Brand New Sin

When rock fans think of Syracuse -- one of the cities in upstate New York -- they often think of hardcore punk and the straight-edge movement, which has used punk to promote clean living, vegetarianism, and spirituality. Many straight-edge bands have been avid supporters of the Hare Krishna sect; arguably, straight-edge has often functioned as a Hindu-minded equivalent of Christian rock, although many straight-edge bands have leaned to the left politically and have, in some cases, vehemently lambasted Christian pop and rock artists who supported the Republican Party. Despite...