Quest For Certainty

For all of the division and debate it caused, the Krishnacore wave of the ‘90s left only a minor mark on hardcore history. But while most of us walked away unscathed, some people got hurt.

Shelter’s Ray Cappo, with myself and Porcell playing guitar in the background. Louisville, KY. 1992. Photo by Chris Higdon.

I.

The first one of my friends to move into a Hare Krishna temple was Bill. It was the Spring of 1991, and it had only been ten months since we both saw Shelter’s first show at the Anthrax in Connecticut—a night that, over thirty years later, still holds up as one of the greatest spectacles in hardcore history. Just picture the scene: At least a couple dozen Hare Krishna devotees were roaming the parking lot dressed in saffron cloth, singing and dancing and preaching to interested kids. The merch table was transformed into an Indian flea market, with neckbeads, chanting beads, Eastern philosophical books, and other imported accessories. Protesters from New York City’s ABC No Rio community congregated near the entrance and handed out f…