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The Detroit Suburbs were the location of one of the first important hardcore punk scenes that swept underground America in the early 1980s. By the end of 1981 the new style sometimes known as "Midwest Hardcore" had exploded across North America and Detroit was one of several important regional centers fostering its spread. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Hardcore punk is a subgenre of punk rock which originated in the United States in the late 1970s. ... The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ... Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Wayne County, Michigan Founded Incorporated July 24, 1701 1815  County Wayne County Mayor...

Hardcore punk was a perfect fit in Detroit. Rock music there had always been louder, harder and more aggressive than in the rest of the country. In the 1960's while other rock music scenes were consumed by countless acts riding the "flower children" zeitgeist, Detroit musicians such as the MC5 and the Stooges were playing to huge crowds at the Grand Ballroom and arguably inventing punk rock in the process. While once epitomizing the prosperity of the working class "American dream," Detroit had seen its massive base of high paid manufacturing jobs decimated. Thousands of applicants would line up for a dozen job openings. By the time the eighties rolled around there wasn't a kid in Southeastern Michigan who didn't know quite well that the days affording a comfortable life through a factory job were long gone. The rage and anger which permeated the hardcore punk of the era was something the Detroit area had in seemingly unlimited supplies. Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Wayne County, Michigan Founded Incorporated July 24, 1701 1815  County Wayne County Mayor... Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Wayne County, Michigan Founded Incorporated July 24, 1701 1815  County Wayne County Mayor... MC5 (short for Motor City Five) was a hard rock band formed in Detroit, Michigan, USA in 1964 and active until 1972. ... Not to be confused with The Three Stooges. ... Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Wayne County, Michigan Founded Incorporated July 24, 1701 1815  County Wayne County Mayor... Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Wayne County, Michigan Founded Incorporated July 24, 1701 1815  County Wayne County Mayor...

One key event in the birth of the Detroit scene was the screening of the documentary film "Decline of Western Civilization" at the Punch and Judy theatre. Hundreds of Detroit kids saw in its portrayal of the west coast punk scene something that suited their own situation perfectly and quickly dedicated themselves to bringing this new subculture to bloom in Detroit. Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Wayne County, Michigan Founded Incorporated July 24, 1701 1815  County Wayne County Mayor... Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Wayne County, Michigan Founded Incorporated July 24, 1701 1815  County Wayne County Mayor... Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Wayne County, Michigan Founded Incorporated July 24, 1701 1815  County Wayne County Mayor...

The Detroit scene wasn't an isolated phenomena but also the focus for a number of sister scenes throughout Michigan and northern Ohio. The major hardcore bands of this early regional scene included Lansing, Michigan's The Meatmen and Violent Apathy, The Crucifucks, Toledo, Ohio's Necros, and Detroit's Negative Approach. Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Wayne County, Michigan Founded Incorporated July 24, 1701 1815  County Wayne County Mayor... Location in Ingham County, Michigan1 Coordinates: Country United States State Michigan County Ingham, Eaton Settled 1835 Incorporation 1859 Government  - Type Strong Mayor-Council  - Mayor Virg Bernero (D) Area  - City  35. ... The Meatmen were a Michigan, USA punk band headed by Tesco Vee from 1980 to 1995. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Crucifucks is a self-titled debut album, released in 1985 on Jello Biafras Alternative Tentacles record label. ... Nickname: Location in the state of Ohio Coordinates: Country United States State Ohio County Lucas Founded 1833 Government  - Mayor Carty Finkbeiner (D) Area  - City 84. ... The Necros were an early hardcore punk band from Maumee, Ohio. ... Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Wayne County, Michigan Founded Incorporated July 24, 1701 1815  County Wayne County Mayor... Negative Approach (commonly called “NA”) were one of the first hardcore punk bands. ...

The '80's and '90's

The Detroit scene has become most important over the years for Touch and Go Records, which was started in Lansing, Michigan by Tesco Vee and Dave Stinson as a popular local fanzine also started this small hardcore label then moved to Washington DC and finally to Chicago, and is now one of the most important indie rock labels in the multiverse. Touch and Go Records is an independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois, USA, which began life in 1979 in East Lansing, Michigan as a magazine put out by Tesco Vee. ... Location in Ingham County, Michigan1 Coordinates: Country United States State Michigan County Ingham, Eaton Settled 1835 Incorporation 1859 Government  - Type Strong Mayor-Council  - Mayor Virg Bernero (D) Area  - City  35. ... Flag Seal Nickname: DC, The District Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location Location of Washington, D.C., with regard to the surrounding states of Maryland and Virginia. ... Nickname: Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois Coordinates: Country United States State Illinois County Cook & DuPage Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government  - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area  - City  234. ... Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music often used to refer to bands that are on small independent record labels or that arent on labels at all. ...

Many small clubs popped up hosting hardcore bands. The Golden Gate, The Falcon Lounge, and The Hungry Brain (named after the club in Jerry Lewis', "The Nutty Professor"). A crucial venue for hardcore fans in Detroit was known as The Graystone. The Hungry Brain, situated in an abandoned second-hand store in Del Rey, had been forced to relocate several times and by 1985 found a permanent home at a run down old hall on Michigan Avenue deep in the city of Detroit called The Graystone. Bands that started at the Hungry Brain, like political hardcore stalwarts, Forced Anger, often opened for many west coast touring punk bands at the Graystone, the likes of 7 Seconds, T.S.O.L, Minor Threat, and others. The band published the fanzine, "Placebo Effect", which produced several compilation tapes featuring upstart punk bands from all over Michigan. For several years the Graystone was unquestionably the most important hardcore venue in Michigan. For several years the vast majority of all hardcore bands that toured anywhere within a 250 mile radius of Detroit played at least one gig at the Graystone. Many of these gigs were captured by Back Porch Video, a video project of Dearborn public schools run by Russ Gibbs (DJ of "Paul is Dead" rumor fame) and aired on local public access. Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Wayne County, Michigan Founded Incorporated July 24, 1701 1815  County Wayne County Mayor... Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Wayne County, Michigan Founded Incorporated July 24, 1701 1815  County Wayne County Mayor...

Throughout the 80's and 90's Detroit was a mecca for hardcore punk bands. The band Cold As Life developed a loyal following right up to there demise in the early 90s, even surviving the murder of their frontman Rawn Beauty. Other important bands of that time period were the Almighty Lumberjacks of Death (A.L.D), fronted by the charismatic and deep voiced Jimmy Doom. A.L.D. always filled the house opening up for all the heavy hitting punk stars of the time(Social Distortion, Circle Jerks, etc.)at venues such as St. Andrew's Hall and Blondies.

Other notable acts of that often violent and exciting time were Heresy, Ugly But Proud, VH8, Disgust, SBLC, The Rouges and The Skraps. The Skraps were fronted by members of the uber punk gang, The Sids. Known for their uniform of engineer boots, Wilson's leather jackets, and evil tattoos -- the Sids were a gang in the scene, they were often employed as bouncers at St. Andrew's Hall, the major venue for shows during the late '80s through today. The Sids called themselves a club, but they were soon known as a gang and they had the SIDs emblem painted on the back of their jackets to prove it. Burly, tough and evil -- the SIDs paid homage to the likes of the Misfits with their devil locks and slicked back hair.

At one time, a major feud broke out between the SIDs, and Disgust who formed their own club called the American Beer Allies (ABA). ABA were all about drinking beer, getting high and having a good time. The SIDs did not like the good time antics of ABA members and swore to squash any hardcore kid associated with this group and the band, Disgust. Some say, that during this period, shows in the city became a tense outlet for the SIDs vengeance and some members of ABA felt the fury of the SIDs. This however, wasn't exactly the case. While the SIDs were not fond of Disgust or the members of ABA, there were never any documented "battles" of any kind, other than a couple of random cheap shots at shows from the SIDs on a few lone ABA members. Once the SIDs realized that the ABA wasn't going anywhere the so called feud fizzled out and Disgust went on to actually play a show at the SIDs clubhouse in Pontiac.

By 1991 most of the punk in Detroit centered around hardcore, with the band Pittbull leading the way into the future. Shows became much more intense, and the dancing moved from the traditional circle pit of the past to an all out war "hootenanny".

Throughout the mid '90s many shows were held at the coffee shop located on the University of Detroit campus. The scene at this time had a much more progressive tone, with a heavy emphasis placed on straightedge and veganism. The style quickly moved from tight black jeans, Misfits T-shirts and flannels to baggy jeans, BK Ratch Tech shoes, and Fila vests. Fights at these shows were minimal, and the spirit of DIY was strong. One could now go to a show and instead of getting a boot in the head they could purchase a fanzine about some kids road trip to the Circle K while engaging in a lively discussion with Ray Cappo about the merits of Krishna. But the good times and unpredictability of the old scene were now replaced by a new, more politically charged environment. In many regards the shows started to become much more about knowing the right people (Eric Z. & Leto to name a few) instead of about Punk Rock. The air of fury and frenetic energy that was the trademark of early Detroit Hardcore shows was diminishing.

The 2000's

The Detroit hardcore scene has seen a re-emergence of self-serving cliques in the last 4 years(as of 2007). While there are not nearly as many people coming to local hardcore shows as there used to be, there is still a fair number of people showing up. There are groups of people trying to reinvigorate the scene, handing out zines, bringing baked goods, and bringing a general sense of unity to the shows.

Some bands carrying on the hardcore scene in Detroit include H8.INC, Bill Bondsmen, Blackbirds, Attack Of The..., Curb Your Enthusiasm, DP's, All Hype, Blisterer, Under Anchor, Trying Times, Blistex, Open Face Kombat, Annihilate This!, Titanica, State, Bloody Knuckle Combat, and Glutton for Punishment.