Quick, hide your beers! A straight-edge band is coming. For those of us who’ve encountered straight-edge in our home countries, that’s a pretty common reaction.

In Korea, there is no problem with straight-edge. Kiseok, the lead singer of sXe band the Geeks, is one of the nicest guys you can meet. That’s why I was apprehensive when I first heard that Seattle straight-edge band Champion was on its way for a three-day tour in April.

So I called up the guitarist in Vancouver, and he eased my fears.

“People know Champion as a band where you do not fight at our shows,?says guitarist Aram Arslanian. “We try to talk the talk and completely walk the walk, so if there’s violence we shut it down.?

When a fight broke out at their last show, the band stopped playing and jumped into the pit to break it up.

“I’m an adult male—I don’t walk around with X on my hand,?says Aram, who’s 29 years old. “We’ve all been straight-edge for a long time, so it’s not like some little kid saying ‘ah let’s be positive.?

“We have songs about straight-edge,?he explains. “I don’t judge people whether or not they’re straight-edge; I judge them by their actions.?

Champion songs are rarely negative, not the sort of stuff about murder and being nailed to the X.

“I don’t have any interest in my life in being in a band that puts out negative messages, but I do like that music,?he admits. “For me Champion has been more about looking at things from a positive standpoint, than from the point of view of everything’s fucked and I’m fucked and that’s it, life is hard. Yeah, the truth is life is brutally hard. Every day I see people struggling, I see the pain that people live in their lives. I think it’s too easy to get swallowed up in that ‘life is fucked?attitude. I as a human being am a positive person and I can work to overcome it.?

He was driving to work at 8:30am when I phoned him on his cell. Although the band is in America, Aram is Canadian, and commutes over the border for practices and shows. He’s the only member of Champion with a day job, but he loves his work as a psychologist so much he can’t walk away.

Now there’s an unexpected mixture: a straight-edge psychologist. How did that come about? Aram is very blunt.

“I’ve struggled with alcoholism in my life,?he admits. “I don’t think anyone from any culture would question that. Everyone is a different person. You gotta feel free to talke your own path.?

Often the medium gets in the way of message. If you don’t take straight-edge seriously, or find yourselves enemies with the local straight-edge crew, it’s not going to curb your binge drinking.

"There’s so many lame conceptions about straight-edge,?says Aram, “part of it is because there are lame straight-edge people, and there’s lame people in everything. If you can’t handle me not drinking, what does that say about you, not what does that say about me.?

Nobody wants to be an alcoholic, or addicted so any substance.

“I know there’s a lot of pressure in many places in the world to drink,?Aram says.

He could be talking about Korea. Geeks singer Seo Kiseok agrees with him. “Yeah, you know it. It’s fucking absolutely difficult to be straight here. There are pressures here and there. It’s everywhere. If you don’t drink, you’re totally out of step with the world, and if you don’t drink, you can’t get a good promotion in your company. You can’t make any friends in University if you don’t drink. Drinking and smoking is what is only takes to be accepted in Korea.?

Despite this, Aram is excited to see the country. “I still can’t believe i’m going to Korea,?he enthuses. “For my entire life the number one destination where I wanted to go is Japan—Korea—China.?

This tour of Korea is a late addition to the band’s planned Japan tour. This part was organised by Aram’s friend Sean O’Leary, a Canadian living in Korea who only recently discovered the hardcore scene.

It’s quite an achievement to bring a foreign band from anywhere further than Japan. Skunk was in contact with the Dropkick Murphys, who have toured Japan and even planned to visit China for some shows, but they wanted too much money. Rancid’s first question was also money, and every other band contacted asked too much as well.

However, Aram and Champion have different priorities. “Hardcore bands by their very nature don’t make money. We would go to Korea even if we lost money, because we’re excited to go. A hardcore band is about adventure and seeing the world and not being tied down 9 to 5.?

Champion tour site