opinion

[Photo by: Discord Records] Fucked Up, Got Ambushed, Zipped In (a body bag) If you’ve ever wondered where Dischord Records’ most well-known band, Fugazi, got its name, just take another look at the line above. It’s a term soldiers used in Vietnam and according to band lore, singer/guitarist Ian MacKaye (who was also a member of […]

by Russell Ullrich I remember the first time I experienced tour depression. A pillow, a blanket and a pair of noise-cancelling ear buds were my invisibility cloak. I sat in the rear-window seat of a 16-passenger church van. I didn’t care what music I was listening to. I just wanted to sleep, and I sure […]

For years, “the big four” (Anthrax, Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer) have dominated the Best Metal Performance category of the Grammys. Other legendary bands that repeatedly make the nominees list include Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath and Slipknot. Even for the upcoming 2018 Grammys, Mastodon has been chosen, yet again, for the category. Every year, metal nominations […]

I once worked a retail job, and one day, my co-workers and I found ourselves talking about music. As it happened, everyone around me listened mainly to hip-hop, while I dreadfully awaited my turn to tell them I listen to hardcore and metalcore. Why, you may ask, is it such an annoyance to share my […]

[Photo by: Joe Banker]  Even people who don’t listen to hardcore and metal know what happens at those kinds of shows. Moshing, stage diving, head walking: These are staples of the heavy rock genres’ live performances. Hardcore, especially, has a reputation for being physically taxing. Riots have even been known to break out at such […]

[Photo by: FabienPhoto]  By: Marquis of Vaudeville Steampunk, or any “punk” culture for that matter, means liberty — freedom for any individual — of expression, of invention, to be whatever or whomever they wish to be. It is independence and liberation from society’s dependency upon big business, on corrupt corporations and politicians. It is nonconformity and individuality. […]

In his storied career, MEHDI RABII has been the director of security for bands such as Twenty One Pilots, Green Day, My Chemical Romance, Paramore and many others. In light of the savage attack on the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas earlier this month, we asked him to give our readers advice on […]

[GIF by: TheNewsWheel] As years pass, the alternative music culture and community changes gradually—as one would expect—particularly in the way they consume, embrace and respond to the music and artists of the day. The baby boomers (born sometime between 1946-1964) went through the free love and peace-type protests against traditional values. Generation X (1965-1980) went […]

A note from the author, Sept. 2017: I’ve found what I believe to be the happy medium to pursuing my dreams. Instead of dropping everything and forgoing my main source of income, I’ve been easing off working and dedicating more time to the things I love. For example, although my main band broke up, I’ve […]

[Photo of Portugal. The Man by: Maclay Heriot/Facebook] Do musical genres exist in 2017? “Anti-genre” and “genre-neutral” are just a couple of the terms that bands and musicians have been using lately to describe their sound, instead of conforming to the generic musical genres and sub-genres we are accustomed to. Genre crossover certainly isn’t a new […]

In March, I stood in a packed stadium—the Verizon Center in Washington, DC—as Green Day rang out their hit “21 Guns.” Had this been 20 years ago, I would have been surrounded by the dim glimmer of hundreds of cigarette lighters sparkling out like little stars in a dark sky. Instead, the glow that surrounded […]

[Photo by: Sebastien Wiertz] Trying to get the attention of a record label can be a daunting task. With a million bands trying to beat you to the punch, it makes competition that much more fierce. When you finally get the attention of an A&R (Artists and Repertoire) person at a record label, it is imperative […]

[Photo by: Warner Bros., Dean Karr] By Emily Lazar of September Mourning When you think of female superheroes, what do you think of? Something hot? Maybe,… but let’s face it, that’s not all it is. Yes, for some people it seems “sex sells” has always been the number one rule of entertainment, but lately I […]

Due to its commercial success, The Black Parade will usually be what comes to mind when people think of My Chemical Romance‘s music. But is it the band’s best album? I think not. As someone who has been a hardcore fan for years, I’ve loved every album and listened to each countless times. Three Cheers […]

[Photo by: Madison Doyle] PLEASE NOTE: This article contains mentions of suicide, depression and a censored homophobic slur. If you were an “emo kid” in the 2000s, there’s a solid chance that you saw someone post on Myspace or write on a T-shirt the sentence “My Chemical Romance saved my life.” Maybe that sounds like […]

[Photos by: Mischa Schoemaker/WENN.com] Political pundits from Amy Goodman to David Brooks claim they have never before seen the likes of President Trump. Fans of popular music know better. Read more: Tom DeLonge, All Time Low, Every Time I Die, more respond to Trump’s “covfefe” with hilarious tweets The captain-of-industry-and-chaos shtick was the chosen method of Malcolm […]

There are no guarantees in the music industry, but the closest assumption we can make is this: If you hope to become a career-lifer, you have to be willing to evolve. No one wants to hear the same record twice and no artist wants to live in a place of redundancy. In pop-punk/emo world, no […]

[Photo by Neil Krug] “Art is the weapon.” The slogan that accompanied My Chemical Romance’s final studio album, 2010’s Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys, is a powerful one. It’s a reminder that no matter how upset, disenchanted and pissed off at the world you are, if you channel that feeling in […]

[Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons] As the news reported that Donald Trump would be the president-elect in 2016, I noticed a “consolation prize” narrative appear in my social media feeds. The sentiment prevalent in many aging liberals was that Trump and the “alt-right” may have won, but at least we’ll see a return to the urgent […]

I was 18 when I first moved to New York. I lived seven stories above an NYU academic center cluttered with classrooms that were typically left unlocked for late-night study sessions. It was here that I would break into one of these chambers of academia and fill every chalk board with the lyrics of American […]