CHAD PINGREE

“Veganism isn't about me at all, if I stop being straight edge the only victim is me, where as if I stopped being vegan, I would be spitting on the lives of millions of sentient non-human animals whose cries go largely ignored. “

Yo, my name is Chad, I'm 28 years old and I sing in a band called Witness Chamber based out of Boise, Idaho. I've been straight edge for 13-ish years and vegan for 6. I'm from Boise, Idaho but I have lived in Tacoma, Washington with my girlfriend for the last year and a half. I screen print, draw, and spend way too much time and money on video games.

What was the moment or experience that first pushed you toward veganism?
Did your path into veganism come before or after getting into hardcore?
Was there a specific band, record, or scene influence that opened that door for you?
How did your friends, family, or local scene react when you made that shift?
Was it an immediate commitment, or something you grew into over time?
My path towards my stance on animal rights was a long one but I remember a specific few days at work that really sealed the deal for me. I worked by myself so I could throw headphones in and listen to/watch whatever I wanted while I worked, I had been curious about veganism for quite some time so I watched a ton of documentaries, debates and speeches on the topic throughout that whole work week. I remember that Friday I drove home in silence and just broke down in tears from all the things I had seen and heard throughout that whole week, I decided right then that I was done living my life with eyes and ears that were closed to the suffering of non-human animals.
I had a pretty traditional Idaho kid up bringing, I harvested eggs from chickens, fed calves, went fishing and even got my hunting license and went deer hunting with my dad a few times. When I was young, a lot of these things made me deeply uncomfortable but as a kid growing up in Idaho surrounded by nothing but farmland, I felt that was just what people did and that I had better just try and get used to it.
When I found hardcore, I immediately adopted straight edge, drugs and alcohol were never something I partook in nor did they interest me at all. I didn't know what veganism was or that there was any sort of animal rights movement that had any crossover with hardcore until a few years later when I was getting closer to high school graduation. I first showed interest in veganism after moving to Salt Lake City a year after graduating high school. Salt Lake is obviously known for its strong vegan straight edge population and a lot of the friends I made down there were in that crowd. I lived out in Salt Lake for about a year before moving back to Boise. After I moved back, I shifted to being a vegetarian for some time. I hadn't done my due diligence yet and didn't fully understand the horrors of the dairy, leather and fur industries. Obviously I knew they were wrong but it's easy to say "I'm doing the best I can right now" while housing an entire Little Cesar's Hot N' Ready when you haven't seen a video of a mother cow get a human arm shoved inside of her for the purpose of artificial insemination only to have that calf taken away from her immediately after birth so that her milk can be stolen, bottled and sold.
I finally learned up and came to my senses and took on the vegan life style around 2020 and have absolutely 0 plans of ever looking back.

For you, how connected are veganism and straight edge—are they inseparable or distinct choices?
Do you see veganism as an extension of straight edge ethics, or its own independent stance?
How do you respond to people in the scene who embrace one but not the other?
The ties between veganism and straight edge through hardcore are undeniable, I'd go so far as to say that the vast majority of people who are vegan today might not be if bands like Earth Crisis never existed (this goes for non-core folks too). When it comes to my choice to abstain from drugs and alcohol I see it as more of a personal choice. Veganism isn't about me at all, if I stop being straight edge the only victim is me, where as if I stopped being vegan, I would be spitting on the lives of millions of sentient non-human animals whose cries go largely ignored. I think the marriage of veganism and straight edge is awesome and it speaks to me on an almost spiritual level as corny as that sounds.
It's a bummer to see so many people adopt vegan straight edge in a very non-authentic way and then drop veganism when it gets "too hard". It's pretty easy to spot the vegans that are in it for the animals and separate them from the trend chasers that will turn around a buy a brand new pair of leather Jordans to pair with their $400 vintage Earth Crisis shirt, the latter will always inevitably sell out.

What role did the hardcore/metal scene play in shaping your beliefs?
Do you feel like the scene today is more or less aligned with vegan values than when you started?
I never would have found veganism if not for hardcore, I always felt uncomfortable with the way things were but I felt ultimately helpless. I think hardcore in recent years has both taken steps back and steps forward as far as veganism within the wider scene goes. Many vegans in hardcore I know who have been vegan since I first met them years ago have turned their backs, people can make their own decisions and that's okay but it bums me out. On the other hand, I feel that veganism has also been embraced by a lot of new faces, whether it be people who have been around for a bit or younger folks who just go into hardcore within the last few years. It's hard to not focus on the bad and get caught up in the negative feelings surrounding people selling out but I choose to focus on the good within all the new faces who have a heart for the animals.

What kind of impact do you hope your band has on listeners?
Have you ever heard from someone who changed because of your music?
Do you think music can genuinely shift people’s behavior, or just reinforce existing beliefs?
Witness Chamber isn't technically a vegan band since only 3/4 of the members are vegans, but I'm the one with the mic so I will always take a second during our set to say something even if it's just a simple "go vegan".
I would hope that I can spark that curiosity in the youth and even in the minds of the people who are closer to my age. It's never too late to take a stand against one of the biggest injustices in the modern world.
Do you see veganism as inherently political?
How do you balance music with direct action or activism, if at all?
What issues within the broader movement do you think aren’t being talked about enough?
Veganism is of course inherently political. If there is any hope for animal rights, there needs to be ongoing major policy debates and discussion surrounding public subsidies. I’m no politician so my activism lies more in the promotion of the ethics of veganism as well as helping out monetarily whenever I can via donations to local animal sanctuaries.

Looking back, would you approach your message differently?
What keeps you committed when it gets difficult or isolating?
Where do you see the vegan / straight edge movement going in the next decade?
What would you say to someone on the fence about embracing these ideas?
I wouldn't change a thing about the way I talk about veganism and animal rights, if anything I believe I should be more outspoken moving forward because it's not about me, it's about the animals. Knowing what I know and seeing what I've seen I never have any issues surrounding my commitment, this world won't defeat me. I can only hope that moving forward people can open their eyes, ears and hearts to the suffering and murder of non-human animals, I'm never going to shut up about it either way.
To anyone on the fence about going vegan, I get that it can be intimidating but ultimately the small adjustment to your life you'll have to make is the least any of us could do to try and combat one of the most evil industries this world has ever seen. If you ever have questions or want to talk about making the change, my inbox is always open.

Final Thoughts:

First band that made you think differently:
Cherem.
A lyric you’ve written (or heard) that still hits hardest:
"Reject the anthropocentric falsehood that maintains the oppressive hierarchy of mankind over the animals, It's time to set them free."
One misconception about vegan straight edge:
Veganism is not just about the food we put into our bodies but the clothes we wear and the products we use, it's about animal liberation on all fronts, not just the dinner table.
One non-negotiable value:
This shit must always be for the animals and nothing else.
One thing the scene needs to do better:
We all know what happens behind the walls of factory farms is wrong, we've all seen the videos, we can all recognize that it's evil. If you reach that point and your next move is to just put it from your mind to avoid living in the discomfort of it all, I would highly implore you to take a step back and reconsider your role in all of it. You can either take a stand or take a seat; I know what I'm choosing to do.