Slapshot at Churchill's Pub January 5

Hardcore is a truly North American phenomenon. Sure, Scandinavia, Japan, and Latin America have all left serious imprints on the genre. But guess where the punk-rock subgenre was invented? California. And straight edge? Washington, D.C. Then there's Boston, arguably the United States' epicenter of old-school tough-guy HC. Yeah, New York City invented the model with Gorilla Biscuits, Youth of Today, and Judge. But Massachusetts's capital perfected the approach via SS Decontrol, Negative FX, Jerry's Kids, and Gang Green. Itching to learn more about New England mosh music? Well, Beantown scene vets Slapshot and Miami's best extreme-music curators, Speedfreek, offer the perfect crash course at Churchill's Pub this Saturday. In 1985, Slapshot arrived a wave after the OG Boston HxC scene, coinciding with a distinct intensification of hardcore's already-humorless attitude. While moshing had always occurred at one's own risk, your average mid-'80s Boston show looked more like a dojo than the goofy, pogo pits of the Ramones. In a parallel development, the substance-free straight-edge movement saw the development of its own extremist wing, known as the "hardline subculture." Thankfully, those particular punk politics are largely behind us. So when Slapshot comes to Churchill's to kick off 2013, you should be less concerned about getting jumped by militant straight-edge droogs and more wary of getting caught in a killer mosh.