Hardcore is not actually about violence. Though its earliest roots and avatars may have glorified a certain kind of brutality and self-destruction, most will tell you the true spirit of hardcore is that of construction. Community-building, collectivism, righteous anger and a positive means of venting it: these are the tenets of active and healthy scene (and then further down the iceberg is straight edge, veganism, Krishna, etc. but I digress). Pat Flynn and the young(er) boys of Fiddlehead understand this, and they also understand grief and the ways self-expression, extreme or otherwise help us to heal. 3 LPs and now 1 EP in, the Mass post-hardcore greats have in many ways created a road map to processing loss via big ass guitars and drums. The main impetus in their formation, and subsequently the major thematic edge of their discography thus far, was the untimely passing of fronter Pat Flynn’s father. I’m paraphrasing, but a very hoarse Flynn exclaimed last Saturday afternoon at a packed and sweaty Lynch Family Skatepark that Fiddlehead is in fact all about fighting back against death. Not wallowing in misery, but drowning out the pain with bad habits, but actively resisting those options in favor of creating something, of finding strength in art and the bonds made by participating in it at any level.
Why do I say all of this? Because a bunch of hardcore kids put on a benefit at said skatepark and 5,000 people showed up, and those 5,000 people ensured that, like 2,000 kids will have a new backpack full of much needed school supplies. To paraphrase again (this time Haywire’s Austin Sparkman), that’s more of a community-building effort than our actual fucking government can ever bother to do. No means testing, no forms to fill out or programs to sign up for, just a glaring need fulfilled. Yes, there were local sponsors (shout out to the Dropkick Murphys), but this was by and large a coming together of hardcore kids to build something constructive, while yes, slamming into each other and head-walking and stagediving and what have you.
Haywire’s now annual Back to School Skate Jams have become something of Boston Summer tradition. Started by the sadly departed architect of so much hardcore infrastructure in this city, Jimmy Flynn, this year’s rendition was something of a memorial, ceremonial passing of the torch, and a de-facto celebration of Fiddlehead’s Big Boston EP Release Week all in one. Longtime running rabble-rousers Colin of Arabia played possibly their longest, but sadly their final set just before them and Haywire and it was a blistering, shit-talk heavy dose of classic danceable BHC. At times groovy and danceable and others more all-out assault, COA will be missed for sure. Three of the next gen’s most promising acts in Dizeaze, and Right Brigade + Invasion (who played a split set) kicked things off on a high note in between skate contests and organizing, as well. Fiddlehead and Haywire finished it off in that order, delivering devastating and life-affirming sets in equal measure. (Just as an aside I see more Haywire merch in the wild these days than virtually any other band in town, and for damn good reason).
The festivities concluded Sunday afternoon at The Brattle Theater where Fiddlehead (with guest moderator Reporter Matt) premiered the video for “Baby I’ll Change” and hosted a poignant Q+A ostensibly about music that quickly shifted to one about family both within and outside of the band. While the EP’s inception stemmed from a band meeting in the wake of Pat Flynn’s passing, the title track is a tribute to the late Jimmy Flynn. Using what the band called his classic catchphrase as a jumping off point, “Baby, I’ll Change” is yet another touching, heart-wrenching number from a group full of them that concludes with a voicemail. We also learned that it began as a dinky little riff by Pat on a detuned guitar. A new 4K restoration of Good Will Hunting followed, a poignant end to their weekend intensive.
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