs or basements. They rarely cost more than $5 or have fewer than 5 bands, and all of the money goes to the bands.
``The whole thing with hardcore is that it's not big arenas with barricades,'' said Timmy Greene, 18, a junior at Green Run. ``Anytime you want to get up on stage and sing along or jump off, you can. When bands start trying to get big and play bigger clubs it's just not as personal.''
Another piece of hardcore's foundation is the political. Instead of blindly griping about the government for no good reason, the kids know what they believe in and work to change what they don't like. Many protests are just assumed to be staged by local hardcore kids.
``So many people have so many different ideas,''said Timmy, ``the straightedge (are) against drugs, and some kids are into religion and some are against religion. There are so many different views.''
But the thing that keeps hardcore from being just another political party is the music. Raw and aggressive, felt more than heard, it is in a class all its own. There are very few limits on the tunes considered to be hardcore, but I doubt you will ever see a hardcore R&B band.
Some of the more widely known hardcore acts are Sick Of It All, Shudder to Think and CIV, which is composed of ex-members of smaller hardcore bands. ``They're on MTV now,'' Jessica said.
In hardcore, no person is more necessary than another.
``They're just your friends on stage and not some big rock stars,'' Matt said. Hence, the showgoer is no better than the showgiver or the showplayer. It's like a big mass of people with no leader all headed in essentially the same direction.
At a show this becomes particularly apparent. Jessica gave a great example of the way everyone pulls together.
``We were at this one show in Dayton,'' she said, ``like, this big (three-day) hardcore festival and there were so many people there and a whole bunch of different kinds of bands played there. It was real hot inside, like a hundred and some-odd degrees in this club with no windows or fans or whatever. And during this one band everyone was moving together and, this might sound cheesy, but everybody was like one big energy.''
``It's a common bond,''said Matt, ``It's more than just the music.''
The next local hardcore show is Saturday at the King's Head Inn on Hampton Boulevard in Norfolk near ODU. Show time is 5 p.m., cost is $5, bands are Turmoil, Despair, Endeavor, Element 33 and Faceless. MEMO: Alicia Luma's column appears twice a month in Teenology. If you'd like
to let her know what's going on, call Infoline at 640-5555 and enter
category 8989.
ILLUSTRATION: Photo by JESSICA HUMPHREY
Hardcore is definitely not a style, but a lifestyle.
Alicia Luma is a home-schooled high school senior.
by CNB