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Volume 27, Issue 9, october 7, 2004

Audio Files

Hardcore salvation

Mug shot of Zach Brooks
Zach Brooks
Music Columnist

If you ever shopped at Wax Trax Boulder, you may have come across Bob.

While his short black hair and casual clothes may have made him look like an odd record store employee, he was, in fact, the epitome.

Bob is a music snob.

He had a radio show on 1190, and openly admits to hanging up on unworthy song requests. I remember him nodding his head in disgust at my taste on multiple occasions.

I mention this for a reason. Bob lived in New York in the late 1980s. He witnessed the now-famous hardcore scene comprised of the "wolfpack" straight-edge bands: DYS, Youth of Today, Gorilla Biscuits, etc. And as far as I know, Bob is the only person on earth critical of it.

"Jocks in basketball jerseys," he described them.

It's an opinion that I not only share, but as our lovely music editor could attest, one I have almost gotten my ass kicked for.

While I love the actual music, the New York hardcore scene was a political departure from its Liberal-minded D.C. counterpart (Minor Threat, Rites of Spring, etc). Straight edge was no longer about political iconoclasm and the fight against youth apathy and stigma. It was now unbridled machismo. To this day, "jocks in basketball jerseys" carry the banner of hardcore as if they define it. And they're certainly willing to fight for it.

Now, if you want to see Bob's solemn face light up like a Christmas tree, you just need utter two words: Born Against.

They're the band that saved New York hardcore. Their music was more raw and ferocious than the other straight-edge bands. Their lyrics were more poignant than the political crust-punk bands. And everything-the sound, the feel, the urgency-was infinitely more emotional than the subsequent slew of whiny emo bands.

For all you kiddies who have no idea what I'm talking about, Born Against is the band AFI wishes it could be.

Unfortunately, most of us, Bob excluded, never got to see Born Against. But at least we can see the Wrangler Brutes. Frontman Sam McPheeters has left the esoteric noise of Men's Recovery Project and returned to his roots. Along with Brooks Headley (of Universal Order of Armageddon and the Young Pioneers) Andy Coronado, and Cundo Si Murad, the Wrangler Brutes play balls-out hardcore. Currently, all they have out is a tape, but they have a new record coming out on Kill Rock Stars. I heard one song-available on the label's Web site-and damn, it's good.

Whether you like political punk, hardcore, emo, screamo, whatever; I guarantee this will be one of the best shows of the year.

Appearing Oct. 8 at Monkey Mania (21st & Arapahoe), the best venue in Denver, period. All ages, of course.