More women, people of color and queer musicians are taking over the hardcore music scene in North Texas.
Hardcore music, a subgenre of punk music, has historically been led by white cisgender men, but bands like Ballista, True Grit and Gagging Order have changed how hardcore music sounds and looks on stage.
Here are nine bands that have made the hardcore scene in North Texas more diverse and inclusive.
Soledad
Musicians Robert Dominguez and Eddie Tatum wanted to start a band that was different from anything else in the North Texas hardcore scene. In 2020, they formed the metallic hardcore band Soledad with the idea of writing both English and Spanish songs. They recruited more Latino musicians, including hardcore veteran Andy Zarate, who became one of the main lyricists. Their goal was to make music for Latino audiences that represented their Mexican backgrounds. Since 2021, Soledad has released metalcore bilingual tracks about police brutality in Mexico, racism and other political issues.
True Grit
True Grit is a country outlaw hardcore punk band fronted by vocalist Chris Victor. Victor is the founder of local music blog Bored Magazine, which covers the hardcore scene. True Grit also includes members of Ballista, including trans woman vocalist River Elliott. True Grit combines southern Texas sounds with aggressive hardcore attitude. It’s influenced by country singer-songwriters Linda Ronstadt and Hank Williams III, but also hardcore bands such as Black Flag and Social Distortion.
Muñeca
One of the newest bands in the local hardcore scene is Muñeca, but they are no strangers to the community. Its members come from other bands such as Proxy and Godot, but Muñeca is the first band Nat Mares has been in. Mares, a Latina, is the vocalist of Muneca and a mother of a 5-year-old daughter. Muñeca’s lyrics speak on sexual violence and harassment, and other women’s issues. Mares hopes that through Muñeca she can inspire other mothers, and her daughter, to pursue music.
Risinger
Risinger is a two-piece hardcore punk band from Fort Worth. The band is led by vocalist Jerani Boyett, who writes from his perspective of a Black man in America. Incorporating nu-metal elements, Risinger tackles police brutality, systemic racism and unjust laws that affect the lives of people of color. They’re inspired by other rock and metal bands with Black members, including Bad Brains, Rage Against the Machine and Jesus Piece.
Ballista
River Elliott, a Black trans woman, formed Ballista in 2017 to talk about issues important to her. She began using the band’s music to fight for trans visibility and speak against anti-trans laws. In 2023, Ballista released its Trans Day of Violence EP with death metal tracks about police brutality and racism. The EP is a play on Trans Day of Visibility and a reference to Trans Day of Revenge, an EP by trans-feminist hardcore punk band G.L.O.S.S.
Out of Sight
Out of Sight is a hardcore band that, according to frontwoman Josie Manichia, is “by queer women for queer women.” Most of its members are trans women, who use Out of Sight to speak about transgender issues. Their music focuses on topics such as religious trauma, body dysphoria, post-traumatic stress disorder and workers’ rights. Manichia said she wants to encourage queer people to live loud and proud, and that pride is a big part of Out of Sight. Manichia formed Out of Sight in 2023 after seeing local hardcore bands with trans members, including Ballista, Deepincision and Amnesia Garden.
Force of Will
Inspired by ‘80s and ‘90s hardcore music, Force of Will is a metallic hardcore band that formed last year. Most of the band is made up of queer and people of color. Frontwoman Chloe Hoffman said she describes Force of Will as a band for women and queer people because of the lack of representation in the ‘90s. Force of Will lyrics focus on self-reflection and personal struggles, but were written mostly towards marginalized audiences. They draw inspiration from bands such as Earth Crisis, Strife, Walls of Jericho, Hatebreed and Bitter End.
Gagging Order
Gagging Order is a hardcore punk band made up of mostly musicians of color. Their music incorporates elements of death metal and powerviolence. Vocalist Robby Clark formed the band during the pandemic as a creative escape from quarantine. Clark was inspired by members of local hardcore band UnityTX, which was one of the few bands with people of color before 2020. This month, Gagging Order released its latest 7-track album titled Violent Desires.
Crucify
Crucify is a metallic hardcore band that formed in 2022. The band is made up of frontwoman Liv Martin, her brother Ian and members of the former hardcore band Kinky Bastards. Martin helped form the band after the death of her older brother Olan, the vocalist of Kinky Bastards. Crucify has served as an outlet to remember her brother alongside the hardcore community he was a part of. Their songs include lyrics originally written by Olan before his death.
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