“Hardcore music is very aggressive,” says Marc Tucker, 22, a senior at East Tennessee State University. “It’s not punk and it’s not metal. You won’t hear it on the radio. It always has been and always will be an underground lifestyle. It’s something you have to see firsthand to really understand.”The hardcore music scene has been in East Tennessee for several years, says Tucker.

Among the many bands that play in the area, local hardcore band Bruteforce has generated a dedicated fan base since forming in 2006.

“We were just a group of friends listening to a style of music that no one else was,” says Bruteforce bassist Jon Moore, 20. “We got lucky and got involved in the local hardcore music scene that spans all the way from Chattanooga to Johnson City.”

Forming right out of high school, Bruteforce says their music-making process came together quite naturally.

“We started writing and recording songs,” says vocalist Cody Novak, 21. “We put a lot of our anger and emotion into the music. Hardcore music isn’t just about screaming angry words into a microphone. There’s emotion and meaning in our lyrics.”

Surprisingly, Novak says there is a huge market for hardcore bands in Tennessee.

“People who listen to mainstream music, especially people who listen to country music, they probably have no idea that there’s an underground hardcore music scene all over Tennessee,” Novak says. “We started out playing at the Turtlehead House in Chattanooga but it’s the Hideaway in Johnson City that has the biggest hardcore scene. So many hardcore bands from all over the country come through Johnson City to play.”

Tucker and the members of Bruteforce cite a sense of family as being one of the main reasons that hardcore music is so popular among local venues.

“The hardcore scene is like one giant family,” says Tucker, who started going to hardcore shows in 2005. “It exists in small towns and in big cities. It’s even overseas. Unlike huge mainstream bands, hardcore bands tour the country playing small venues and bars. There is more communication between the bands and the fans. They don’t just play their songs and leave; they actually talk to kids at shows. People offer up their couches and floors for bands to sleep on so they don’t have to sleep in their van all night. Hardcore bands definitely aren’t in it for the money. They want to play their style of music and connect with kids who are like them.”

“Everyone that comes to the shows and all of the bands that play them have bonded over music,” says 18-year-old drummer Josh Russell. “When we tour, we don’t make a lot of money. Fans and kids that come out to the shows offer donations and even places to stay to help get us to our next gig.”

Working other jobs and pursuing other arts, the members of Bruteforce have focused lately on playing local shows instead of touring.

“I’m doing a lot of clothing screen-printing for other bands as well as doing artwork for their albums,” Moore says. “We’re all doing other things but the band remains a big focus in our lives.”

While the five members of Bruteforce may be working other jobs, the band is still growing in popularity in Tennessee and surrounding states.

“We’ve had the opportunity to network with a lot of really great hardcore bands,” says guitarist Josh Evans, 23. “Our guitarist Sammy Pajcic also plays in another local band called Fingers Crossed. We play shows together a lot so we have a lot of the same fans that come to both of our shows.”

The hardcore music scene in East Tennessee is thriving says Tucker.

“As long as there is a place to play, hardcore music will continue to grow,” Tucker says. “Whether it’s at a bar or someone’s basement, the shows will happen and bands will continue making music. The Hideaway in Johnson City is keeping the hardcore scene in Tennessee alive by holding all ages shows week after week. They host shows from metal to punk to hardcore and pretty much any other genre you can think of.”

Even though there is a large hardcore scene in Tennessee, most people still do not know that such a scene even exists ,says Evans.

“Those that do know about it but look down on it probably have misconceptions about what hardcore really is,” Novak says. “Yes, the crowds do get wild and hardcore dancing and moshing is probably a lot more brutal than what you see at other types of concerts, but there is an extreme closeness we all have in the hardcore scene. You can judge it if you want, but we’re a family and this is how we’ve chosen to live our lives.”

Choosing to ignore the scrutiny from the outside world, the members of Bruteforce are planning on focusing on their music and growing as artists.

“We’re lucky to have found something we’re so passionate about at such a young age,” Russell says. “The band and the music is such a big part of our lives now and we plan on continuing along this path to see where it takes us.

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