No Bragging Rights at the Summit Music Hall 2/10

By Max Giffin

On February 10^th, southern-rock metalcore band Every Time I Die headlined Denver’s Summit Music Hall. Playing alongside them was The Acacia Strain, Vanna, Hundredth, and opening band No Bragging Rights. No Bragging Rights takes a different approach to hardcore music. Instead of the typical anger associated with that genre, they strive to send a positive message to their fans. Their ‘posi-core’ style breaks the stereotype in a refreshing way. Many of their songs focus on concepts such as hope and overcoming depression. Their songs are a stark contrast from the brutal lyrics of their tour mates, The Acacia Strain; however vocalist Mike Perez tells us the two bands are strong supporters of each other. “[The Acacia Strain] is actually a big reason we’re on this tour. Ever since Vincent (Bennett, vocals) gave the ok for us to jump on some shows they had in Canada, we’ve been pretty good friends,” he says.

During their set, the band paused for a moment for Perez to speak on a subject very important to him: suicide. “If anyone is suffering from depression, or has had thoughts about suicide, do not be embarrassed or ashamed of it. It’s real, and it’s serious,” He said with conviction to the sea of faces. Later Perez shares that the inspiration for that message comes from a dear friend who took his life, “Our good friend Will Muniz had bad luck but never mentioned being depressed. We always just assumed if someone is feeling that way, they’d tell you. We learned the hard way what keeping quiet does. He hung himself; it was devastating. We won’t make that mistake again.” After the powerful speech, the band played “Hope Theory”, a song that talks about the suicidal struggle and remaining strong through it. Perez screamed the words “Things are going to get better, to be better… Never loose hope. Never look back… I believe that things can change, I believe in brighter days” and the room was overcome by the power of the song. After the show, Perez was approached by a fan who told him personally how much what he said had meant to him, and thanked him for the band’s music. Drummer Martin Alcedo later said, “If we can save one life, that would make it all worth it.”

This was No Bragging Right’s first large scale tour, and they describe the experience so far as phenomenal. The band says that one of the notable differences between the do-it-yourself tours and this one was the people who helped them load in gear. “We always feel guilty, like ‘no we’ll do it’, but it’s their job,” Perez laughed In addition to the venue staff, the band is playing for much larger crowds, which is a change. This step up is well deserved. The band has toured relentlessly in their 15 passenger vans playing smaller venues across the country. For three years, No Bragging Rights has followed the Vans Warped Tour selling CDs outside the venues. Typically this is frowned upon by the tour, and the band recognizes that they’ve “done everything you’re not supposed to do” to get on and play Warped officially, but the effort they put in shows a devotion to their music and has gained them thousands of new listeners. The rule-bending also doesn’t mean they’ll never play the tour. As founder Kevin Lyman expressed in the movie No Room For Rockstars, he has a soft spot for hard working bands. No Bragging Rights continues to prove themselves by gaining popularity, and the possibilities are endless.

Category: The Rock, Exclusives, National News