Hardcore is one of the purest forms of expression in music. More visceral than cerebral, the music is simple, direct and explosive. There’s no pretense or subtext -- nothing to analyze. And, refeshingly, its practioners and enthusiasts are generally as straight-forward and no-nonsense as the music, which means they’re unaffected by the trends and trappings of the industry. There’s no carrot to dangle here. The bands aren’t clamoring for press or stepping over each other for accolades. Instead, it’s all about the music and looking after one another – which couldn’t be any clearer, as evidenced by my recent conversation with Fight Like Hell’s drummer Memphis. The subject of my October 18 column, who’s band is at the center of Denver’s hardcore scene and who books Sox’s Place, Memphis talks about the genesis of Mile High hardcore and Sox’s Place, in addition to weighing in on FSU, the controversial East Coast hardcore crew, and discussing how Denver’s scene compares to other cities.
Westword: Can you tell me a little bit about the scene and how it got started?
Memphis: Basically, everything is pretty much based around Sox’s Place. We do anywhere between three-five shows a month. We used to have shows at a place called Garageland before that place got torn down. It was off 27th and Walnut, in kind of like a shitty area – which, I think now they’re condos, so maybe it’s not that shitty. But we did shows there for a while; we did some stuff at Climax Lounge, when it was called the Raven.
Pretty much, honestly, I think as far as Denver hardcore scene, we’re probably going on a decline right now. I think kids kind of get spoiled when a lot of stuff comes through. They start to become elitists, and less kids come out for every band; they come out just for the band they want to see, and the shows suffer as a whole. About a year and a half ago, we were pretty much peaked. It didn’t matter what show we did – there was kids there. It’s in a bit of decline, but everything works in cycles. So I’m sure it will work its way back up. Read more here.
Pretty much, honestly, I think as far as Denver hardcore scene, we’re probably going on a decline right now. I think kids kind of get spoiled when a lot of stuff comes through. They start to become elitists, and less kids come out for every band; they come out just for the band they want to see, and the shows suffer as a whole. About a year and a half ago, we were pretty much peaked. It didn’t matter what show we did – there was kids there. It’s in a bit of decline, but everything works in cycles. So I’m sure it will work its way back up. Read more here.
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