Hardcore tends to spit out a band every once in a while that seems to be somewhat different. Some call it “hype”, some call it “a band that hardcore’s been waiting and asking for”. I won’t join this dicussion, but it was EMPOWERMENT who brought the word authenticity back to my mind. Something you cannot force, reproduce or claim without a reason. You either have it or you don’t. It’s a question of personality, scene-authority, integrity and extrinsic respect. Hard earned values. Most people in hardcore are not willing to pay the price, leave the scenery before they even get close to it or simply give a fuck.
Bottom line? I talk to bands a lot, trying to answer their questions and help them sorting out their issues. But this can only get them so far.
I recently talked to a band who’s working on getting rid off an image damage they’ve been coping with since day one. I tried to focus on the band’s amenities (and there are A LOT) but whatever scenario I pictured in my head, nothing really worked out.
