Boston Hardcore - Boston Hardcore Music History

Boston Hardcore Music History

The colleges and universities of Greater Boston offered a favorable venue for non-commercial music to be played. Several schools have their own radio stations, such as WBRS, WEEI, WMFO, WERS, WRKO, WMLN, WUMB, WAVM, WMBR, WUML, WHRB, WZBC, and WTBU. The colleges also supplied young patrons for the local nightclubs and bars where local hardcore bands had gigs.

First-generation Boston hardcore bands as documented in American Hardcore included SS Decontrol, Negative FX, Gang Green, Jerry's Kids, The F.U.'s, and D.Y.S..

Hardcore quickly usurped the existing "alternative" punk scene, which included bands such as Mission of Burma. This created something of a generation gap conflict that could be seen at such events as Mission of Burma's then-final show, where members of many leading hardcore bands created a near-riot when, due to the hardcore dancing supposedly ruining Burma's swan song, Negative FX's sound was shut down. This militant straight edge group, consisting of many members from such bands as Al Quint of No System, Pee Jay "Hump" Kuda of Dry Hump, Craig Lewis of Melee, Marcus Benamati of Brainkiller and more of the like, were known as the "Boston Crew". The "Boston Crew" was founded in 1982 by Eric Devoe and his gang of skinheads from Stoughton, MA. Their hard-line, no tolerance attitudes became a defining characteristic for later bands such as Slapshot, Manifest Destiny's Child, Flip-Phone Phil, and Dog Pussy.