User:MrHighway/Crabcore

This article is a compilation of User:GinsuChikara/Crabcore and User:Chubbles/Crabcore to provide as much information as possible.

Crabcore is a stance used while playing an instrument, usually present in the metalcore or post-hardcore genres. In some cases, it is classified as an emo subgenre.

Unlike almost all other genres and sub-genres of music, crabcore is usually not defined by motifs, tones, or lyrical content. It is usually characterized by physical gestures and movements of the limbs of individual band members during live performances. Sometimes, the moves are synchronized between two or more band members.

Some scientists speculate that the crabcore movement is performed to emphasize the rhythm and beat of the breakdown section in a song.

The Origins of Crabcore

Although crabcore is a relatively new phenomenon, similar stances have been used by traditional Taiko drummers for many years.

Though modern Crabcore was essentially created by the American band Attack Attack!, its influences are significantly older. Crabcore draws unlikely influence from a plethora of blues guitarists, including Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley. Additionally, modern crabcore shows evidence of origins to the traditional dances of the Hopi, Maori, and Taiko (pictured).

Crabcore has officially been recognized as a legitimate genre by musical experts at the Guardian in a recent press release. With regard to Stick Stickly's music video, they say: "it's not dissimilar to a sumo wrestler having extreme muscle spasms while readying themselves to engage with an opponent."

Crabcore moves

Chiefly among the crabcore musician's repertoire of stylistic gestures is the crabwalk itself, from which the genre's title is derived. The crabwalk is identified by the player's extremely low stance, wherein both feet are set apart from one another as far as possible, while still allowing the player to maintain at least a 90 degree bend in his knees. While in the crab stance, the player then transfers the weight of his upper body between each leg, achieving a swaying motion intended to mimic the movement of a crab.

Other moves available to crabcore players include:

• The "Crabhammer" (also known as the "Talladega Bench Press")
• The "Alaskan King"
• The "Peanut Skinner"
• The "Jørgenslam"
• The "Dirty Hamper"
• The "Pestal Press"
• The "Arch Carrier"
• The "Runstyle Crab"
• The "Richardson Richardson"
• The "Krinking"
• The "Beaver Bounce"
• The "Krunkle Kick"
• The "Shrimp & White Wine"
• The "Cock Duster"
• The "Squirrel"
• The "OrBenetiko v.II"
• The "Mothafuck'n Crabadab"
• The "Scratch n Snatch"

Another somewhat controversial move has gained a foothold in crabcore circles recently, which sees the player simply standing in one spot and running in place. No one understands this move. No one.

The fact that the running-in-place move appeared at the same time as the crabwalk, and no-one involved in the scene has had time to discuss this move speaks volumes for the influential nature of the crabwalk. The running in place move usually is reserved to the screamer of the band, that is until the surprise techno break down. Upon this interlude all band members may participate in a crabcore run in place marathon.

The most instantly recognizable signifier of a band within the crabcore oeuvre is the presence of an Arch Cancerped (literally translated; "chief crabwalker"). The Arch Cancerped (or ACP) is an individual member of the band whose duty it is to set the speed, intensity, and depth of the crabwalk in a given piece of music. Much like the conductor of a symphony orchestra. Typically the ACP wears a black t-shirt and has a dyed-black sideways haircut.

The Runstyle Crab, a controversial but defining move, has gained a foothold in crabcore circles recently, which entails one or more band members running in place in a specific fashion.

Possibly one of the most complex crabcore maneuvers, known to many as the "Crabhammer", consists of all guitar players (including bass) lifting their instruments behind their heads, then slamming them back down in synchronized fashion with a simultaneous group headbang. Although seen in music videos such as Stick Stickly, this move is rarely attempted live due to its difficulty and complexity.

Crabcore evolution

The latest craze in the crabcore trend is the Massachusetts experimental hardcore band Dirty Sexy Knights In Paris. Russian band Shibo also released an EP titled Crabcore in the spring of 2009.

While this style of music has just appeared, the underground community is discovering that there have been several instances of famous bands pioneering the traditional crabcore style years before the term was coined. The most known is Metallica, wit the crabcore stance being very obvious in several live representations, most notably bassist Robert Trujillo. This version of crabcore is known as "proto-crabcore". The increasing popularity of the genre is beginning to arise many questions among dedicated fans as to the official "root" of the genre. Credit is most often given to the aforementioned Attack Attack!, mainly due to the success in their blatant exposure of the style, whereas groups credited as proto-crabcore were much more subtle in their performances. Black metal band Immortal displays forms of crabcore in the music videos for "The Call of the Wintermoon" and "Blashyrkh Mighty Ravendark." Suicidal Tendencies have also been cited as one of the more hardcore proto-crabcore bands.

External Links

• Example of pioneering crabcore
• Proto-crabcore
• Eye Weekly article on Attack Attack!'s crabcore, "the musical equivalent of scabies"
• Attack Attack!'s Andrew Whiting