Poison the Well click here for gallery

Dillinger Escape Plan click here for gallery

Further Seems Forever click here for gallery

Shai Hulud click here for gallery

Since By Man click here for gallery

As in previous years, the Take Action Tour not only showcases some upcoming bands that have yet to peak through the alternative mainstream but also brings awareness and information to often neglected subjects, suicide and its more common cousin depression. How successful the tour is in affecting the audience remains in question, regardless there should be more effort in the music industry to bring together more package tours that spread a good word and Take Action/Plea for Peace is definitely providing a great example.

Informing the public of suicide wouldn't spread far unless they packaged it with a group of "on the bubble" bands who were willing to check their egos at the door, take a pay cut, and play for a great cause. It's unfortunate this year's tour could not provide as great of variety as last years, which could be taken as capitalizing on the growing interest of the hardcore/metalcore scene. This year brought returning favorites and metalcore heavyweights Poison the Well as well as the awkward yet infectious technical prowess of Dillinger Escape Plan. Along with Trustkill's terrible mix of glam and metalcore in Eighteen Visions and the odd man out, Further Seems Forever, who brought the softer side to balance out the testosterone. Rounding out the bill was the recently broken up Shai Hulud and newcomers Sincebyman.

Stand out act was definitely Dillinger Escape Plan, who provided a relentless attack of lighting and noise that left the crowd speechless in both awe and exhaustion. Playing the majority of their set off Calculating Infinity, I was very surprised to see vocalist Greg Puciato hit all the notes off their recent EP who was recorded with the infamous Mike Patton. For the amount of energy and pure insanity the entire band shows on stage, it's amazing how well the music transfers live from studio. With a hard act to follow, Poison the Well had the major support of the crowd, which provided for some great sing-a-longs. Yet for the amount of energy the audience produced,

the band remained static except for a few moments. They still pulled off a great set which included songs from The Opposite of December to their current major label release You Come Before You. Eighteen Visions isn't worth mentioning, for their "costumes" and video screens didn't make up for their overly generic sound. Another memorable set was Shai Hulud's. Not just for one of their last performances but for the 30 minute mid-set halt in which a member of the audience had cracked their head open.

With such a great line-up of music, it's hard to imagine picking a venue like Clutch Cargos. With the levitated stage, stubborn security guards, and poor sound, there was little to no crowd interaction which all of these bands thrive on. It's shame they couldn't book it at a more personal venue such as the Magic Stick or the Shelter.

If history should repeat itself, look for some of these bands to break into the mainstream, as did last year's up and comers Thursday and Jimmy Eat World.

The National Hopeline Network 1-800-SUICIDE The Kristin Brooks Hope Center provides free national access to suicide crisis counseling through the National Hopeline Network 1-800-SUICIDE. Help is provided through a network of local suicide prevention centers that are certified by the American Association of Suicidology. When those in crisis call the Hope Center's toll-free phone number, 1-800-SUICIDE (784-2433), a sophisticated computer routes the call automatically to the closest participating center.

The National Hopeline has taken more than 250,000 calls since it was launched in 1998. Calls to the hotline are growing steadily -- from 300 a month early on, to an average of 500 every day in 2002. Suicide claims the lives of 30,000 Americans a year -- about 5,000 of whom are young people.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people ages 15 and 24, and the second leading cause of death among college-age youth. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are about 100 suicide attempts for each suicide completed by a teen. This statement from the former U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. David Satcher, sums up the magnitude of teen suicide in this country: "Suicide claims the lives of more teenagers and young adults than cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia and influenza and chronic lung disease combined."

One important goal of the Hope Center is to eliminate the stigma associated with mental health. We believe that more people might seek help before hopelessness takes hold. And if they knew about the Hope line, they would know where to turn for help.

Over the past thirty years the music industry has lost some great talent to suicide as well as drugs--a longer more drawn out form of suicide. The impact on the surviving musicians has led some bands to help raise awareness of the hotline and encourage those in need of help to call the Hopeline.

The Hope Center was founded in 1998 by H. Reese Butler II, who lost his wife to suicide that same year. Butler is executive director of the Hope Center.

www.hopeline.com
www.takeactiontour.com