One Life Crew: Labcabincleveland

Hardcore – the variety that arose after Black Flag, Minor Threat, Bad Brains and the Necros – has really been in the throngs of weirdo infighting since the mid ‘80s. If you went to Boston  during that time and wound up in the wrong show drunk or with a leather jacket on, you mighta caught a beat down. That aside, the music also seemed to deteriorate at a pretty rapid pace. And with the infusion of anti-racists sentiment (which alone isn’t bad) and militant vegetarianism/veganism expanding its influence, the ‘movement’ that resulted seemed to become as much about politics as anything else. Most likely alotta folks associated with that went on to some enlightened way of life, so it wasn’t a total loss.

But the P.C. bent to so much of the genre at some point began impacting the perception of bands that were believed to have made any sort of misstep. Cleveland, being what it is and was, might have had a higher percentage of miscalculating groups than anywhere else. As a disclaimer, I grew up there, and it’s probably pretty hard to mature in the Jamdown without having a few negative impressions of the bums (regardless of where they’re from) that skirt around sidewalks all day long and sleep on heating grates near Tower City. But that was the place that sprung Integrity and One Life Crew - both of whom have in recent years been relegated to a lesser status than perhaps either deserves

But what OLC contends – and its true – is that there’s a difference between racism and being adamantly against illegal immigration. Of course, at times the language used to express those opinions has become a bit aggressive (“in your rat land you belong” from “Pure Disgust). But by contrast the now classic “Our Fight” has the lines “Work together, stop all this hate/Racist ways are so wrong…”

So, yea, you can hate how OLC has overtime begun to incorporate more specific illustrations of what they won’t stand for in the ‘their’ country, but there’s still a fine line there. Regardless, though, someone gets called a ‘fag’ about every two minutes on the group’s greatest hits (?) compilation, Is What It Is. But beyond that, they still hate cops and we can all relate to that.

Some of the targets taken aim at over this compilation spanning the fifteen or so years of OLC’s existence are confusing. Jesse Jackson? Really? I mean, he’s givin’ it a shot at least. And while not everyone is going to agree about how to go about attaining a broad equality, the Reverend has dedicated his life to helping folks, whereas OLC makes pissed off music for pissed off people. I dunno if it’s a draw, but it’s an interesting contrast.

The only thing that winds up slowing down the progression of the group over the fifty some odd stray shots here are the various skits that, while well intentioned, do kinda make all involved seem like something akin to right wing reactionaries. And while it’s alright to hate vacuous liberals, it should be understood that any strict adherence to orthodoxy (of any sort) ends up blinding folks.