Keyboard shortcuts

Press ← or → to navigate between chapters

Press S or / to search in the book

Press ? to show this help

Press Esc to hide this help

title: Have Heart created: 2026-04-07 updated: 2026-04-07 type: band tags: [band, hardcore, straight-edge, era-2000s] sources: [raw/articles/straight-edge-history.md]

Have Heart

Boston, Massachusetts. Formed 2002 by Pat Flynn (vocals), Shawn Costa (guitar), Kei Yasui (guitar), and brothers in the rhythm section. Straight edge, positive hardcore. Arguably the most important straight edge band of the 2000s — the band that proved posi-core could still matter in a post-hardcore/metalcore world.

Key Releases

  • The Things We Carry (2006, Bridge Nine Records) — The statement. “Watch Me Rise,” “Pave Paradise.” Emotional, political, positive. Pat Flynn’s between-song speeches became legendary — sermons about self-worth, resistance, and community that moved audiences to tears.
  • Songs to Scream at the Sun (2008) — Darker, more expansive. “The Same Sun.” The band’s musical peak.

Pat Flynn’s Speeches

Have Heart’s live shows were as much about the words between songs as the songs themselves. Flynn would give impassioned, sometimes rambling speeches about straight edge, politics, vulnerability, and what it means to be alive. These speeches were filmed and circulated widely — they became part of hardcore’s oral tradition.

Breakup and Legacy

Broke up in 2009 with a legendary final show at the Palladium in Worcester, MA. Flynn went on to form Fiddlehead (indie/emo-punk) — a very different sound that proved his songwriting range. Have Heart’s influence on the next generation of straight edge and positive hardcore bands (Mindforce, Vein.fm, Militarie Gun) is enormous.

Pat Flynn’s Speeches

Have Heart’s live shows were as much about the words between songs as the songs themselves. Flynn would give impassioned, sometimes rambling speeches about straight edge, politics, vulnerability, and what it means to be alive. These speeches were filmed and circulated widely — they became part of hardcore’s oral tradition. Flynn spoke about self-worth, resistance to conformity, and community in ways that moved audiences to tears. The speeches were never scripted — they came from genuine conviction.

Breakup and Legacy

Broke up in 2009 with a legendary final show at the Palladium in Worcester, MA — one of the most emotionally intense shows in hardcore history. Flynn went on to form Fiddlehead (indie/emo-punk, on Run for Cover Records) — a very different sound that proved his songwriting range. Have Heart’s influence on the next generation of straight edge and positive hardcore bands (Mindforce, Vein.fm, Militarie Gun, Gel) is enormous. The band reunited for shows in 2019 and again in 2024.

The Boston Scene Connection

Have Heart were central to Boston’s 2000s hardcore scene alongside Bane, Verse, Defeater, and Shipwreck A.D. — all on bridge-nine-records. Boston’s Palladium in Worcester was the venue where these bands’ shows became legendary events. The scene’s emphasis on positivity, community, and emotional honesty distinguished it from the harder-edged NYHC tradition.