Minneapolis hardcore

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Hardcore punk
Stylistic origins:	Punk rock
Cultural origins:	Early 1980s North America
Typical instruments:	Vocals - Guitar - Bass - Drums
Mainstream popularity:	Little to none during the careers of the bands, but has been gaining popularity in recent years.
Derivative forms:	Alternative rock - Grunge - Emo - Post-hardcore
Subgenres
Christian hardcore - Crust punk - D-beat - Melodic hardcore - Powerviolence - Queercore - Skate punk - Thrashcore - Youth crew
Fusion genres
Crossover thrash - Funkcore - Grindcore - Metalcore
Regional scenes
Australia - Brazil - Canada - Europe: Italy - South Wales - Scandinavia: Umeå - Japan - USA: Boston - Chicago - Detroit - Los Angeles - Minneapolis - New Jersey - New York - North Carolina - Phoenix - Seattle - San Francisco - Southern California - Texas - DC
Other topics
Hardcore dancing - Straight edge - DIY punk ethic - List of bands

1 History
- 1.1 See also
2 Venues
3 DIY
4 Record Labels
5 External links

[edit] History

The Minneapolis area has been a fertile ground for the hardcore punk scene for many years.

The Twin Cities area featured a lively music scene in the 60's and 70's. There was an established tradition of local labels and venues which featured live music. A scene started to coalesce in the mid-late 1970's around Jay's Longhorn Bar and Oar Folkjokeopus record store. The first Punk rock band from Minnesota was probably the Suicide Commandos. Their first single was released in 1976 and is contemporary with the Ramones. They recorded another single and an LP.

Along with Boston, New York, Washington D.C., Los Angles and Chicago; Minneapolis was a preeminent punk rock scene in the early/mid 1980's. Early venues included the Longhorn Bar, which hosted seminal Mpls punk band the Suicide Commandoes and touring acts including The Police on their first US tour. Later, First Avenue and 7th Street Entry hosted all ages shows for the young scene which quickly established itself on the map with local bands including Husker Du, The Replacements, Loud Fast Rules, Otto's Chemical Lounge, Outcry, Skullfuck, Idol Threat, Rifle Sport, Man Sized Action and Red Meat, among others.

The legendary punk zine Your Flesh was based in Minneapolis, as was Urban Decay.

Independent record stores supporting the local punk scene include the original Northern Lights records on Hennepin Ave, Treehouse Records (formerly Oarfolkjokeopus) in south Minneapolis, and Cheapo Records in St Paul.

The early/mid 80's Mpls hardcore movement included both U.K sound inspired leather punks and a large skate punk contingent, with Uptown Minneapolis as the heart of the scene. Both scenes hosted many garage shows for local and touring bands. The skate punks congregated at The Alternative Bike Shop (The Alt) in Uptown. The UK influenced punks earned the nickname McPunks for hanging around the Uptown McDonalds bus stop. The Minneapolis bus system, immortalized by The Replacements song "On The Bus," was the arterial connecting punks from Minneapolis Southwest High School, and St. Paul, with a ride to 7th Street Entry, Northern Lights Music, and the recently shut down Sun's T-shirt & Poster Shop which used to be located on Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis.

Some additional bands from the mid/late 1980s era were Final Conflict, Skullfuck and Willful Neglect. Final Conflict released one 7" EP on local Reflex Records. Reflex was run by Terry Katzman, then manager of Oar Folkjokeopus and also released records by Hüsker Dü, Articles of Faith and two compiliation tapes "Kitten" and "Barefoot and Pregnant". Skullfuck recorded a demo but no known copies exist. Willful Neglect from St. Paul released two 12" eps on Neglected Records. These were re issued on CD in recent years. Red Meat was another hardcore band that only released a demo tape, although some tracks surfaced on the "Lung Cookies" compilation LP.

In the late 80's, along with the break up of Husker Du and The Replacements, the original punk scene in Mpls diminished. During a Black Flag show in 1985, stage diving was banned at First Avenue. The skank dancing, stage diving, skate punk crew that drove the mid 80's positive punk scene evolved into rap and metal. The UK punks faded away, and new, softer, expansive bands emerged.

As the original Minneapolis punk scene faded in the late 80's, a homegrown widespread midwest rock ethic coalesced into what would become known as alt-country. Minneapolis became a leading alt-country scene led by The Jayhawks, with supporting musicians out of the old punk scene playing for Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt, etc. In Fact, Wilco played their first shows at 7th Street entry- closing the loop on 80s Mpls punk.

Original scenesters have continued the Mpls DIY ethic; birthing several late 80's skateboard and snowboard pros, new bands, radio stations (REV105), clubs and indie business endeavors.

The late 80's saw bands follow the hardcore trend towards a more expansive and hard rock sound. Around this time bands like the Cows and Halo of Flies developed a sound that re-established Minneapolis punk originality, blending punk attitude with droning noise and distorted rock. Local label Amphetamine Reptile arose to champion the new style, which counted among its protagonists many veterans of the 80's hardcore scene.

In the early 90's things picked up again up in Minnesota. The 7th St. Entry hosted regular hardcore matinees featuring a group of new bands with divergent styles that all seemed to get along and enjoy playing together.

Misery formed and provided a nucleus for what was has become an internationally envied crust punk scene in Minneapolis. Taking their influence from UK bands like Discharge and Amebix Misery blended dark and heavy hardcore with an anti authority political stand that was very influential on the future development of the genre.

Blind Approach from St. Paul championed the new style of Straight Edge Hardcore popularized by New York bands like Warzone. They released two 7"s and toured the USA. Guitarist Matt Henderson went on to join Agnostic Front.

The Libido Boyz from Mankato, MN played melodic and poppy hardcore punk and released several 7"s and LP and did some extensive touring.

In the early and mid 90's the scene started to grow with quite a few new bands. By this point hardcore was fractured into several subgenres with sometimes competing political, ideological, and artistic viewpoints. Profane Existence Collective formed in 1989 and released records, produced a fanzine and has booked shows ever since. THD started as a radio show, but also was a house doing some basement shows and a record label as well. The Sonic Warp Collective took up booking all ages shows for a while after First Avenue stepped back from doing all ages punk shows.

In 1994 a group of local punks and hardcore kids (including Dan and Mandy of Profane Existence, Felix of Havoc Record, Jason of THD, to name a few) got together to open Extreme Noise Records. Now one of the nation's longest running diy co op punk record stores. The new store provided something of a center of gravity for a rapidly growing scene. Within a few months things really started to get rolling. Bands and fans began to share influences and contacts. A new DIY venue opened as the Studio of the Stars and hosted many shows during the summer of 1995.

Some former Minneapolis hardcore musicians have gone on to careers with other influential bands, such as Todd Trainer of Rifle Sport, now in Shellac. Bob Mould of Hüsker Dü has had a long solo career. Dustin from the Libido Boyz was in Snapcase for many years.

[edit] See also

List of Minneapolis hardcore bands

[edit] Venues

The Triplerock Social Club

The Triplerock is a popular hardcore venue in Minneapolis. It is owned by some of the members of Dillinger Four.

NOFX's 2006 single "Seeing Double at the Triple Rock", from the Wolves in Wolves' Clothing album, is a tribute to the Triple Rock club.

[edit] DIY

The Minneapolis hardcore and punk scene has a strong DIY ethic stemming from rides on that little yellow bus. Accomplishments have included community sponsored venues to basement shows to an all volunteer independent record store, Extreme Noise Records.