I was lucky enough to see Dayton, Ohio natives Hawthorne Heights and Toronto natives Silverstein last night. They are by far my most favored bands for their support within the punk rock community, their political and social activism, the way they can share the painful topics of break-ups, suicide, drug overdose, and other subject matter with an empathy as if they were reaching out to every individual to offer a light at the end of the darkest tunnels we traverse in life. I've been listening to both groups for almost 20 years and their poetic and heartfelt lyrics still hold the same relevance today.
They performed an acoustic version of Aquamarine and My Heroin. The entire crowd sang along and finished the last half of My Heroin. I have not been directly involved with any overdose deaths, but I've been a should for comfort to close friends that still live through that "deathaversary" and this song has always been hard to listen to. It's a great track, but I well up in tears whenever I try to sing along. Too many amazing souls have been taken well before their time by drugs be it heroin or even alcohol. I hate to see another loss when that sensation of comfort is replaced by anxiety and pain drawing a deeper addiction and crutch.
I thought I would share for many reasons, but I hope you enjoy. Great band if you are unfamiliar. The early album tracks may sound a little rough because they were young and growing into the vocals, but the lyrical content is well beyond their age as they are big literature and poetry fans (the band is named after Shel Silverstein, but don't let the children's poetry fool you).
