Positive hardcore

Positive hardcore is a term used in the American hardcore scene to refer to the music of hardcore bands that are socially aware or focus on values such as being inclusive, community-oriented, and anti-violence. Many of these bands (and their fans) describe their music as "positive hardcore" or "posi-core" in songs, album art, on show fliers, and on band t-shirts. At times, the term is used to describe older bands whose lyrics are similar.

In keeping with the inclusive message of the positive hardcore bands, the style of the music ranges across most of those that have appeared in American hardcore. For example, Minor Threat was old school-style hardcore, Strength 691 was more melodic hardcore, and Comin' Correct songs are mostly very slow, heavy, post-crossover hardcore, but all are classified as positive hardcore.

Song subjects can include

* opposition to violence and conflict within the scene
* veganism
* straightedge
* perseverance in the face of life's struggles
* promoting the general welfare of the scene
* opposition to racism
* promotion of female participation in the scene, a type of feminism

Bands that merely see their own values as good or positive, but who emphasize violence, intimidation or berating people into accepting certain views (for example, hardline bands) are not called positive hardcore.

The term "positive hardcore" may have originated in Youth of Today lyrics using the word "positive" and Youth of Today songs like "Positive Outlook," or perhaps it is just a common-sense description of the lyrical style.

Relationship to youth crew movement

All the youth crew bands are more or less positive hardcore bands, with the possible exceptions being Project X and Judge. While Project X and Judge were composed of members of the original youth crew bands, their songs were closer to being general straightedge hardcore than strictly positive hardcore.

Bands

The following are the most well-known bands:

Active

* Good Clean Fun (Washington, DC)
* 25 Ta Life (New Jersey)
* Ignite (California)
* Stretch Arm Strong (South Carolina)
* 7 Seconds (Nevada, intermittently active)h2o nyc

Inactive

* Better Than a Thousand
* Boy Sets Fire (Delaware)
* Champion (Seattle, WA)
* Gorilla Biscuits (New York City)
* IDK (New Jersey)
* Insted (California)
* Kid Dynamite (Philadelphia, PA)
* Minor Threat (Washington, DC)
* Strength 691 (New Jersey)
* Youth of Today (Connecticut)

American hardcore bands that have written positive songs

A few other bands aren't called positive bands, but have written a positive song or two, demonstrating positive hardcore's influence, roots, and connectedness to the rest of hardcore:
* Bad Brains ("Attitude", possibly the first positive hardcore song, shouting "PMA" which stands for Positive Mental Attitude)
* 25 Ta Life ("Keepin' It Real," "Inside Knowledge")
* Agnostic Front (songs about scene unity)
* Breakdown ("Don't Give Up")
* Descendents
* Judge
* Hatebreed ("Perseverance")
* H2O (pro-scene/unity song)
* Kill Your Idols
* Ten Yard Fight (would almost be a positive hardcore band, except that they had a lot of songs either berating some person for alleged failings, or about how they wanted to beat up some person for one reason or another)
* Warzone (arguably a positive hardcore band because of a lot of positive-style songs and work outside the band for promotion of positive causes and stuff to help the scene, but no one really calls them positive hardcore)
* Set Your Goals (Don't Let This Win Over You, Work In Progress)

ee also

*Posi (scene)
*Straight edge
*Hardcore punk

References