1.22

 For the next two days, I'm entirely snowed in. I moved my car to the college campus garage so I wouldn't have to deal with the snow at my apartment. They told us to just move it to the city garage and walk back but 1) the road back honestly isn't safe to walk on your own and 2) I was also not about to walk back in a blizzard when it feels like 8°F (-13°C) outside. So until my friend picks me back up when the blizzard ends tom
orrow night, it's just me, Creepcast, the groceries my mother graciously bought me (she's treating this storm like the apocalypse), and this blog. 

this guy's in for a treat when they eventually try to drive (if my
landlord doesn't have them towed for the plow trucks)

ily creepcast

Haywire

Today I want to talk about Haywire, a local hardcore punk band whose big gimmick is how much they love Boston (me too). They've really blown up in the past year for their dedication to the scene. They're so interesting to me because I never expected them to become one of my favorite bands of all time (my other is Magdalena Bay! I think I might be the only person ever with both of these two as my favorites).

The first time I encountered this band was at this small Canadian-American club out near Boston. A friend at the time told me to check out this show, and then Haywire ended up playing it last minute. This was my first hardcore show, and I wasn't super hooked until their set.

They treated playing in this tiny ass venue like they were playing an arena. People piled up on the vocalist and knew every word by heart. I hadn't seen a band with an energy like that before.

Needless to say, this changed everything. Since my first hardcore show in May 2024, I have seen Haywire eight times.

Here are some of my highlights:

i am in this photo near the front

Austin front-flipped into the crowd
right after this shot

This was February 19th last year (my fourth time). They played this random brick house in the middle of the woods in New Hampshire. Balmora played right before them, and their set was so batshit crazy that all the vocal mics got destroyed. Haywire got set up, and when they discovered this, Austin (frontman) was like, "You guys know all the words anyway, right?" Of course we did! You could hear every word loud and clear from the crowd.  I ended up missing a very important class to go to this show, but it was very worth it. It was beautiful out too. Across the street from this house and down a hill was a cemetery. Looking straight across the horizon allowed you to see the stars. It was such a clear night.

so many people.

They had this massive country-wide tour (every state, Hawaii and Alaska included) and near the end, they made this stop at a skate park in Boston to host a school supplies fundraiser. It was free except for the fact that you had to donate supplies to get in. 

This show made me really emotional. Austin announced that he was four months sober from drugs. He talked about it for a while, and the way he talked about his friends and community honestly made me shed a tear. I've had to recover from certain things in the past as well, and staying away from them is so hard. It made me feel seen.

The most insane thing that happened is that he dumped one of his late friend's ashes into the crowd. Jimmy Flynn was very into hardcore, and it's what he would've wanted. The way Austin talked about him was kinda beautiful, but I did feel a little bad for the people in the front that got covered in ash. Regardless, it was very endearing in a way. Hardcore is so strange, and sometimes you just have to be there to get it.

the staff there are great.
i didn't need stiches!

At the end of their set, they announced that they were gonna do a last minute free set at the Middle East in Cambridge the next day. Of course, I went. One of their guitarists got very excited during the set and swung his metal mic stand around, scraping the top of my head just right to cause a scene.

The most recent show I went to was the For The Children event in Boston in December! This was another event where a donation was required to enter. I think they said they got 3000 toys? I don't remember the exact number, but it was enough for fucking Massachusetts itself to recognize the work the band's put into the community.

The show itself was also great. I was so drunk, and it was the most lovely time. He kept shoving the mic in my mouth.

it's sad to know that this definitely
turned off a portion of their fanbase.
good riddance though

I think what I really like about this band is that they're welcoming to everyone. Sometimes you go to a show, and you can clearly tell that some people there, or even a band or two, are bigoted in some way. There are a lot of assholes that hide in this kind of hardcore punk, and while some bands will cater to those groups (or at least stay silent on those issues to keep their shitty fans around), Haywire does not at all. I get a little nervous going to shows as a trans dude, but I feel less worried at these shows, which is nice.

I'm thinking about trying to see them on St. Patrick's day. They're doing a show with the Dropkick Murphys. Does it get any more masshole than that? The only issue is that ticket's are like $100 (because it's the Dropkick Murphys). As someone who's seen the band for way less, I might just wait for them to come around again for like $20 instead.

That's all I have for today. Thanks for reading and see you tomorrow. -G