“You have no right to tell us what to do; You have no balls to tell us what to do;” From “No One Rules” by Agnostic Front A person who is agnostic is someone who believes that any ultimate reality is unknowable, and so questions rather than accepts what is presented. As a movement, hardcore …
Planting a Seed in a Toxic Place with Roger Miret Read More »
“If I could speak I’d tell you all my fears and deprivations; If I could feel I’d take away your pain; If I could bleed I’d show you all my scars and imperfections; If I could breathe I’d hold you in my veins” From “Let You Down” by Seether For Shaun Morgan—songwriter and vocalist of …
Walking Through the Emotional Desert With Shaun Morgan Read More »
Laird Hamilton is considered by many to be the greatest surfer of all time and one of the greatest athletes in the world. He’s known for “big wave riding,” particularly his Aug. 17, 2000, ride on the “Millennium Wave” in Teahupoo, Tahiti, which is considered the biggest wave ever. He’s also credited for helping to invent an unorthodox form of surfing called “tow-in surfing,” which allows a …
For decades, punk rockers have been screwing with us. Many seminal punk bands seemed to relish in shocking and challenging their audience, with everything from their music and lyrics to their live performances. Sitting back and enjoying the music was simply not an option. Whether it was Suicide’s Alan Vega intensely shrieking and rolling on the …
“She is not scared to die The best things in life drive her to cry Crucify then learn” —From “Brackish” by Kittie When teenage sisters, 15-year-old Morgan and 17-year-old Mercedes Lander formed Kittie in 1996 —along with Fallon Bowman and Tanya Candler—their agenda was simple: they wanted to rock. Inspired by bands such as Van …
It takes skill to be real; time to heal each other — “That’s Just The Way It Is” by Tupac Shakur Kevin Powell is one of the most powerful voices of his generation. From his seminal interviews with Tupac Shakur, to his poignant discussion of recent violence in Baltimore, to his founding of the non-profit organization BK Nation, …
“Mindless confusion makes me mad.” — “They Make Me Mad” by The Selecter Pauline Black is considered by many to be the “Queen of Ska.” Black and her band, The Selecter, are credited, along with their contemporaries such as Madness and The Beat, for developing the “2 Tone” style, or the “Second Wave of Ska,” in the …
“I gave you yesterday Tomorrow’s no concern” – From “Tomorrow’s No Concern” by Dee Snider For Dee Snider, heavy metal was always a form of self-protection–a way to define himself rather than succumb to how others saw him. “I’d come home from school, wasn’t popular, didn’t fit in, was bullied. As an angry young man, I’d …
“Constricting like a heart attack A mythomaniac on the loose in the streets Blood boiling with the burning heat Of caustic defeat, now there’s no turning back” From “The Race” by Arch Enemy Before Alissa White-Gluz became one of the most notable voices in heavy metal as the singer of Arch Enemy, music was simply a …
Alissa White-Gluz and the Power of the Individual Read More »
“Our band could be your life.Realnames’d be proof.Me and Mike Watt, we played for years.Punk rock changed our lives.”— from “History Lesson Part II” by the Minutemen “Where is the focus?” That is the question that Mike Watt fired back at me when I asked him what advice he would give to aspiring musicians. To translate, Watt is …
