Spring is upon us and so is Boise hardcore

GLENN LANDBERG/THE ARBITER

Locals throw up baseball caps and windmills as the warmer months begin bringing an influx of raw, passionate and aggressive tours to Boise.

Seattle-based Ill Intent, along with Kentucky natives Dead Icons and Portland’s own Across the Sun head to Boise this weekend for an $8, all ages show at The Mardi Gras. Local bands Animal Skins, Dynasty and Hungry for More will be supporting acts at this testosterone-fueled punch fest that is open to anyone and everyone looking for a good time in the pit.

Guitarist Chase Chivers of Animal Skins is looking forward to the show and the opportunity to play for his friends and others in attendance. Despite being originally unaware of the show, Chivers remains eager to hit the stage with his fellow band mates.

“I can’t say I even knew it was happening, so I didn’t have the foresight enough to want to be a part of it,” Chivers said. “Regardless, I’m always really happy, grateful and appreciative to be asked to play.”

All three touring bands have been moving up in the ranks of hardcore and are gaining exposure and credibility across the country. Having recently signed to Metalblade Records, Across the Sun is one of the better known acts on the bill but certainly doesn’t overshadow the more up-and-coming bands on the tour.

Local musician Taylor Raymond is enthused to see Ill Intent and Dead Icons once more in the City of Trees, citing band members as some of the best people he has met in the music scene.

“I’ve seen both bands before live and they are totally awesome. Great live energy, really heavy and in your face. I have developed good, lasting friendships with them over the past few years,” Raymond said.

The show, booked by local hardcore savant Eric Muniz, is one that has been in the making for some time. Ill Intent was set to play prior to this weekend at the late Brawl Studios during its heyday last summer, but had to decline after receiving offers from bigger shows in California.

“They have all been around for a decent amount of time but they are just now getting recognized as legit touring bands,” Muniz said about the lineup which has collectively received a great deal of support from fans.

Marking the next step in Boise hardcore, the show seems to be coming at a time when the scene is lacking in diversity and expansion. Showgoers and attendees recall the best and the worst of times as past shows have brought prosperity but also trite musings reminiscent of sounds that have been swiped and wrongfully reproduced.

“The scene before the last year or so for heavier music was really a dying one,” Raymond said. “The majority of shows booked here were basically just a bunch of bands that were taking more successful bands’ sounds but lacking any sense of sincerity.”

“I think a lot of people in the scene have a very narrow view of what hardcore can be, which doesn’t create a great atmosphere for creativity in the genre,” Chivers added. “These restrictions sometimes broaden to image, extending further to sex, gender identity or sexual orientation.”

Inconsistency and a general lack of local bands are some of the things Muniz attributed to the state of Boise’s music scene, but he remains hopeful and confident in what this town has to offer. Booking shows and demonstrating the power that a subculture can have within a community are things Muniz claims he will never give up on.

From now until September, shows featuring hardcore legends Terror, Trapped Under Ice and a gaggle of other artists will grow increasingly more rampant. Events such as the first annual Boise Fest, organized by Muniz and set to take place on March 30 at the Mardi Gras, will house 30 or more bands that include touring acts, locals and even Japanese pop punk outfit Peelander Z.

“This show wouldn’t be possible if people hadn’t come together in the last year or so. That’s a huge accomplishment for our hardcore, metal and punk community here,” Raymond said about Muniz’s efforts made to make alternative music a more prominent and contending figure in Boise.

“Even since Brawl Studios got shut down the shows have gotten larger, and the smaller shows tend to do even better than the bigger shows. Kids are searching out these smaller bands and are gravitating toward them,” Muniz said.

For all those involved in the hardcore scene, and any other scene for that matter, check out Brawl Studio’s Facebook and MySpace profiles for upcoming shows in the area. The scene can only grow when people participate and stand apart from closed-mindedness and negativity.

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Posted by Trevor Villagrana on Mar 10 2011. Filed under Culture, Main Feature. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.