10 for $10 Tour: The Music, the Message

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THE REASON BEHIND the "10 for $10 Tour" can be summed up in a 17-year-old political slogan:

"It's the economy, stupid."

The traveling hardcore-punk fest will feature Madball, Poison the Well, Terror, Vision, Death Before Dishonor, Trapped Under Ice, Crime in Stereo, The Ghost Inside, War of Ages and This Is Hell at its Baltimore stop at Sonar on July 11.

"I know a lot of bands have taken a little less money, which ... the way the economy is isn't really the biggest deal," said Bryan Harris, vocalist for Death Before Dishonor, which is touring behind its new album, "Better Ways to Die" (Bridge 9). "For us to take us a little less money and be able to do a tour like this, I think it just helps hardcore and music as a whole."

"Everybody kind of worked together for the betterment of it all," said Ryan Primack, guitarist for Poison the Well, whose latest CD is "The Tropic Rot" (Ferret Music). "It's just a really cool idea to do it right now. ... Everybody is hurting [financially] pretty bad. It's not any certain part of the social structure; everybody is hurting real bad."

In some ways, "10 for $10" is like the Warped Tour but without the big expense, the all-day-sun exposure or the legions of neon-clothed kids with emo-swept hairdos.

"I do enjoy being on Warped," Primack said, "but this will be a like a summer inside — it's gonna be just as hot."

» Sonar, 407 E. Saratoga St., Baltimore; Sat., July 11, 3 p.m., $10; 410-783-7888.

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» RELATED: "10 for $10 Tour: The Videos" by Madball, Terror, Vision, Trapped Under Ice, Crime in Stereo, The Ghost Inside, War of Ages and This Is Hell.

Photo by Matthew Miller