The picture above is a band called Skylit Drive, a 6 piece hardcore (HxC) band from Lodi, California. As you can see, those guys look tough. A new type of masculinity, even if it involves long hair and huge earrings. The hardcore music scene prides itself on being tough. It has...
Mosh Pits, where people often get injured...
Zero gauges and tattoos. and Let's not forget...
Blood, "power stances", vocals involving screams and "pig squeals" (gutterall throat sounds).
The whole guise is tough. Sometimes even, the guys are physically tough. I used to play in a hardcore band wherein I would get physically beat up in mosh pits. I must admit I sort of enjoyed it, but not in a masochistic way. I enjoyed sports all my life, and moshing was just like getting hit in football or checked in lacrosse. It meant you were playing hard and having a good time. But I think the difference in the hardcore movement (for the most part) and other tough guises is that most HxC people truly care.
Take A Skylit Drive. Mike "Jag" Jagmin, the lead singer, is a vegetarian and strong political activist. He has worked extensively with peta2, and often defends his vocal style (a high-pitched range spanning three octaves) against those who want him to be more "masculine". Many hardcore bands are also "Christian" bands that preach love and peace, like The Devil Wears Prada. Their guitarist also works with PETA. Maybe this is just a function of the post-hardcore movement and our new, progressive understanding of the world, but let us not forget that under the tough guise we have some truly tough guys; tough on injustice. There are still those just looking to pick a fight, in fact, sometimes the music itself suggest that, which cannot be endorsed. But the positives are also very prevalent in bands like A Skylit Drive and The Devil Wears Prada.
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