Tabernacle: Mormon Hardcore Band

1005 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: How religion affects music

“Five dollars dude”, a gruff sounding man says while an equally gruff looking bouncer checks over my I.D. I pull the money out of my wallet and hand it to him in exchange for a wristband, or stamp of some kind, signifying that I’ve paid and am of age. I walk into the venue; dark, noisy and crowded. The smell burns at my nostrils and my ears ring with the echoes of chants and screams. Then he appears on stage; his name: Kevin Barton; his band: Tabernacle. Like a reaper and his servants preparing you for the journey, seemingly to the gates of hell, the crowd waits with anticipation. The solemn look on all of their faces matches their attire: black shoes, black slacks, black pencil ties, and white shirts. These aren’t just any Mormons (actually none of them are) but rather masters of hardcore. What set them apart from other bands though are their unique blend of personality and character, and their ability to come together and play music.

I guess you could say Kevin is the ring leader of the group. He is an unassuming man at first look. Sure he is covered in tattoos and has his ears gauged, but that’s not so out of the normal anymore. Once you get to know him however, your outlook may change. Kevin was raised as a Mormon from his childhood. He went to church and was baptized according to their

Osting 2

beliefs. Things began to change however when he started to question his belief in Mormonism around the age of fourteen. He still continued to attend church for a few years, but by the age of sixteen or seventeen he stopped going all together. He describes this change as an “Ideology Shift” (Barton) that led him to his current beliefs. As of today he proclaims himself to be an Atheist, saying “I used to go by the term agnostic,...

... middle of paper ...

...d a show, this is an act within itself. “Sing” is a loose term; it’s more like spoken word fused with raw emotion. People bang their heads up and down and throw up their arms in time with the music. As the set continues, you can see the sweat building up on everyone, but none more than Kevin. Flailing around his arms and legs and banging his head up and down, those in the front can’t help but get splashed by it. These people do not care though; they are too entranced by the sound and rhythm of the music. The set ends and the band begins to tear down their equipment. A few approach and give high fives or slaps on the back accompanied by “great show man” or “dude that was amazing” but the band plays it off as routine. The best way to show your appreciation with these guys is to throw bows and buy a round. If that’s not your style, well then Tabernacle is not for you.

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Josecito Leon Y Su Internacional Banda Roja '

    1026 Words  | 3 Pages

    Correspondingly, after a few songs the band responded by singing the songs that the audience liked and by motivating them to scream and cheer for them. This way the audience wouldn’t get bored and stop cheering and dancing. This event took place in a dome-shaped like place where it also holds events like bull riding. There was a floor section where the people stand and there was the seat section where it went around the place and it was fenced around. This is what Hispanics call a “Jaripeo” because you can have concerts and bull riding, which is kind of like being at the

    Read More

  • Kingdom Of Matthias Sparknotes

    1078 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...leased from prison, Mathews continued his quest for religion by seeking Joseph Smith of the Mormon society, under the alias Joshua the Jewish Minister. The two had a heated discussion of resurrection and reincarnation. On the other hand, Matthews claimed to be both God and the reincarnation of the apostle Matthias. However Matthews his meeting with Smith was unsuccessful because both prophets believed the other was of the devil. Matthews’ s religious journey albeit chaotic and aberrant now serves as subconscious guide for how new religious movements and cults in present day America.

    Read More

  • The Journey and Downfall of Royce Oatman

    2601 Words  | 6 Pages

    The Oatman’s adventure began as a result of their decision to join a new sect of the Mormon faith. This particular belief, whose followers were named Brewsterites, had its roots in Kirtland, Ohio around 1836. A young boy, about ten years old, named Colin Brewster, showed promise in the eyes of Joseph Smith, the great Mormon prophet. Many had already noticed the boy’s “gift for seeing in vision distant objects not seen by the natural eye” (McGinty 40). Eventually, Brewster’s vision of a round table lead to his acceptance as “a prophet, a seer, a revelator and translator” (McGinty 31), by Joseph Smith Sr. and two other church elders, one of which was referred to as Lord.

    Read More

  • Social And Political Reactions To Mormon Polygamy

    2000 Words  | 4 Pages

    Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1984. Roberts, B. H.. A Comprehensive History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

    Read More

  • The Nightmare of the West Memphis Three

    764 Words  | 2 Pages

    The satanic cult panic in part contributed to the conviction of Misskelley, Echols and Baldwin. Baldwin himself describes this assumption; “I can see where they might think I was in a cult,” he said, in that 1993 interview, “because I wear Metallica T-shirts.” (Rich, 2013). The article goes on to explain that the crime happened at the end of the five-year satanic panic period that had plagued American popular culture. These boys did not dress like other teens; they did not listen to the same music. Metal music especially music from bands like Metallica were frowned upon because of their expletive lyrics. When the public established that the boys were different from them, they developed stories that would align with their beliefs. The article establishes that after several weeks of investigation and no clear leads, “rumors of satanic involvement assumed greater urgency” (Rich, 2013) By doi...

    Read More

  • Mockumentary Religulous Made by Bill Maher

    1233 Words  | 3 Pages

    wasn’t always a devoted agnostic he was raised by religious parents, in a dual religion household where

    Read More

  • Mormonism: A Paradigm of an American Faith

    1645 Words  | 4 Pages

    A handsome boy kneels down for prayer beside a tree in his father’s orchard. It is a nice sunny spring day with the warm rays of the radiant sun gently kissing the boy’s face. “God, give me a sign,” he pleads to his heavenly father. He is only 14, yet religion fascinates him. Confused by what Christian faith to believe in, he was not sure whether he wanted to become a Baptist like his parents, or a Methodist, which church’s teachings appealed more to him. A slight cool breeze passes through his chestnut colored hair. In a moment he finds himself paralyzed, unable to move, at the mercy of some evil force. A shadowy mist surrounds him. The boy is afraid and does the only thing he could think of: he prayed, “God save me!” Immediately a pillar of light descends over his head like a crown of gold. A strange calmness overcomes the boy, and the shadows around him recede. To the boy, who questioned God’s existence, this was a sure sign that his heavenly father was still there. That boy was Joseph Smith, who had just experienced the first of a series of visions that he would receive throughout his faithful life. Soon after his first vision, he received another in which he the angel Moroni visited him, who presented him with a map. Smith traveled to a nearby hill where he found several golden tablets, etched with mysterious characters of ancient languages long forgotten. Smith was ordered by the angel to translate the plates into what is now known as the Book of Mormon (from which the Mormons gained their name), the cornerstone of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or simply abbreviated as the LDS Church. (Millet 6-8).

    Read More

  • Terry Tempest Williams and Mormonism

    1430 Words  | 3 Pages

    Terry Tempest Williams is fully aware that she is contradicting the church when she writes “women have no outward authority,” yet she still chooses to take part in a ritual of healing that can only be performed by the men. Williams, however, does so in privacy and in the “secrecy of the sisterhood.” The word secrecy hints at the idea of doing something which is not accepted and against certain beliefs of today’s church. She was born and raised in a home of devout Mormons who follow the traditional beliefs of their faith. She acknowledges that the Mormon Church places great importance on obedience. In college she began to question her faith and today would not consider herself an “orthodox Mormon,” although Mormonism still has an impact in her life and work. In her writing, Williams continually contradicts the values of the Mormons.

    Read More

  • Concert at Flordia State University

    727 Words  | 2 Pages

    The venue was a small amphitheatre with wood paneled walls and a wooden stage with the piano situated in the middle. The chairs were covered in blue fabric. I would estimate that the venue was about one-third full, and the crowd consisted primarily of college students (although I did see two senior-aged individuals in attendance, as well). It appeared that attending the event was a requirement for a specific class, although I did not ask anyone about this directly. There was a young man sitting outside handing out some sort of attendance slips. Everyone was dressed quite casually, with jeans and tee shirts being the norm among the male population, especially. Before the performance began, the venue was very brightly lit and it was quite noisy. When the performer stepped out onstage, I was very surprised that several of the audience members were whistling and hooting, since I had read that that was improper decorum. Once Mr. Anvar took his seat and the lights went down, the crowd went silent. Between performances the crowd generally applauded, but there were always a handful of people yelling out, as well.

    Read More

  • The Heaven's Gate Cult

    511 Words  | 2 Pages

    The cult was mainly composed of men and women both. All members had crew cuts and were between the ages of 26 and 72. Although many members lived together in a mansion in California, they came from all parts of the country. Many were from California, but members also came from Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Florida, New Mexico, Minnesota, Utah, Ohio, and Florida. There were approximatly 39 members who lived in the 1.3 million dollar Rancho Santa Fe mansion. They operated a web site for their cult called “Higher Source”.

    Read More

  • Jazz Concert Review

    1100 Words  | 3 Pages

    While the musician?s were playing, I was surprised how the audience was. Most of the audience was talking loud, drinking alcohol and eating snacks. Some audience was even clapping hands and humming along with the song. This was quite an opposite environment compared to the concerts I went to. Sometimes the audience was so loud that I could barely hear the songs. It was interesting that even though the crowd was so loud, the musicians seemed very comfortable with it. They played the song as if the audience?s voice was also part of their song. When audience was loud, they would play loud and when audience became quite, they played very soft and tender. It might be to get audience?s attention. But, it seemed the m...

    Read More

  • The Danger of the FLDS

    917 Words  | 2 Pages

    Cults are dangerous institutions that have existed for many years, corrupting and reforming the minds of innocent people into believing outrageous doctrines that eventually result in disaster. Horrifying cases involving men such as Charles Manson, Jim Jones and David Koresh have bewildered people and raise the question: how could individuals be easily susceptible to the teachings of these men, so influenced that masses go as far as to commit the unthinkable? Individuals who are in a vulnerable position in search for an identity are attracted to cults because they offer a sense of belonging. In addition, isolation from society contributes to the functioning of a cult for it creates an atmosphere where submissiveness and obedience runs high. These two factors seem to hold true for one of the most notorious cults currently established in the United States and Canada. The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or, FLDS, is an international polygamist sect that incorporates belonging and isolation along with a dangerous mentality that have resulted in the abuse of women and children in the name of God.

    Read More

  • The Mormon Family

    1385 Words  | 3 Pages

    "Growth of the Church - LDS Newsroom." LDS News | Mormon News - Official Newsroom of the Church. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. .

    Read More

  • Personal Narrative- Concert

    1128 Words  | 3 Pages

    As the dark stadium filled with fire, with the sounds of guns and bombs exploding everywhere, the crazed fans yelled at the top of their lungs. The enormous stage was rumbling with the sound of a single guitar as the band slowly started their next encore performance. Soon after I realized that I was actually at the Sanitarium concert listening to Metallica play "One", I thought to my self, "Is this real, am I actually here right now?" I had a weird feeling the entire time because I had worked all summer to simply listen to music with a bunch of strangers.

    Read More

  • Descriptive Essay On My First Concert

    895 Words  | 2 Pages

    Then audience members who were perfect strangers who were screaming loudest would turn to each other with knowing glances and smile because they were sharing the same excitement and connecting with one another over their love of this man’s music. There was no pushing or shoving to get closer to the stage – it wasn’t that kind of crowd. Instead, there was mutual respect for one another’s space within the confines of the too-small venue. Nobody wanted to be the person who ruined it for someone else. It was this respect that made the audience members’ connections with one another that much stronger – we were all here to listen to this wonderful man’s music and see his performance – and, of course, we were here to enjoy it.

    Read More

More about Tabernacle: Mormon Hardcore Band

Open Document