“BCHC” by End It is the first time in a long time I heard someone go to bat for Baltimore and say it with their whole chest. I love Baltimore (yes I am from the suburbs), so when I saw that song performed live at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in 2024, it rewired my brain chemistry completely. Something this urgent and authentic was something that demanded my attention and the energy keeps me fed in hard times. Once I found the scene emerging after the pandemic, I became a devoted to hardcore, emo, post-hardcore, and simply “getting to the gig.” I was motivated to photograph shows after attending DC local library events on 80s harDCore, and a night of screenings of punk docs at AFI Silver. I have been taking photos of punk bands since 2023.