‘A Band With Decency’

Mon., May 4, 1998

Toney Jacobson Post Falls

You get home from another tedious, nerve-wracking day at school and, as always, head straight to your room. You chuck your bag in the corner, sprawl out on your bed and begin the slow recovery from a long, hard day. Hoping to hear some good tunes, you flip on your radio.

Shaking your head in disgust you change the station.

What’s with music today? Is there nothing worth listening to anymore? Is it all full of suicidal, evil, drug- and sex-promoting lyrics? Is there a band out there with any decency?

In case you’re wondering, yes there is. It is composed of Jeremy Rice, Aaron Mitson, Brian Wendt and Leon Josaitis. They all attend Post Falls High School. Their band, Hardcore for Christ, is strictly Christian.

Though hardcore may be stereotyped as being explicit, violent music, HFC has taken a step toward the positive side. But just because this is Christian doesn’t mean you’ll like it. When I say hardcore, I’m not joking.

“We all love Jesus and we want to praise his name,” said bassist Josaitis. “Why hardcore? Hardcore is our style. It’s how we give praise. Just because it’s loud doesn’t make it any less Christian.”

Even though the lyrics can be difficult to understand, the message is clear. “No matter what you’ve done, no matter where you’ve been, Jesus Christ loves you and he’ll take away your sin,” they sing in “Defiance.”

The song “Separate” contains only five words: “Separate me from this world.”

Before they were HFC, Josaitis and Wendt were in a secular band called TPK.

“We weren’t very good at our instruments, and we were lame as people,” Josaitis said. “The Christian band POD greatly influenced us to turn our lives around and worship Jesus.”

For band members, “HFC is not a band, it’s a lifestyle.”

The members of HFC are Christian in their everyday lives, not just up on the stage. They attend various youth groups and the Christian First Priority club during school lunch.

They’ve played with other Christian-based groups in the area, including Face First, Soul Purpose, Juggernaut, Champion Bird Watchers, Derc the Enforcer and Little Felix.

They do a show almost every weekend all over the Northwest. For more information on the band, call Set Free at (208) 765-2160.

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