KERRANG – THIS IS HARDCORE

From Kerrang magazine 25th April 1998 by Don Kaye

Organised by ex-Cro-mags singer John Joseph (now fronting both worlds), 'Hardcore for Hunger' is a benefit show in aid of the Prabhupada Sankirtan Society. A Hare Krishna sect which runs a tiny soup kitchen on the Lower East Side which feeds the city's homeless three times a week. More than 20 New York hardcore bands have turned out in force for the all-day gig: from established names like Biohazard, Sick of It All and CIV to rising stars like...

Down the front, a steady stream of kids grab the mike and scream out their favourite lyrics before launching themselves over the heads of the fans behind them. Bodies and sweat fly everywhere.

Somewhat incongruously, a group of Hare Krishnas are grouped together on one side of the venue, serving plates of food and handing out Hindu literature from behind a large table. Their presence highlights the true point of today's show...

The Prabhupada Sankirtan Society are one of the groups attempting to help New York's thousands of homeless and poor people. They want to raise enough money to feed 500 people a day, seven days a week., at their Lower East Side soup kitchen. Which is where John Joseph comes in.

An erstwhile Navy man, former convict and ex-drug addict, Joseph is one of hardcore's most charismatic frontmen. A practising Hare Krishna who puts in time at the soup kitchen, Joseph has been the driving force behind 'Hardcore For Hunger'.

"Basically, I've been working with the food relief drive for about 10 years now," Joseph explains..."I wanted to put a concert together to expand our facility and what we're doing. I'm just acting as an instrument.

"This whole thing is just a start, because next I want to arrange a big, BIG concert..."

None of the bands seem particularly bothered by the presence of the Hare Krishnas, who are pretty much the day's guests of honour. Long accused of being a cult which brainwashes its members, the Krishnas have made "significant changes in attitude" during the last few years, according to a recent article in the 'New York Times'.

The small group of Krishnas in Tramps dish out the same food they serve at their soup kitchen to a thousand sweat-drenched hardcore fans throughout the day.
"The kids have responded very favourably to us," says Kapindra Svami, who leads the Krishna group which runs the food programme. "We're serving kicchari, which contains rice, lots of protein and iron, lentils, spinach, broccoli and potatoes. These kids are giving us a dollar for it, but our main concern is to serve it to the homeless who have nothing to give us.

"We're just trying to uplift people with food. You'd be amazed at the wonders that good food can do for the human spirit."
Burn guitarist Gavin Van Vlack lives in the East Village near where the Krishna temple and kitchen are established.
"I know the temple and the people in there," he says. "It's a small temple and it's not really associated with the bigger sects of their religion. I'm just glad the money is going into my neighbourhood."...

When all is said and done, 'Hardcore for Hunger' will have raised $12,000 for the Krishna soup kitchen.

"When I called up, not one band said they didn't want to do it," John Joseph enthuses. "They were all behind the cause. A lot of bands rearranged their schedules so they could do this. The vibration on this thing has been so positive from everyone."