AUBURN - The Auburn Public Theater was recently the scene of vibrant tattoos blanketing the limbs of teenagers and 20-somethings, gritty T-shirts with bold slogans and more Xs than a red-light district.
Jason Rearick / The Citizen
Fans get rowdy near the end of the first act of the evening during the Straight Edge Fest at Auburn Public Theater last week.
Fans get rowdy near the end of the first act of the evening during the Straight Edge Fest at Auburn Public Theater last week.
The third annual Straight Edge Fest brought drug-free youth from out of state - and even out of the country - to Auburn for a day of music and brotherhood.
“We welcome everyone to our scene,” said Reggie McCafferty, co-organizer of the event. “Some kids I just met from out of town stayed at my house last night.”
The straight edge lifestyle is comprised of four core principles: No alcohol, no tobacco, no drugs and no promiscuous sex.
“I feel clean; I'd feel dirty if I was just doing drugs all the time,” said Pete Schwan, who drove from Buffalo with friends Jessie Gabel and Rob Lucarelli for the show.
Gabel added, “It seems a lot more responsible.”
The short-hands for straight-edge are 'sXe' and 'xXx,' and straight edge bands often signal their beliefs with Xs bookending their name. Writing Xs on one's hands in black permanent marker in the mid-'80s in minors who wore them to signify to bar staff that they were underage and not to be served.
Tattoos and body piercings, such as spacer earrings, are other common staples of the straight edge movement. Followers often literally wear their beliefs on their sleeve with T-shirts featuring some form of the words “Drug Free” or “sXe.”
But being straight edge can extend to more than a drug-free lifestyle. Tables carrying brochures on causes such as veganism and animal rights lined the Auburn Public Theater lobby. Sarah Preston and Meredith Murray traveled from Albany to offer information on the vegan diet as well as free samples of vegan-friendly Twinkie-like confections.
“A lot of people think if you're vegan you're not healthy and you're not getting protein, but it's just like any other diet,” Murray said.
In the black box theater, nine straight edge bands took the stage to play the buzzsaw hardcore music with which the movement has been associated. The term “straight edge” was coined by seminal hardcore punk band Minor Threat in the title of a 1981 song that declared, “I'm a person just like you, but I've got better things to do than sit around and f**k my head, hang out with the living dead.”
Guitars chugged and vocalists growled over blitzkrieg rhythms as many audience members in the Auburn Public Theater released their energy in chaotic movements. The sight of windmilling arms and mule-kicking feet may lead one to wonder how straight edge is the healthy alternative.
“It's not like everyone's getting hurt; everyone's friends,” McCafferty said.
Singers often introduced their songs with stories of their meaning. Some were inspired by resentment of beer companies, others were directed at fellow straight edge followers. To many members of the audience, these songs were anthems that inspired them to leap toward the stage and scream the lyrics into an outstretched microphone.
Between their beliefs, alternative appearance and abrasive music, straight edge followers face somewhat of a stigma. Some see them as an intolerant and hateful gang inclined toward violence against drinkers or drug users.
“I always have people ask me if I'm violent,” Preston said. “I think there's a lot of false information out there.”
Preston and McCafferty trace the perception of straight edge as a dangerous cause to Salt Lake City followers whose violence has been documented by the media. McCafferty believes the influence of beer companies is partly responsible for the negative image.
Other people simply think straight edge is a pompous movement whose followers condescend to people who drink alcohol or smoke. But it is not uncommon to see straight edge followers at parties or gatherings where alcohol is being served.
“Instead of beer, we drink root beer,” said Scott Johnson, who co-organized the Straight Edge Fest with McCafferty. “But doing drugs or driving drunk never leads to a good ending.”
McCafferty added, “You don't need that stuff to have a good time. We're doing stuff every night; the other day we were playing kickball.”
By not only leading straight edge lives but also organizing events to celebrate the movement, McCafferty and Johnson hope to steer others toward drug-free lives as well.
“We want to make sure younger kids are introduced to it and have a chance to make the decision to be straight edge,” McCafferty said.
Staff writer David Wilcox can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net
“We welcome everyone to our scene,” said Reggie McCafferty, co-organizer of the event. “Some kids I just met from out of town stayed at my house last night.”
The straight edge lifestyle is comprised of four core principles: No alcohol, no tobacco, no drugs and no promiscuous sex.
“I feel clean; I'd feel dirty if I was just doing drugs all the time,” said Pete Schwan, who drove from Buffalo with friends Jessie Gabel and Rob Lucarelli for the show.
Gabel added, “It seems a lot more responsible.”
The short-hands for straight-edge are 'sXe' and 'xXx,' and straight edge bands often signal their beliefs with Xs bookending their name. Writing Xs on one's hands in black permanent marker in the mid-'80s in minors who wore them to signify to bar staff that they were underage and not to be served.
Tattoos and body piercings, such as spacer earrings, are other common staples of the straight edge movement. Followers often literally wear their beliefs on their sleeve with T-shirts featuring some form of the words “Drug Free” or “sXe.”
But being straight edge can extend to more than a drug-free lifestyle. Tables carrying brochures on causes such as veganism and animal rights lined the Auburn Public Theater lobby. Sarah Preston and Meredith Murray traveled from Albany to offer information on the vegan diet as well as free samples of vegan-friendly Twinkie-like confections.
“A lot of people think if you're vegan you're not healthy and you're not getting protein, but it's just like any other diet,” Murray said.
In the black box theater, nine straight edge bands took the stage to play the buzzsaw hardcore music with which the movement has been associated. The term “straight edge” was coined by seminal hardcore punk band Minor Threat in the title of a 1981 song that declared, “I'm a person just like you, but I've got better things to do than sit around and f**k my head, hang out with the living dead.”
Guitars chugged and vocalists growled over blitzkrieg rhythms as many audience members in the Auburn Public Theater released their energy in chaotic movements. The sight of windmilling arms and mule-kicking feet may lead one to wonder how straight edge is the healthy alternative.
“It's not like everyone's getting hurt; everyone's friends,” McCafferty said.
Singers often introduced their songs with stories of their meaning. Some were inspired by resentment of beer companies, others were directed at fellow straight edge followers. To many members of the audience, these songs were anthems that inspired them to leap toward the stage and scream the lyrics into an outstretched microphone.
Between their beliefs, alternative appearance and abrasive music, straight edge followers face somewhat of a stigma. Some see them as an intolerant and hateful gang inclined toward violence against drinkers or drug users.
“I always have people ask me if I'm violent,” Preston said. “I think there's a lot of false information out there.”
Preston and McCafferty trace the perception of straight edge as a dangerous cause to Salt Lake City followers whose violence has been documented by the media. McCafferty believes the influence of beer companies is partly responsible for the negative image.
Other people simply think straight edge is a pompous movement whose followers condescend to people who drink alcohol or smoke. But it is not uncommon to see straight edge followers at parties or gatherings where alcohol is being served.
“Instead of beer, we drink root beer,” said Scott Johnson, who co-organized the Straight Edge Fest with McCafferty. “But doing drugs or driving drunk never leads to a good ending.”
McCafferty added, “You don't need that stuff to have a good time. We're doing stuff every night; the other day we were playing kickball.”
By not only leading straight edge lives but also organizing events to celebrate the movement, McCafferty and Johnson hope to steer others toward drug-free lives as well.
“We want to make sure younger kids are introduced to it and have a chance to make the decision to be straight edge,” McCafferty said.
Staff writer David Wilcox can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net
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