Courtesy Ghoulish Captures
Audio By Carbonatix
No matter what’s going on in the world around us, local hardcore shows are a persistent haven for those who are unjustly persecuted or targeted, those who need a safe space and support. The Denver scene is a great example of that, with benefit shows occurring regularly.
And in case you haven’t been paying attention lately, there’s a lot of infuriating shit happening in the country right now, including the new administration attacking marginalized minority communities, particularly LGBTQ+ and Latinx people. Thankfully, the hardcore community has responded appropriately.
On Saturday, February 22, D3 Arts is hosting a concert in alliance with the Trans Continental Pipeline (TCP). This Denver-based nonprofit organization helps queer and LGBT individuals move away from unsafe or unaccepting situations and to Colorado. Local bands Pig Splitter, Writheinfear, Contorted Self, Harbor and Drop Out are on the bill, while Sorry, Mom Skate Company will host a free skate sesh before and during the sets.
The vocalist of Drop Out, who goes by the nickname Bones, organized the event to show love for the LGBTQ+ community. “It’s definitely a very personal cause for me. I have a trans sister who fled the country years ago. She saw the writing on the wall and was like, ‘I’m getting out,'” he explains. “I got a lot of trans friends, too. Luckily with Colorado, we do have some of the best protections, at least in the surrounding area, if not the whole country at this point, for LGBTQ people. With TCP helping people relocate to somewhere safer in Colorado, it just means a lot to me.”
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Bones, the masked vocalist of Drop Out, is passionate about helping those in need through hardcore.
Courtesy Joe Lalande
When Bones brought the idea to other groups, all of which he’s played with before, they shared the same enthusiasm and wanted to be part of it.
“I wanted it to be very community-driven. I want to know these people are really about it, and everyone was really stoked,” he says. “Even bands that didn’t make it on it were like, at the very least, ‘We’re going to come out and say what’s up and show support.'”
That’s what hardcore is all about. Bones isn’t new to putting on benefit shows, his first being a food drive for Bienvenidos Food Bank, and knows the scene will unite over such worthy causes. “We had to find someone who had a big enough truck to haul everything to Bienvenidos,” he recalls. “I thought that was a good sign that I should do it more.”
He’s also worked with the Queers for Q Mutual Aid Fund, a fund that supports the survivors of and families affected by the 2022 shooting at Colorado Springs gay bar Club Q. The way he sees it, the oppressed can always turn to the hardcore community, which has always been more socially conscious and active than other underground subgenres.
“I really think it’s a big deal right now,” Bones says of LGBTQ+ rights being threatened. “There might be bigger issues with immigration and all the shit with ICE and deportations, and that’s always definitely something that D3, being a very Latino-friendly, community organization, is about.
“I figured coming in, I wanted to reach something that was really deeply personal to me, but these struggles are all so connected,” he continues. “The queer Latino community is just as much a part of hardcore as the non-queer Latino community. You can’t separate it. It’s a space for people who just don’t fit in, and that’s where I spend a lot of my time.”
Bones hopes to plan at least one benefit show a year moving forward. “I want to talk to the community and see where the aid is needed the most in the moment,” he adds.
Meanwhile, Drop Out — which also includes guitarist Xulxer, drummer Paul and bassist Eli (like Bones, they all go by one name and perform wearing black ski masks) — is focusing on a new EP that will be out later this year, following the release of latest single, “unending,” in November. Bones mentions a full-length is in the works as well. He’s not sure when the LP will be finished, but no matter what, he’s proud to be able to share it within such a supportive scene.
“The community in Denver right now is more alive than I’ve ever seen it,” Bones says. “Young people are out at shows every weekend. They’re showing up and having a good time in the spaces that will allow them to be themselves,” particularly all-ages shows at D3.
“There’s no drugs. There’s no drinking. It’s just a space for people to come and show support, and to just let go,” he continues.
That’ll be the case this weekend, too, but in case you were wondering, “it’ll be rowdy,” Bones promises.
“We’re going to have people hitting ramps and skating the whole night. We don’t shut down the skate ramps during the music,” he concludes. “I’d expect people to see something that’ll move them, whether it’s out of anxiety or care.”
Drop Out, with Pig Splitter Writheinfear, Contorted Self and Harbor, 6 p.m. Saturday, February 22, D3 Arts, 3632 Morrison Road. Tickets are $15 at the door.