Introduction

As long as I can remember I have been told by family members and my closest peers that I have quite the “ear for music.” I take that phrase quite literally because when I was in third grade I tragically discovered that only one of my ears actually works. My name is Tommy Leahy and I am a half-deaf music enthusiast.

I was raised a pastor’s kid in a relatively strict conservative household. I could not physically count the amount of car rides in which the CD player contained the likes of Michael W. Smith, dc Talk, or the Newsboys if my life depended on it. I suppose one could say listening to “Contemporary Christian Music (CCM)” on a daily basis could be regarded as the unofficial birth of my musical elitism.

Church was the fulcrum of my childhood years. I went to middle/high school at my family's church so I spent an average of 6 days a week behind those walls every year leading to my graduation. There were a lot of “rules” in this community and a good amount dealt with the music we were and were not allowed to listen to.

Secular music (any music that is not identified as “Christian”) was looked down upon in general, but heavy metal and hardcore punk were two specific genres shunned for their aggressive nature allegedly centered in negativity. The irony is that all of the “cool” youth group kids would bump the most horrid mainstream rap and country music my ear ever had to come in contact with lyrically rooted in digusting examples of women objectification and drug and alchohol abuse.

Luckily Tooth and Nail records came to my rescue. In the early and mid-2000s, Tooth and Nail/Solid State were the brother labels that allowed me to listen to what I wanted without feeling “guilty”. I discovered Underoath, Norma Jean, Demon Hunter, Living Sacrifice, mewithoutYou, Beloved, and from there was able to find Thrice, Poison the Well, Converge, Hopesfall, American Nightmare, and other bands that defined the golden years of my life.

There is no arguing that music is a powerful source of bringing people together and a establishing a sense of unity. Some of the most wonderful and long-lasting friendships I have maintained were conceived through conversations regarding a mutual love for certain bands or artists.

I was introduced to my local hardcore scene in 2006 and in an effort to contribute I started attempting to form some horrible musical acts that will rot eternally in the graveyard known as “Purevolume.” In the youth group scene I was in the weird kid that liked metal and hardcore and in the local music scene I was the weird kid that liked Jesus. There was no winning. I was an outcast in every facet of life but luckily the social aspect of the music scene’s importance dwindled in time. The only thing I remain passionate about is the music itself.

Now it is 2015 and I am 24 years old with a BA in Writing/Journalism and a Minor in English and Literature. I work at a record store and always stay up to date with new music whether it is popular or relatively unknown. My goal is to direct the energy of my elitism for the greater good by promoting lesser known bands and helping to bring them to the spotlight they deserve. My name is Tommy Leahy and I am a half deaf music enthusiast and I am always on “The LookOut” for new music.