Gang Signs

I'm going to see Sleeping Giant and Advent tonight. I'm super excited for this show. I've only seen Sleeping Giant once (at the last Facedown Fest in like 07) and they were amazing. I've never seen Advent (missed their set when they came through town with Demon Hunter).

My goal is to stay in the loop with the local hardcore scene and get to more shows. Kobra Klutch does a great job of booking shows and getting bands to Maryland and I want to get back into going to the hardcore shows. Maybe not like I used to in high school when I was going every weekend but I want to be more frequent in attendance and showing support for bands and music I love. I mean music is my passion and my life.

Over the last 8 months or so I've really redeveloped my passion for christian music, christian hardcore and metal to be exact. Running the music blog I've noticed I've really started covering a lot of metal and hardcore. I mean it helps that the Facedown Family has been killing with their 2010 releases. It seems like every album they put out is on point and awesome. I've gone back and and really dug into the Facedown Records discography. There's a lot of killer stuff on that label.

For whatever reason from my senior year of high school until really when I went to Facedown Fest I was really out of the hardcore/metal scene. I got really into emo, indie rock, and post rock/ambient music after high school and really didn't involve myself with hardcore anymore. Whatever the reasoning, my passion for heavy music was diminished. I just called it getting older but whatever. I would hear songs and albums I liked but never really dove in and involved myself.

And the scene has changed since I was in high school. Hardcore shows in the day were always at VFW Halls or church basements. Every now and then the bigger bands you'd see at Ottobar or some other small bar in town but you'd mostly go to the local Knights of Columbus, take $5 and a canned good and see 5 hardcore bands. It was awesome.

Now, because of myspace or Hot Topic or just the ever changing landscape of music, metal and hardcore acts have more exposure. Christian bands have a lot more exposure and are more popular now a days. Underoath, As I Lay Dying, Norma Jean, Demon Hunter, and a slew of others are really big not just in christian circles but in normal metal circles. Which is awesome. Yes, christian bands have always toured with non christian acts but it's different nowadays. All the shows are in legit venues and some bands have huge followings and the cost of seeing your favorite band could be $30+.

I imagine it can be tough on parents trying to monitor their kids musical intake. If your son or daughter is a fan of Underoath and they go see them live, they're also going to be exposed to some band that's not christian that I know parents will have an issue with. I know I saw tons of non christian bands in high school at scows I went to but their were a lot of straight up all christian tours. Once a month I could go to Mt Oak church and get a great christian hardcore or punk rock show. Those seem to be fewer and fewer in the hardcore scene these days (although Scream The Prayer is a great summer metal tour).

But l always see shows with christian hardcore acts in places that I didn't think still put on shows. And like I said, Kobra Klutch does an excellent job getting Facedown artist to Maryland and providing hardcore shows for fans and a place where local young bands can play. And I want to do a better job at getting to these shows and showing my support.