How has aggressive music changed the world? Dr. Colin Helb, assistant professor of communications at Elizabethtown College, and Eric James Abbey, a professor at Oakland Community College in Michigan, attempt to answer this question in their new book “Hardcore, Punk and Other Junk: Aggressive Sounds in Contemporary Music.”
Through spirituality, political revolution, musicality and race, the book features an analysis of the roles of aggression in hardcore, punk, metal and trash music. “It attempts to take new readings of music that are often dismissed as just being aggressive and violent and tries to do different readings of them” said Helb.
Helb became involved with the book after coeditor, Abbey, asked him to contribute a chapter. Eventually, Abbey asked Helb to come on board and be his coeditor. The book came together after they put out a call for papers or contributors. “From those we pulled a certain number that were interesting and could benefit the book,” said Helb.
The communications professor contributed a chapter to the book titled, “The Time is Right to Set Our Sight on Salvation: The Strange Tale of How the Hare Krishnas Came to Play Hardcore Punk.” His chapter discusses the involvement of Hare Krishnas in punk music. The Hare Krishna movement is a branch of Hinduism known as Gaudiya Vaishnavism. “I tried to trace relationship[s] between popular music, punk music, underground music and the Hare Krishna movement,” said Helb.
Helb is currently deciding what his next book will be and is in discussion with publishers. He would like to further explore issues of identity, media, business and music. You can purchase “Hardcore, Punk and Other Junk: Aggressive Sounds in Contemporary Music” at Lexington’s website, and you can save 30 percent using the discount code “LEX30AUTH14” upon check ou.
Congrats, Colin! How cool.