St. Patrick's Day Massacre, "Gang Vocals" and the Spirit of Community

As I'm listening to Shane and the boys sing, "Let me go boys, let me go boys, let me go down in the mud where the rivers all run dry," I'm reminded of the real spirit of community in communities like the Irish punk community. Bands like Flogging Molly and the Dropkick Murphys really embody the living legacy of bands like the Pogues and the Dubliners.

It seems to me that the "gang vocal" parts are typical of communities like this; strong, proud groups that are tightly knit by geography as much as experience. The middle class community of New Brunswick has the same feel; bands like Lifetime and the Bouncing Souls have created a legion of younger bands that latch onto the same ideals.

The question I'm left with today is, "Where do I belong?" I've always searched for a community like this, but I've never quite found one that fit my needs. The South Bay hardcore kids were always a bit too mean to be so bound by brotherhood and God knows I wasn't about to find a community like that at school. The answer, as it usually does, lies in synthsis. This is something we have to make for ourselves, without relying on others. There are a lucky few times where you get swept up in the madness of a Revolution Summer or some such movement that is so much larger than you could have ever imagined, but more often, you really have to do it yourself.

The intention of my non-profit was to synthesize this sort of community, based around passion for youth in the arts, with a shadow mission to unite Los Angeles before the subway to the sea did it for me, however, this is still a few years off. I don't know what to do until then. Basically, what I'm asking all of you is who wants to start an Irish punk band with me?