"what a world we live in where people use God's name to expand their empires"

Lately I've been listening exclusively to Take It Back. They are a hardcore band. LIke older hardcore with the punk edge, but sometimes melodious. Anyway, there's tons of passion in their music, but even more in their lyrics.

It's really refreshing to hear the Sermon on the Mount embodied in the hardcore genre. In a world of hate, someone is stepping up to overcome the world with love. The new album is called Atrocities and that is exactly what it is about: homelessness, shunning pregnant single women, war in the name of God, complacency, looking from suburban windows and seeing men with cardboard beneath their feet, hypocrisy.

Tonight they were scheduled to play at our local hardcore venue called The Championship. This venue is located just across the Susquehanna River from my new home, just over a mile walk (most of which is river). I bundled up and walked to the show.

Upon arriving at the show, I discovered that the venue had been bought out by CI Records, a local label which signed bands like Texas in July and August Burns Red. The Champ began as a local venue to host hardworking bands, mostly profiting the bands for the sake of keeping the music scene alive. They were fortunate enough to move into better facilities to put on better shows. Eventually, like many endeavors, it became all business to some of the people involved. Don't get me wrong, there were some great guys at the place who were a lot of fun and welcoming to everyone. But there was at least one person who stuck out like a sore thumb looking for his green.

From what I understand through word of mouth, Mr. Sore Thumb sold the venue to CI Records and pocketed everyone else's share. Years of hard work and nothing tangible to show for it.

Anyway, so we're all upset about that, but we continue enjoying the show. During Take It Back's set a hardcore moshing kid yelled out between songs saying that the place was dead, criticizing other audience members for not taking part of the moshing. The singer was calm and asked him what the problem was, saying they could be angry at different things and still do their own things in peace. Hate combated with love. Such an old school concept that must be better embodied in the hardcore scene. It takes a lot of appreciation and personal connection for me to actually buy a band's CD, but I bought one.

Jeremy and Brandon drove some some of my old music equipment and me back to the SALT House. I showed them around. What's cool about the hardcore scene is that among all of the hate, there is a lot of love. My oldest friends are friends from other bands and kids I've met at hardcore shows. Yet for some reason parents don't like their kids attending such events. Maybe it's thanks to those push-moshing kids that come to shows to get out their frustration.

The thing about crossing the river for a show is this: West Coast and East Coast dislike each other. A city of an increasing homeless population wanders the streets on one side and middle-class "Sundown Town" residents park their cars in driveways on the other. It really brings out a Take It Back lyric that I will leave you with:

"From the window of my middle class home
I watch a man as he sits alone
On the dirty streets
The cardboard under his feet
Screams about all his cold nights spent alone
People pass but no one seems to notice
His empty hands hollow eyes broken soul
And his need need need for just one person to care

So which of these words will brings him comfort
Cause it's sympathy not empathy I feel
But is it real
As I sit and watch from my suburban castle"