This past weekend was the biggest East Coast hardcore weekend of the year, This Is Hardcore Fest. One band that everybody seems to be talking about coming out of the festival is Gorilla Biscuits.
Before introducing their song, "Degradation," frontman Anthony ‘Civ’ Civarelli called said this:
“In 2016, people still have to wear shirts that say ‘Black Lives Matter’. No shit. Brown, white, yellow, black, we all fucking matter. Everybody here matters. Do not let the media, schools, institutions, influence you. We are one family, one people.”
Now, at first glance it might seem like Civ is advocating for the anti-Black Lives Matter movement, All Lives Matter, but the key phrase here is "no shit." The way I interpret it is "No shit Black Lives Matter!" The implication is everybody should be treated with respect.
Civ has been getting a lot of negative feedback, so much so that he offered another statement via a Facebook comment:
“…I’m surprised that this was taken in any other way then it was intended. My point was and I thought it was clear that in 2016 we as a people should not need such things to be on a shirt and they should be universal truths.
We are all in this together. If you know the band and the lyrics and what we have always stood for this should be clear. Also look at the lyrics to “degradation” and “things we say” especially the line, “some people are so quick to judge let’s get the judgement straight”…”
We're not ones to shy away from calling out a racist when needbe, but this seems to be a case of misplaced anger. If you disagree, let us know in the comments.
Here's video of the event in question:
