For some fans, their choice of music isn't made for the masses

Bassist Tony Bursese of the band Sentenced to Burn feels that he has been ostracized because of his first love - heavy metal music.

"I've always been considered an outsider," said Bursese, 19, a San Jose resident and De Anza College student. "I've never taken anyone's opinion, but I try to be cool with people."

The types of music young people listen to today vary greatly - and many say it's hard to find tolerance for tastes outside of the mainstream. While some teens listen to whatever they find on the radio dial, others flock to sounds that are slowly rising from the subterranean venues of their communities.

Whether they listen to hip-hop, Goth or country music, many of these people say they are often misunderstood and may appear intimidating and different. But, they say, they are not so different from anyone else.

Deena Weinstein, a sociology professor at DePaul University in Chicago and author of the book "Heavy Metal: The Music and Culture," said people who listen to music that's outside the mainstream often feel ostracized.

But Weinstein said she's seen research that suggests teens who listen to heavy metal music are actually less depressed than other teens - a notion that debunks the stereotype of the "metalhead."

With artists like Britney Spears and 50 Cent at the top of the charts right now, it can be tough for people who like bands such as Dimmu Borgir and Fear Factory to feel like they are accepted by society.

"I don't consider myself in the mainstream or out of it," said 23-year-old Billy Young. "In the trend area I consider myself independent, mystic."

Tommy Selves, who will be a senior at Westmont High School, said it doesn't bother him that he's not part of the "in crowd."

"Music tells me to be who I want to be and do what I want to do," he said. "It's basically all for the music."

On a recent evening at the Gaslighter Theater in Campbell, more than 200 young people milled around waiting for Sentenced to Burn to begin their set of black, symphonic metal.

Most of the teens and young people were dressed for the show. They wore black t-shirts featuring gory scenes or castles in ruins; jeans or Dickies that either covered a tattered pair of Converse or were rolled up to the shins displaying a pair of surplus boots.

"It affects the way I dress, I tend to like things with an atmosphere," said Ayax, keyboardist for Sentenced to Burn, "My life is pretty much metal."

Ayax said he and others turn to the Gaslighter for a place to go where they can find people who talk, dress and act like them.

It's not uncommon to see people dressed like the metalheads at the Gaslighter on the streets of San Jose or standing outside a local record store. But many young people who are into styles and music that stray from MTV culture feel they are being judged and looked down upon.

"Sometimes it can be demeaning," said Branham High School student Joey Bowler, who favors heavy metal. "But I'm the type of person who will support what I like."

Metal is just one genre of music that is not recognized greatly by the mainstream media or accepted by other music fans.

Campbell resident Sergy El-Morshedy 17, is a fan of underground hip-hop. Unlike mainstream hip-hop, which focuses on money, cars and women, underground hip-hop explores more metaphors and deeper issues.

Sergy appreciates artists like Atmosphere, Sage Francis and Prozac Turner, even though they are not popular hip-hop groups.

"I listen to underground hip-hop and a lot of mainstreamers will say it's crappy," he said.

Sean Wilson, a student at South Side High School in Alaska, is a dial-turner who gathers with people who listen to what he does - mainstream rap.

"If I feel uncomfortable around a certain group of people, I will find a couple of people who like rap," said Sean, after talking about one of his favorite artists, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs.

Tommy Selves, who listens to heavy metal and punk, said he and his friends are not much different from teens who listen to mainstream music.

They still hang out with friends and spend time doing other things.

"I'm a 'Star Wars' freak," said Bursese, when asked what he likes to do in his spare time. "And I still play with Legos."