THE FIRST STEP

Until the fall of 2001, North Carolina had been able to offer little in the line of Straight Edge Hardcore. After sitting back and watching for far too long, discontent with the way the hardcore scene was looking, The First Step knew it was up to them to make a change.

The relentless live performance that captured the band in the air more than on the ground, was the first element to draw serious attention to the four boys. The message of positivity, anti-intoxication, spiritual introspection, and vegetarianism provided the “substance to the style.” What could have passed as lost Youth Of Today songs fused with influences such as DYS and Insted, proving that true hardcore was far from just a page in the history books.

While they weren’t the first, and hopefully not the last, The First Step blew away onlookers with a driving passion, intensity and charisma found behind every note and lyric.

Their summer 2002 debut EP, “Open Hearts and Clear Minds,” only reiterated this belief, still hailed as the best band in hardcore today. Through multipleU.S. tours, numerous trips up and down both coasts and countless weekend trips, The First Step remain the epitome of sincerity and intensity.