Whether you call it "creepy, screamy, weirdo, metal hardcore ... metal emo violence ... [or] post hardcore prog-metal," as described by frontman Carni Klirs, you can't deny the cathartic abandon that is AU's own Rue the Day.
Klirs, who is also the president of the Independent Arts Collective, is quick to assert that the band and collective are two different endeavors. But Rue the Day is the type of independent band the collective is trying to promothe. Rue the Day is a contributing member of D.C.'s hardcore/progressive punk scene. They are dedicated to political activism and working to bring the D.C music scene together, and helping it grow.
The group also features Benji Himmelfarb, James Reichard and Jacob Cunningham. The band met in high school in Maryland and began playing shows about a year ago. It soon cultivated its own blend of hardcore, drawing equally from the likes of Sonic Youth, Bad Brains and John Zorn, as well other influential Northern Va. and D.C. hardcore bands.
"Punk shows in D.C. draw a wide community, and bring them all together for a common purpose," Klirs said. "We really feel like an important part of the local music scene, and by playing with touring bands when they come here, and also playing with lots of local bands, we help to bring the scene together."
For example, just last New Year's, Klirs and crew headlined the Positive Youth Fest, a music festival aimed at unifying the younger generation of a music scene that is rooted firmly in a sense of community.
"I really like that kids as young as 15 and as old as 30 come out and hang out at our shows," Klirs said. "But that's not just so much that they are there to see us, but that the shows bring them all together for a common purpose."
It is refreshing to see such vitality in an environment that really would like to see punks hit the road. Right now, a time when some might say the D.C. scene has had its day, Klirs attests that there is a new wave of bands already doing everything on their own. There are 14-year-old kids forming bands, setting up their own shows, putting out records and pumping energy and youth into a scene that's unfortunately getting old and breaking up.
One problem facing local, independent bands in D.C. is the fact that there are a limited number of places for concerts.
"The thing is, that there are no big venues where local bands can play," Carni said in an interview last semester.
The big venues in the city, like the Black Cat and the 9:30 club, host mainly big-name national bands. A local band really has no chance of playing a big club. Therefore, bands like Rue the Day turn their back on the established structure to form their own and have started playing in churches, basements and even AU's School of International Service Lounge.
This is the D.C. way, paved during the '80s with bands like Minor Threat. The anarchic spirit of the scene denies the need for any establishment in order to make their own way.
Rue the Day rides this wave as a sort of middle ground between the old generation and the new. Klirs has hope for the future. Being positive is, after all, a hallmark of this scene and what its famous for. In this vein, the band gives back to the community that supports them, playing benefits for the nonviolence group Food Not Bombs, various shelters and anti-war organizations.
Rue the Day will play Feb. 20 at the Warehouse Next Door. Check http://ruetheday.amplific.net for more information.
