Back in February, I went to what I would call an AMAZING concert. AS IT IS has always put on a great show, and The Great Depression Tour was no exception. If anything, they outdid themselves. From the opening bands, (Point North, Hold Close, and Sharptooth) to AS IT IS themselves, my mind was blown.

There was a common theme that every band touched on in some way shape or form, and that was the topic of inclusiveness. Whether it be about the stigma of mental health, the rights of the LGBTQ community or the treatment of women, each band touched on one topic or another. There were a few things, however, that stuck out to me.

Sharptooth on The Great Depression TourAlex Leff

"Honest, explosive, and unapologetically enraged, Sharptooth focuses on the brutality of hardcore through a femme lens and believes in carving out space for marginalized voices in aggressive music." - Sharptooth

Sharptooth is a female fronted punk/metal band from Baltimore Maryland. The band is made up of lead singer Lauren Kashan, guitarists Keith Higgins and Lance Donati, bassist Phil Rasinski, and drummer Conor Mac.

What stuck out for me was the anger, aggressiveness and the support from the band. I'll admit I was down-right terrified during their set. Kashan was not holding back her rage about how those who are survivors of sexual assault and violence are made to feel like there is nothing they can do or say. They're made to feel like it's their fault and that they got what they deserved.

This is a hard topic of conversation, and I don't think I've heard any other band (that I'm aware of or at least from what I've heard) talk about this issue. There's always the mention of depression, suicide, inclusiveness of the LGBTQ community, and mental illnesses, but never about feminism. Sexual assault, violence, and rape aren't easy or common things to talk about, even if it's just to spread awareness. Sharptooth took something that's often considered taboo and put it to music, creating a way to spread awareness.

In addition to writing music about the difficult topic, the band also brought the nonprofit The Art of Survival on the road with them. This organization supports recovering survivors who have suffered from trauma and hardships through storytelling and art. They offer workshops and table at a multitude of events to spread the word of their organization.

While I was intimidated at the beginning (it's much harder music than I'm used to and conveys a very clear political message), after meeting Lauren, I realized she's a sweetheart and genuinely cares about women empowerment in and out of the music industry.

Sharptooth isn't the only band on the tour with an important message. AS IT IS is spreading awareness of the stigma that is associated with mental illness.

As It Is on The Great Depression TourAlex Leff

Their album The Great Depression is about how we as a society glamorize and portray these stigmas. The album features songs; 'The Great Depression,' 'The Wounded World,''The Stigma(Boys Don't Cry),' 'The Truth I'll Never Tell' and, 'The End.'

I feel like these songs are about how we can't express our true feelings and emotions with the rest of society. We're hypocritical in that we say things regarding our mental wellbeing then turn around and do or say something that's the complete opposite.

Who says boys can't cry? Are we really ignoring those who are trying to say that they need help? Is it really better than people are hiding and pushing their feelings down because they don't know who they can talk to?

Patty Walters on The Great Depression TourNici Dill

"We talk about mental health. We thought it was so very important to portray mental illness and mental health. Depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide as things that are not beautiful, but things that are not ugly. Things that so many of us, either us personally or people we love most in this world are going to struggle with, but it's not something that defines you either...Thank you so much for sharing the sentiment that we need to talk about these things to eradicate the stigmas and the bullshit. We need to be talking about this stuff."- Patty Walters

There is absolutely nothing wrong with needing help or talking about feelings. Guys have just as much of a right to cry like everyone else. It doesn't make you any less of a person for needing to talk, admitting you need help or having your own voice. Everyone deserves to be heard.

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