Welcome to Before You Were Punk, an interview feature here on Punks in Vegas where we ask your favorite musicians and music biz aficionados one simple question: what made you the music fan you are today?
This installment comes from James Goodson, from the Richmond VA band Hold Tight! Find out how discovering Minor Threat in 6th grade changed his life.
When I was in 6th grade I had already been introduced to some punk bands. Green Day, Blink 182, and The Misfits, among others, were all in my CD player constantly. I had never heard music like Green Day that I could relate to so easily, or like The Misfits that I could instantly feel the energy coming from the headphones. Those earliest bands completely changed the direction of my life in and of themselves, but in my 6th grade study hall, Eric Kelly, who also plays in Hold Tight!, lent me a burned copy of Minor Threat: Complete Discography which may be the one album that has most influenced my life.
The first chord of “Filler” played in my headphones so loud that I thought everyone else in my study hall could hear it and when Ian MacKaye’s amazingly pissed vocals started I knew something was different in my life. Never before, and maybe never since, has a band influenced me as much as Minor Threat. I had never heard anything so fast and aggressive yet instantly catchy. The lyrics perfectly capture the feeling of being a young, angry outsider without ever coming off as stupid or pointlessly mad. It was angry for sure, but the anger seemed to stem from a desire to be something more, something positive, and that resonated with me even when I was in 6th grade and didn’t fully understand what I was hearing. On top of that, this music was played by kids who had not been much older than I was at the time. They were not the most amazing musicians, but they were passionate, and that counted for more. All of it connected with me in a really big way, as if it was something I had always been missing.
Through the years, Minor Threat would never be far from my ears. With every listen it seemed like there was always a song that represented how I felt at the time and I was still finding new things I loved about them. That one burned CD introduced me to so many important things that have become a huge part of my life: hardcore, straight edge, a rejection of social norms, a desire to make something of my anger. There is no way I would be the person I am today without those songs. Minor Threat taught me that not only is being out of step with the world ok, but it’s where I want to be.
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