Sound and Fury 2024 officially kicked off on Monday, July 8th with a live, sold out episode of Hardlore Podcast at Braindead Studios in Los Angeles, California. The podcast, hosted by Colin Young (God’s Hate, Deadbody, and Twitching Tongues) and Bo Lueders (Harm’s Way), is an irreverent and chaotic look inside the minds and tours of some of hardcore’s most well-known personalities, and Monday’s live episode was firing on all cylinders as the podcasters threw a new spin on the show by hosting their own live “Hardlore” version of the beloved television game show Family Feud. Competing on the show would be two very tightly knit hardcore families – Alec Faber, Michael Cesario, and Taylor Young representing iconic LA hardcore band Twitching Tongues and Martín Stewart, Madison Woodward, and Anthony Anzaldo representing Sound and Fury Fest itself. While Anthony is not currently on the Sound and Fury Fest production team, his band Ceremony holds a very special place in the tomes of Sound and Fury history as the very first headliners of the fest in 2006, and Anthony is most definitely Sound and Fury family.
The evening began with Young and Lueders, both channeling the energy (and facial hair) of legendary Feud host Steve Harvey, explaining the game format and rules, and encouraging participation from the packed theater audience. Much like its network television counterpart, Hardlore Family Feud would feature a competition between the two hardcore “families” to determine answers to survey questions, but this survey just so happened to be a “very private poll” between two entirely impartial individuals – Colin and Bo.
For the better part of the next hour, the “families” faced off in classic feud format, with “Steve” and “Steve” (as Colin and Bo requested to be referred to for the duration of the game) quizzing the teams with questions ranging from, “Who is the most straight edge band of all time?” to “Name something you’re likely to lose on tour,” all in the pursuit of two Arcteryx hats and one Nalgene water bottle that would be awarded to the winning team (though, personal pride and a year’s worth of bragging rights might have been greater motivators). With the question, “Name something most likely to break on stage,” impressively falling to Alec Faber, who famously broke his leg last year during a Twitching Tongues set (inspiring the question’s number one answer) to Martín Stewart’s absolute conviction that Cold Case Files has been on television in “every single hotel room” he stayed in over the last twenty years (“Name something most likely to be on TV in a hotel room on tour,”) the “families” waged a battle of wits to the bitter end. No, I won’t tell you who won – go watch the video link at the bottom of this recap. 😉
The evening concluded in an informal Q&A session with everyone involved, as Bo waded into the audience to take questions and comments from friends and fans who had traveled from as far as across the country (Connecticut) and across the world (Australia) to take part in Sound and Fury. Colin revealed if and when he’ll be repeating the Chicken Nugget Challenge, the entire panel shared their recommendations for the best places to eat in LA (south of the Valley), and audience members even got to learn a little about the fashion inspiration behind the endlessly iconic looks of Anthony Anzaldo.
This year Sound and Fury proudly displayed the motto “Sound and Fury Is For Everyone,” and Hardlore Live was the perfect way to kick off a fest that focuses on inclusivity and having fun, featuring a huge variety of performers, and welcoming everyone from veterans of the scene to people seeing their very first show. Colin and Bo are not only talented musicians and hilariously funny hosts and interviewers, but also incredible ambassadors for the hardcore community, and it is fitting that they’ve taken on the role of kicking off a fest that embraces everyone and celebrates the music we love through the lens of the community we share, all while honoring the history and legacy of the subculture. You can watch the entire Hardlore Family Feud special episode on the YouTube link at the bottom of the page, and don’t miss the Hardlore Sound and Fury Recap episode for more fun, commentary, and an insider’s look back at this year’s fest.
Photos: Matt TxF
