Tell me about yourself as the founder of this organization!

Hi! My name is Nick Smith, and I'm a local drummer and photographer in the area of Charleston, South Carolina, as well as the founder of Holy City Hardcore! I've grown up here and always been proud of what the Lowcountry has to offer, and this organization is meant to promote and reflect that.

 

What is your mission?

 The goal of Holy City Hardcore is to organize, promote, and archive punk, hardcore, and metal shows in the Summerville, Charleston, and Columbia areas. People deserve to have a place where they don't have to cut any corners to fit in. It's about being your complete, authentic, no holds barred self. The disenfranchisement of queer folks and people of color is more often than not on full display in the south, and our aim is to give these people a family, a community where they feel safe. Punk is alive and well, and we want our work and the population of the scene to reflect that and welcome all comers.

 

What do you hope to accomplish with this?

 Getting more touring bands to come to South Carolina would be really nice! There's a severe lack of those, even if it has been getting better at the moment, and helping the local bands that want it get more recognition and opening slots on shows or even whole tours would be a great thing to accomplish. We also want to make sure that photo and video evidence of shows exists, both to preserve the memories made there and show that we mean business about our community to possible venues and outside performers. Having more all ages venues in the area would be a wonderful start.

 

How do you get your message out/spread the word?

 We feature show and tour posters, photos, videos, and promote new music from artists in the area. We also attend shows both to collect new material and meet people in the area. We're currently working on making merchandise to sell in hopes of increasing our promotion budget, as well as making a place for donations from those who are willing and able. If there's one thing people do in the south, it's gossip, and we take advantage of this to have word of mouth marketing.