kellee's blog

Couldn't find my iPod this morning, so as I'm sitting on Sunset I throw in an old mix tape: "Kellee's Punk Years." I am reminded of a group, Shelter - a hardcore straighedge (sXe for short) band from D.C. I hadn't thought of them in years, but in undergrad, we were asked to write about performances that were influential to us, and I wrote about them.

From Rudy's Photos

In a tiny space in downtown Richmond, VA, there are hundreds of kids (all the great clubs broke fire safety laws) packed in to see them. The usual opening line up, nothing spectactular that I can remember. Then the haire-krishna music begins. Chanting. The band members take their instruments. The whole crowd is waiting and waiting and the anticipation is building. No one speaks, and the air gets so thick you can choke on it. The lead guitarist raises his hand and throws it down, beginning the first distorted chords. People, literally, come out of the walls. Bodies flying, jumping, dancing, falling, in every direction. I begin front and center, and end up on the floor to the right. I throw myself back into the center, screaming, arms flying. I don't know if my feet are touching the floor, everyone is holding each other up, pushing each other around, clawing, grabbing,we scream and dance as we release our demons to the air.

Found this surfing:
"Between SHELTER and it's legendary predecessor Youth Of Today, Ray and Porcell's ground-breaking hardcore/punk tunes not only set musical standards, but also brought a new consciousness into the scene: intelligent optimism, healthy living and a drug-free lifestyle which made them one of the godfathers of the positive hardcore movement. Youth Of Today defined themselves as a counter-movement to the tough-guy attitude that often went along with self-destruction and severe drug-abuse, as well as political and social apathy. "There was a lot of slogans around, but it seemed to me that any real change would have to happen inside first," explains Ray."