Thirty years ago, the local music and arts community used to gather at hardcore and punk shows to hear local bands, meet up with like-minded individuals, and even learn something from one of the many zines that were scattered on tables at every show. This was a time before you could hear just about anything, at any time, with just a few taps on your smartphone. In 1996, the internet was still new, and for many teenagers and young adults, discovering new genres of music happened through word of mouth or being handed a flier, usually from someone in a band performing at the show being advertised.
Something was stirring in Erie and the hardcore scene that grew years earlier from punk roots, through bands like My 3 Scum and Lost, had bloomed into something new that drew hundreds of kids to local shows. By 1996, bands like Shockwave, Disciple, Digression, and Neverfall played to packed clubs to the point of constituting fire hazards in makeshift venues – but no other band could draw quite like Brother’s Keeper, who could inspire a crowd to erupt into an intense mosh pit, with kids storming the stage to sing along to the songs they learned, only to then fling themselves off the stage onto their friends, who were also singing from the front of the stage.
It’s now been 30 years since the aptly named “199sick” hardcore scene ruled Erie’s underground, and Brother’s Keeper have decided to make a surprise return to their 814 roots, featuring reunion shows and new music. Brother’s Keeper will be playing two shows, Friday, Oct. 16 and Saturday, Oct. 17, both at Centennial Hall (145 W. 11th St.)…