Young Poor & Angry Press

Alright boys.. grab your 3XL sweatpants, camo shorts, Tripp jeans and all the other apparel in accordance to your genre of preference and let’s get to the basics of siq mosh. Sorry ladies, you’re going to have to sit this one out because we all know how hard it is to fake seizures and flail limbs with your boyfriend’s hoodie and recently purchased band merch in your arms.

Now, since stage dives moved out and rented their home to synchronized skipping, it’s fairly safe to move on to simple moshiquette. First of all, if you’ve never pretended to jump rope whilst rhythmically bobbing your head back and forth in front of your full body mirror, you should stop reading here and thoroughly practice before moving on to level one. Forward from mirrors and two steps, you begin at level one: Standing on the outskirts of the pit with your hands crossed over your chest giving subtle head nods in tune to the breakdowns. Be sure to survey your fellow level mates around the pit - these will be the blokes you attempt to utterly one up and destroy in the pit come next show with floor punches that will blow their feeble little minds. The time you spend until your next attended show should be spent in a clean and safe area in a large room in your house. If you can’t produce an impressive spin kick, you will forever be shunned in your hardcore community.

Alright, so Emmure is in town and it’s time for your initiation into level two. Don’t go all out for the first few bands, you need to save your energy for the real champs. Once the first band starts, begin to pace eagerly from one side of the pit to the other. Clutch your fists to the sides of your head and throw them down while making faces of discomfort. This is your build up - getting ready for your big moment. Level two is about to be chased out with swinging arms and donkey kicks, bringing on the adoration level three greets you with. Close your eyes and remember all of the youtube videos of live Hatebreed shows you watched and just let the energy consume you. Congratulations, you have just shaken, seized, and thrown your first punch into the inner circle of the final level.

But wait! A group of wild long haired heshers have appeared! They’re running around desperately in circles trying to shove and push the masses, knocking over you and all of your fellow moshmellows. How dare they threaten your warrior-esque mosh superiority! They do not approve of your kung-fu styles and are mistaking your highly worshiped pitgrounds for that of a Kindergarten schoolyard. Before all hell breaks loose and you find yourself at a Papa Roach concert, you must show them that your kung-fu is the best! Once you’ve proved one very important point, you acquire +6 knowledge.. spin kicks are all that will ever really matter.

However, mosh isn’t just a show-time activity.. it is an inevitable way of life. Benjamin Mox, 19, from Lewes, Delaware shares with us his passion of pitting; “Moshing is life. The rush it gives you makes you feel unstoppable. Mosh or be moshed!”. True that, brother! Now that you know how to teeter around a circle made of sweaty guys and insta-scene broads with hearts in their eyes, you’re set in your scene. No one could ever possibly disrespect you without having a swarm of khaki and camo pitting their reputation away. All that’s left to do is give a side arm bar to some twat’s mouth, get REAL pumped and smack his girlfriend’s half priced beer out of her hand, and subconsciously scream “STRAIGHT EDGE REVENGE”. Once completed.. you, my friend, have undoubtedly mastered the mosh.

Or.. have you?

It’s no secret the Tibetan government has been in exile for 51 years and an extraordinary culture has bloomed in exile.

The streets of Dharamsala are filled with juxtaposition — a culture previously isolated has collided with the modern world at an astoundingly fast pace. The first generation of elders’ offspring are now easily having their own children — Tibetans who have never been to their homeland.

Differing opinions on Tibetan politics abound — some for the Dalai Lama’s middle way, others feel it is too passive.

As tourists come through the northern Indian streets, they leave bits of their cultures. With the rise of the Internet, this small mountain town is far from isolated. Small restaurants play Shakira and the town’s two night spots favor Hip Hop and modern Tibetan songs.

For the past two years, I have been fascinated with this collision of cultures. I’ve met young Tibetans who embrace traditional music — whilst their skin bears tattoos of ancient symbols. Artists in track pants paint thangka in traditional methods dating back thousands of years.

What I had not yet seen was modern Tibetan art — mostly because up until this past week, there was not a space dedicated to it. Art is a labor of love and passion, and throughout time, it has been most charged during times of paradigm shifts. The Tibetan culture is definitely in the midst of a paradigm shift: modern influences are colliding with an ancient culture steeped in religion and tradition.

Tashi, a young Tibetan, recognized this collision and has opened the first contemporary art gallery, Peak Art, in Dharamsala. The gallery is curated by a young American, Sarah Mac. When you enter, the space is deceptive — after years in New York, I felt the urban aesthetic immediately — raw white walls, good lighting and the use of found objects to create seating and special divides.

Several of the pieces embrace the traditional image of Buddha, while others embrace Buddhism’s principle concepts, such as impermanence.

Artists are also showing images from Tibet — a man riding on horseback and a landscape — whilst others capture emotions and the new landscapes of Tibetan culture — a view from Tibetan Children’s Village.

While there is no website yet available for the gallery, this space is truly answering a need for emerging artists.

One of the most popular questions asked amongst young boys and girls; “What do you look for in a ‘significant other’?” Is it the coon tails dyed to symmetrical perfection in a young lady’s extensions? Is it the positioning of the sock in your beau’s size 0 skinny jeans from Forever 21? The way 15 facial piercings glint in the summer sun? Maybe it’s the sweet smell and sight of an oversized Aquanet can ravaging teased hair? There are hundreds of reasons for wanting to date within your “scene”. So grab a pair of safety scissors and trim down those side bangs, because there are a few things you’ll want to be on the lookout for in order to pick your ideal scene mate.

Let’s start with the boys of the scene… what you’re going to want to do first and foremost is open a new tab from myspace and go to google. Search for a list of phobias or diseases and pick the most obnoxious word possible, and add it to your myspace name. You could also image search some siq grindcore bands you’ve never heard of and take their banners to post on your profile. Extra points if you can’t read the flashing font! Now that you sound as brutal as they come, you’ve got to look the part. Don’t worry about having to come up with something creative.. you’re an individual and it couldn’t be anything but original. Ask mummy for a few dollars and head over to the dollar store for a pack of those fun scissors with the funky shaped edges. Cut your hair to where it either falls over one eye, or unevenly manages to cover both but, no matter which you choose, you have to be sure that the back of your hair is shorter and thinner. This will make it easier to spread the pomade you’re going to have to steal from your little sister, and you can always add extensions to cover the hack job later. It’s totally manly. If you’ve got a comfortable fitting pair of briefs, I suggest you put those on so it’ll support the doubled socks you’ve got to fit in there. Pseudo buldge > moose knuckle. Now, lay on your back at the edge of your racecar bed and squeeze that feminine arse into those 0’s! Slip on your Norma Jean tee, fix your hair up, and ask mum to borrow the car. You’ve got yourself a myspace date! Oh, don’t forget your argyle socks and slip-ons!

Now, ladies! Copying Kat Von D’s style isn’t going to get Bradley Bronchitis to notice you. It’s 2009, you’ve got to take a step back, girlfran! Ask your older brother/sister to take you to the nearest thrift store and pick out the brightest pair of  jeans you can find and a few t-shirts with vertical stripes or print you’d find on an infant’s onesie. Don’t be sad that you couldn’t find any pegged pants – DIY is all the rage. When you get home, immediately cut the collar off of all your shirts so that the sleeves hang from your bony little shoulders. Get the password to acess the interwebs and find the easiest tutorial to peg your jeans, but be sure to take them in a few sizes more than necessary. You want them to strangle your Ethiopian hips, not hug them!

Top off your new chic outfit with a pair of brightly coloured knock-off kicks, and you’re ready to move to hair and makeup. Don’t worry if your mother made you get that $5 butch cut at Great Clips. You should’ve already been to Sally’s to pick up bleach, six different dyes, and your extensions. Now grab your battery powered boom box covered in a million band stickers you picked up from @warped09, and crank dat Spill Canvas!

First, you’ll want to cut your extensions into small sections. Put the glue on the part that looks like it goes on your scalp, and slap it on. Doesn’t matter where it goes or what it looks like, there’s no way you could look trashy even if yo tracks is showin’! Now mix up the pink, blue, black, green, purple, and orange dye all together… it’ll make a brilliant colour that everyone will love. First destroy your scalp by bleaching out your hair (preferably 3-4 times to get that albino-white shade) and the last few pieces of the extentions. Grab the dye brush and go crazy! Create stripes over those coarse pieces of hair that belong to a horse that you and PETA fought so hard to protect. After you’ve washed all of the dye out in the bathroom sink, don’t bother cleaning up the mess (that’s what mummy is for) and go straight to the computer. Locate Bradley’s screen name, the one with all the xXxXx’s in it and tell him that you’re ready for him to come and pick you up. Pray that he knows how to get the child safety off of the lighter you stole out of your parent’s bedroom because you’re dying for a Camel Wide. Take your time applying your neon green, pink and white eye shadow, because we all know how reliable MapQuest REALLY is. When mum shouts that “some girl” is outside to pick you up, slap on some bright red lipstick, grab your zebra print tote bag and get out there!

Make sure to compliment Bradley Bronchitis on his newest display pic, because the angle suggested that he’s really upset about his life. Now that the two of you are together, you should probably turn Hollywood Undead up so your shitty stereo drowns out the boring conversation that you two will later make into MySpace bulletins. Ugh! FINALLY you’re at the venue! You’re going to want to take a few minutes in the car because Ashton Apostrophe’s chonies will be soaked due to all of the tattooed band members unloading stuff into the back door. After you’re both cooled off and you’ve got  X’s on the backs of your hands, you might as well just stay outside until the only breakdown you heard on MTV from the headlining band finally comes. Help Ashton with her child safety lighter and watch her chain smoke while you ridicule her, when really? You can’t wait to get home and wash those X’s off so you can smoke on the side yard where your parents can’t see you.

You know they’re about to play the song you really wanted to dance to, so take that bandana out of your back pocket, tie it around the lower half of your face, and get in that pit! Punch your date in the face and scream “NO CLIT IN THE PIT” and proceed to shuffle around like you’ve got Parkinsons. Don’t worry about hitting anyone, you’ll just get praise from David DenialTM when you tell him on AIM later. But hey, you have no time to waste after the show. It’s time to get in the car and take your date to a remote area, like a nearby cemetery, and get your mack on.  Don’t worry about getting your snakebites caught on hers.. the way you tongue at each other violently will eventually break them loose. Now have her look away so you can quickly unzip, pull the socks out, and be one step closer to having one of the biggest myspace celebs paint your manhood Revlon red.

After you part ways, you’re going to want to post the picture with the most comments of your significant other on your profile. The rest of your relationship will be based on keystrokes – strict cyber sex - because we know how much it hurts Ashton Apostrophe’s feelings that Bradley Bronchitis’ hair looks way better than hers. Send lots of cute comments to each other, like pictures of weirdos with a romantic sunset making hearts together with their hands.

Don’t worry if he breaks up with you through a really long and drawn out message. He really did love you for those six textual nights. Just post really suggestive bulletins about some arse that broke your heart then move directly to the “Browse” tab. Gotta keep it consistent girlfriend. Bradley is already at third base with Kelly Kataklyzm.

Happy dating, ballbags.

Music, like everything else in life, is an ever-evolving, ever-progressing animal. It must be this way in order to survive as an art form, otherwise it grows stagnant and dies. It’s always moving forward (and sometimes backwards) into new and different places, constantly adapting to an ever-changing world. Music affects a culture as much as the culture affects the music, and this – amongst many other factors – is why you have trends. Right now in terms of the aggressive underground side of things, deathcore is all the rage. Suicide Silence, Bring Me The Horizon, Whitechapel, and Winds of Plague are just a few of the more popular examples. A few years ago, it was melodic metalcore that was big with bands like Atreyu and Avenged Sevenfold. Before that, faster, more punk-oriented hardcore had made a comeback and bands like American Nightmare and Bane were ruling the underground circuit while nu-metal had became the biggest thing since grunge to hit the mainstream. The point is, every form of music has it’s day in the sun, popularity-wise, and what’s “hip” is always changing. Over the past few years we’ve seen a huge resurgence in the popularity of extreme, aggressive music, with the whole New Wave of American Heavy Metal movement as well as the rise in popularity of metalcore and deathcore. With this comes a lot of exciting, unique and talented artists that are pushing the boundaries of what you would call hardcore and metal, as well as a considerably higher amount of horrific, soulless drivel that makes more discerning music-lovers such as myself cringe and long for the “good ol’ days.”

The attitudes and styles of the people who are into music likewise evolve and progress along with the music, and this is what brings me to my point. Kids nowadays are very ignorant of the roots of the music they love and support so dearly, and are quite spoiled when it comes to how they are exposed to and able to digest music. I first started getting into punk and metal in 1996, and was exposed to my first few hardcore bands in 97 although at the time to me they just sounded like punk and metal and I was unaware that there was an actual hardcore “scene.” It wasn’t until August of 1999 that I attended my first hardcore show. A band called Execution Style, several members of which went on to play in notable bands like Terror, First Blood and Alcatraz, and a band called Grange 15 played at this ice cream shop in Santa Rosa, CA, my hometown. Along with them played a couple of nu metal bands including a rapcore group called Third Degree, members of which went on to play in a hardcore band called S.E.E.D. that I will probably write about in depth at some point, as they had a huge impact on me as a person through their music, message and friendship. It wasn’t a very big show, but it was my first glimpse into the crazy world of the hardcore scene and a pivotal moment in my life as a music lover. “These people are like…spin-kicking, and they look like they’re fighting invisible ninjas!?! WTF?! Oh shit that guy just got his tooth knocked out! Holy shit this is crazy!” It was a pretty eye-opening experience, and left me thirsting for more. What was this insanity I had stumbled upon? Why do they mosh like that? What’s with everyone wearing jerseys and windbreakers? Hatebreed is a hardcore band? I thought they were just a metal band with punk-sounding parts! Weird!

As I got more and more into the scene and got exposed to more bands, I developed an unquenchable desire for MORE and I longed to learn as much as possible about every facet of this exciting subculture. This brings me back to the fact that kids nowadays are very ignorant to the history of hardcore and metal. They don’t know their roots, and furthermore, most don’t have that unending desire for knowledge that I had. I recently read an interview with Born of Osiris and they didn’t know who Danzig was. More importantly, they didn’t care who he was and saw nothing wrong with their lack of knowledge on someone who has been very influential on the metal, punk and hardcore scenes.

Mind you, with the exception of The Misfits, I’m not a fan of anything Glenn Danzig has done, but what bothered me was the attitude these kids had towards not knowing their roots. They straight up said “we don’t care about that old shit!” This is an attitude I’ve seen shared by a large number of newer kids, and I feel that it directly contributes to underground aggressive music nowadays essentially being a massive sea of shit, punctuated by the occasional gem here and there. Bands like Suicide Silence and the like obviously listen to Cannibal Corpse and Slayer, but then you have the hundreds of bands that rip off Suicide Silence and I bet you the majority of those kids have never listened to a single Cannibal Corpse song. I bet most of them haven’t even heard of Morbid Angel or Suffocation, and most probably wouldn’t give any of the aforementioned bands a chance. All they care about is their breakdowns and their two steps, and would rather post the “Top 10 Br00tal Keyboard Breakdowns Of All Time” on Youtube than actually take the time to look beyond what’s easily accessible and well-marketed.

At the same time, I guess I can’t really blame it solely on the kids. Music has changed drastically over the past few years, and the scene has become over saturated with more bands than you could possibly ever hope to keep track of. Wanna get into a new band? It’s just a mouse-click away on Myspace or LastFM! Getting bored of that new Oceano album? Just peep their top friends, there’s plenty of other like-sounding bands for you to get into on there! Bands get signed off how many friends and plays they have on Myspace alone. This is a far cry from when I first started getting into hardcore and metal music, when there was no Myspace, no music blogs, and Napster had marked the beginning of the “download age” and was causing all sorts of controversy. I resorted to scouring the thank you lists in CD liner notes, word of mouth, and hoping and assuming that a band on a certain label would be good, even if I hadn’t heard them before. The used section for punk and metal in in various Bay Area music stores were my personal music heavens, and I got into shitloads of new bands that way.

I distinctly remember rummaging through the used section in Amoeba Records in San Francisco and coming across an album by a band called Bird of Ill Omen. The unique name caught my eye and I noticed that they were signed to Eulogy Records. At the time, Eulogy had a pretty-kick ass roster, so I figured they might be worth listening to and bought the album and sure enough, the band was badass! Coalesce, Arsis, Lifetime and Strife were other examples of bands I got into in this fashion. After giving these bands a listen, I’d peep their thank you lists for ideas on other new bands to check out. Then there was networking with friends and acquaintances that I had met through going to shows and constantly discussing different bands. “Oh bro, you gotta hear this band Poison the Well! They’re fucking crazy! They got like metal parts and breakdowns, but still have like a hardcore vibe, but they got some emo singing parts!” I remember the first time I saw Poison the Well was at Gilman shortly after they had put out “The Opposite of December.” By attending this show I got into two bands that I had previously been unaware of – Unearth and Sworn Enemy, both of which were still fairly new at that point. All of this led to a very rewarding and interesting musical experience for me, both as a music lover and as a musician.

In the years since then, the hardcore scene has changed a whole lot. Bands and kids come and go like the wind. As a subculture, hardcore has grown considerably in size and popularity. Bands like Terror sell 30,000 plus copies in the U.S. of their respective new album like it’s nothing. The usual Bay Area hardcore show back in 00-02 would have anywhere from 40-200 people at it depending on the band and the venue. Now you’ll see 100-400 people easily, and bigger metalcore bands like Bleeding Through and Emmure sell out decent-sized venues that hold 600 kids. With this massive growth in the hardcore and metal population comes a comparable growth in the amount of bands that are out there. Back then through my various means, I could easily get into a few new bands every couple of weeks.

Now I can spend 30 minutes on Myspace and get into 30 new bands easily. Granted 29 of them will suck balls, but what does that matter? The point is, the internet has completely changed the way people get into and digest music, and in my eyes has made the musical experience far less personal and exciting. As with anything, with bad invariably comes good, and I think that overall the internet and the ease it lends to getting into music has been a blessing for the underground. It’s also made the musical climate a lot more competitive and because there’s so many bands it makes it a lot harder to stand out, which means bands have to work extra hard and really try and push the envelope if they want to get noticed.

Also, in a way, it’s still hard to get into music – GOOD music, that is. Like I said earlier, for every 30 bands maybe 1 is actually decent or good, and every great once in awhile you’ll come across something truly special. This is a great thing for discerning music fans like me who enjoy music with substance, style and soul, rather than the mindless nonsense that’s heavily marketed by most labels, because in a way there still is the search – that hunger – for something meaningful musically, and when such a thing is found, it’s a truly exciting moment.

The overall point I’m trying to make here is best surmised by the following Ignite lyrics: “Know your history!” Becoming acquainted with who and what inspired your favorite artists and bands can only enrich your own musical experience, and I believe that if more people took this kind of approach it would in turn greatly improve the depth and quality of of a scene that has overall become ridden with blandness and mediocrity.