With ties coming from the punk period of music in the 70s, hardcore is the progression
from punk into a heavier and faster sound. The movement began in the early 1980s mostly
centered in large areas such as New York, Boston, and California, as just a few of the areas. The
term “hardcore” was first coined by the band D.O.A. in the title of their album Hardcore ’81,
and began to be used solely as a descriptor, (i.e.: a hardcore band, or hardcore show). Due to the
underground appeal of hardcore music, much of the recorded material was done on personally
owned 4 track recorders that were sold at concerts. In Steven Blush’s book American Hardcore
he cites three bands as the “godfathers” of the genre. He claims that Black Flag, Bad Brains, and
Minor Threat are the most influential bands. As the music moved into the 1990s it diverged into
two different sounds, one that was closer to punk rock, and another that was heavier and more
intense drawing its inspirations from heavy metal. In addition to its musical attributes it should
also be noted that hardcore music is often very politically minded, and many songs are written to
express the band/singer’s distaste or approval of the way the government is operating.
The simplest place to begin is how Miller himself got into the hardcore scene, “I
remember working at an old job, and a guy I worked with asked me if I wanted to go to a show
where a band called Terror was performing.” Although Miller was unable to attend the show, he
did eventually come upon a carrying case full of a friend’s cd’s that he listened to and, “really
got into, eventually I made it to a couple shows, and got into the scene, and have been a part of it
ever since.” When asked about how what it was like getting into the scene, Miller responded, “I
saw all these huge guys with tattoos who were considered ‘the elite’, and they scared the shit out
of me, but I’ve been going to these things for three years now, and I guess I’m a member ofthe
elite, but I don’t really feel like it, I just feel like another one of the guys.”The hardcore scene
itself is a very interesting thing, simply because of the many different kinds of people who come
1
to shows. There are the true hardcore fans,
the “posers”, and the people who go just
because they feel like that is a good place
where they can let out some aggression,
Miller commented, “I think its stupid
when people go to shows just to get into a
fight, it brings down the whole mood and
Figure
1
An
example
of
a
mosh
pit,
although
considerably
larger
than
one
at
an
average
Nebraska
show.
can ruin a good show not only for the audience but for the bands that are
playing.” But not all of the people that attend shows do it for the wrong reasons, Miller explained
that in smaller towns there is more of a sense of camaraderie and that despite the aggressive form
of moshing that is very popular at hardcore shows, if someone gets hurt, it is commonplace for
people to be friendly and help them up or make sure they are alright. The reasoning behind the
aforementioned “aggressive moshing” comes almost entirely from the style and emotion of the
music itself. When asked about his music, Miller stated, “We want our music to be as heavy as
we can get it, but also fast and melodic. We want it to express the way we feel about things.”
There is much that can be learned from the mindsets that have been adopted by the
hardcore scene. The sense of fellowship and acceptance among them is an inspiration. Not only
that but considering their creative use of music as an outlet for their emotions that also shares a
message that they truly believe is really something that many musicians today should take to
heart. It is safe to say that when a person experiences even a small bit of what it is like to be a
part of a hardcore scene, it would be impossible for them to go back.
2
Blush, Steven. American Hardcore: A Tribal View. Los Angeles, CA: Feral House, 2001
Nedorostek,
Nathan.
Radio
Silence:
A
Selected
Visual
History
of
American
Hardcore
Music.
New
York,
NY:
MTV
Press,
2008
Rachman, Paul. American Hardcore (DVD) Sony Studios, 2007
Rollins, Henry. Get In The Van: On the Road With Black Flag. N/A: Henry Rollins Publication,
1994
Haenfler, Ross. Straight Edge: Clean-Living Youth, Hardcore Punk, And Social Change.
Washington D.C., Library of Congress Cataloguing Publication Data, 2006
D.O.A., Hardcore ’81, Sudden Death Records, B00007BH41
http://www.irrevocable.org/msgboard/ (a message board used by many hardcore fans)
http://www.instrife.com/ (a website used to promote hardcore bands)
Funkey, Max. Interview with Chris Miller, 12 November, 2008
I Rise, Darfur. 1917 Record, Oct 9th 2007
Terror, One With the Underdogs. Trustkill Records, July 27th 2004
3