Shelter

Shelter -- alongside Snapcase, Strife, Earth Crisis, and Sick of It All -- were one of the biggest hardcore bands of the mid-'90s. Led by singer Ray Cappo through a variety of lineups and stylistic shifts, the group preached Hare Krishna religious concepts and played high-energy rock music to audiences worldwide; looking likely, for a time, to achieve huge crossover success in the mainstream, which never quite materialized. Still, they raised questions never before pondered by punk rock; offering up a variety of answers culled from Vedic tradition and scriptures, which were embraced for a handful of years by many fans and challenged by many of Cappo's punk peers. Ray Cappo came to underground prominence fronting the late-'80s straight-edge group Youth of Today, a band that would eventually spawn Judge, Project X, and major-label rockers Civ,Quicksand, and Rival Schools. He was the vocalist, lyricist, and spokesperson for the group, who led the pack of '80s positive-thinking, drug-free living, vegetarian hardcore punk "youth crew" outfits. He co-founded New York's Revelation Records, which later relocated to Southern California. But, by the end of Youth of Today's run, he felt dissatisfied, feeling a spiritual yearning. He began to study the teachings of the Hare Krishna movement, and after a trip to India, returned a full-fledged Krishna Consciousness devotee. He decided to make one last album to preach these ideas.

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