{"id":884971,"date":"2026-06-22T13:55:32","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T13:55:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/884971\/"},"modified":"2026-06-22T13:55:32","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T13:55:32","slug":"the-inland-empire-is-leading-the-latino-hardcore-punk-revival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/884971\/","title":{"rendered":"The Inland Empire is leading the Latino hardcore punk revival"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When the gates opened at St. John\u2019s Episcopal Church in San Bernardino on Good Friday, the music coming from inside wasn\u2019t that of angel-faced choristers or pipe organs; it was the collective scream of electric guitars.<\/p>\n

As the sky darkened over the white stucco church framed in palm trees and the dry peaks of the San Bernardino Mountains, fringed teenagers made their way inside, shaking their limbs and chattering in excitement. Fluorescent lights shone overhead in a room that, by day, hosted Bible studies and food pantries \u2014 that night, it would be the site of Spinkick Dance Hall, a regular underground music series where noses are bound to bleed and limbs to flail along to ear-splitting riffs.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s just one of many shows taking place from Pomona to Palm Desert, heralding a Latino-led youth revival where the freewheeling movement of mosh pits meets the raw power of punk rock: Inland Empire hardcore.<\/p>\n

\"Teenagers <\/p>\n

Teenagers congregate in front of St. John\u2019s Episcopal Church in San Bernardino before the start of the night\u2019s hardcore shows on April 3, 2026.<\/p>\n

(Katerina Portela \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

As the fast-paced and anti-establishment genre known as punk went mainstream in the \u201980s, a harder and more unhinged variant emerged in the States; bands like Bad Brains, Minor Threat and Black Flag pushed the limits of vocalization and instrumentation into dissonant new sounds that would make up the subgenre known as hardcore punk.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a teenager pre-social media, the music scene was the release for teen angst,\u201d said music photojournalist Zach Cordner. \u201cIt was a convergence of nationwide bands that would come to play at [the now shuttered Riverside venue] Showcase Theater, and through word of mouth people got inspired to make cassettes and zines.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cordner and his friend Ken Crawford grew up in Riverside in the \u201980s and \u201990s, photographing the initial wave of hardcore punk taking shape in the Inland Empire. They turned these photographs into a sprawling exhibition held at the Riverside Art Museum earlier this year, \u201c60 Miles East.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe scene looks a lot different today than it did in the \u201990s,\u201d Crawford said. \u201cIt\u2019s browner, it\u2019s queer, and that\u2019s a good thing, to see how it\u2019s become way more diverse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inside the church, the frontman of all-Latino hardcore band Barrio Slam emitted rough growls as the crowd broke into a bustling mosh pit. Teenagers did pinwheel kicks, wrapped Mexican flags over their shoulders and filled the air with chants of \u201cF\u2014 ICE.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lead vocalist Victor Campos\u2019 family moved from Guadalajara, Mexico, to Pomona, where he says he discovered hardcore through friends. Then, at age 14, Campos attended his first rock show.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was the first time that I saw hardcore and metal and the heavier side of music for what it was, and the violence and culture of the shows just sucked me in and I\u2019ve been in it ever since,\u201d Campos said. \u201cIt felt like freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Angela, <\/p>\n

Angela, 19, was in the mosh pit during Load Tha Nine\u2019s performance when she was accidentally struck in the nose by another concertgoer on April 3, 2026, in St. John\u2019s Episcopal Church in San Bernardino. Hardcore shows are characterized by intense music and rough dancing where bloody accidents are not an uncommon sight.<\/p>\n

(Katerina Portela \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

\"Jose <\/p>\n

Jose Ruelas and his Barrio Slam bandmates headbang as they perform on April 3, 2026, in St. John\u2019s Episcopal Church in San Bernardino. <\/p>\n

(Katerina Portela \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Campos credits local Latino-led bands like Xibalba and Harsh Reality as inspirations to dive into making music and embrace his identity in the genre.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the I.E., it\u2019s really the norm. We\u2019re singing in Spanish, we\u2019re proud. But when we tour, we see it\u2019s not like that everywhere,\u201d Campos said. \u201cSome people still consider punk \u2018not for us.\u2019 My own family members will say, \u2018You\u2019re listening to white people music.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The show at St. John\u2019s is just the tip of the Inland Empire\u2019s DIY venue iceberg. Living rooms, restaurant dining rooms, tattoo shops and record stores have transformed into hardcore venues across the region as established locales closed down.<\/p>\n

San Bernardino four-piece \u201cbeatdown\u201d group Big Ass Truck is one band that found success beyond the I.E. scene. They signed to Nuclear Blast Records, and at the time of our interview, they had just returned from a tour of Europe.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the I.E. especially, we lose a venue like every week. If we have a venue, it\u2019s not staying around for long. I\u2019ve personally seen like three or four venues [in the last few years] just call it,\u201d said Big Ass Truck vocalist Abel Abarca. \u201cSo we do get scrappy, and I think that\u2019s what sets the I.E. apart from places like L.A. and O.C.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"San <\/p>\n

San Bernardino hardcore band Big Ass Truck performs a surprise concert at Creator Fest on May 2, 2026, at Creator Tattoo in Pomona. <\/p>\n

(Katerina Portela \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Izzy Leyva, 17, describes being met with an immediate \u201csense of welcoming\u201d at her first DIY hardcore show.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nice finding people my age to talk about life with. You can start conversations so easily,\u201d Leyva said. \u201cEspecially after moshing with someone in the crowd. If you\u2019re struggling to make friends in school, you\u2019ll be able to find someone here.\u201d<\/p>\n

She enters the mosh pit fearlessly, dodging flailing arms to two-step \u2014 a synchronized dance move that requires punching and running in place \u2014 unleashing her energy in the punk sanctum.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never feel like an outsider here,\u201d Leyva added.<\/p>\n

1 <\/p>\n

\"Mauricio <\/p>\n

2 <\/p>\n

\"Toni <\/p>\n

3 <\/p>\n

\"Izzy <\/p>\n

4 <\/p>\n

\"Fans <\/p>\n

5 <\/p>\n

\"Andres <\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> Mauricio Rivera performs with his band Barrio Slam on April 3, 2026, in St. John\u2019s Episcopal Church in San Bernardino. (Katerina Portela \/ Los Angeles Times) 2.<\/strong> Toni Feliz shows her \u201cIE\u201d tattoo, a nod to her hometown, at Creator Fest on May 2, 2026, at Creator Tattoo in Pomona. (Katerina Portela \/ Los Angeles Times) 3.<\/strong> Izzy Levya, 17, two-steps during Marked for Death\u2019s performance on April 3, 2026, in St. John\u2019s Episcopal Church in San Bernardino. (Katerina Portela \/ Los Angeles Times) 4.<\/strong> Fans dance and \u201ctwo-step\u201d during Barrio Slam\u2019s performance on April 3, 2026, in St. John\u2019s Episcopal Church in San Bernardino. (Katerina Portela \/ Los Angeles Times) 5.<\/strong> Andres Rodriguez, 18, moshes during Marked for Death\u2019s performance on April 3, 2026, in St. John\u2019s Episcopal Church in San Bernardino. (Katerina Portela \/ Los Angeles Times) <\/p>\n

As 25-year-old Guatemalan American vocalist Jorge Cruz entered the show, he embraced his friends and bandmates. Cruz, who fronts the voracious hardcore band KnuckleSandwich, says he sees TikTok as a major platform for hardcore fans to find one another.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw shows online and was hooked … I used to be so nervous to be in the mosh pit, I\u2019d throw up outside. But when I got in there for the first time, I feel like it changed me into someone who was more comfortable in myself,\u201d Cruz said. \u201cIt was like a baptism.\u201d<\/p>\n

His music, ranging from songs like \u201cMelting ICE\u201d and corrido-hardcore fusion \u201cEl Corrido del Maton,\u201d is inspired by his immigrant household upbringing and interest in Chicano studies.<\/p>\n

\u201cEspecially with this growing anti-intellectualism going on, and conservatives in our government, writing about Chicano identity and the issues in America feels important,\u201d Cruz said. \u201cThere\u2019s no one out there to speak up for us than us.\u201d<\/p>\n

A day after attending the show, Garrett Boyer and Kenny Sylvia, longtime friends with nearly matching tattoo sleeves and baseball caps, stood talking in Creator Tattoo Parlor in Pomona.<\/p>\n

The pair helps to run Division One, a local booking company that books anywhere from Corona storefront DBZ Books N\u2019 Records to their very own tattoo parlor.<\/p>\n

A few weeks prior, Boyer got a call from his sister: His niece was diagnosed with an aggressive childhood cancer called neuroblastoma that had spread through her body, causing his sister to tackle insurance and medical costs. Boyer said he reached out to the hardcore community for help and was \u201coverwhelmed\u201d by the response.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe community really, really, really came together. A lot of people reached out and really quickly we threw this benefit show that raised thousands of dollars,\u201d Boyer said. \u201cThat\u2019s the core of what hardcore music should be and is. It\u2019s community.\u201d<\/p>\n

A few months before that, they had united with local bands to throw a benefit show, raising money for immigrant coalition groups after increased ICE raids.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe thought, \u2018How could we not help?\u2019 I\u2019m second generation from El Paso. So many of my neighbors and even my partner\u2019s family were directly affected,\u201d Boyer said. \u201cSo many shows are not just about music but they can [impact] people\u2019s lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Brett <\/p>\n

Brett Rock, bassist of San Bernardino hardcore band Big Ass Truck, performs during Creator Fest on May 2, 2026, at Creator Tattoo in Pomona.<\/p>\n

(Katerina Portela \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

In Creator\u2019s graffitied back lot area on May 2, bands Load Tha Nine, \u201992 and Auditory Anguish opened up a DIY festival called Creator Fest, where 22-year-old Cynthia Garcia came out to \u201clet off steam.\u201d<\/p>\n

Garcia, who fronts local band Exutoire, said discovering the local alternative scene \u201cchanged everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn high school, it was very much like nothing was happening. We\u2019re all bored. We\u2019re all depressed. We\u2019re writing, and finally, we get to put the writing to use,\u201d Garcia said. \u201cWe meet people that are like-minded and trying to get out of that boredom, and then [the music scene] just exploded.\u201d<\/p>\n

At Garcia\u2019s shows, she says she constantly meets concertgoers from L.A., or even from San Diego, who drive hours into the I.E. to be part of its blossoming scene. <\/p>\n

At Creator Fest, Abarca commanded the stage, building up the energy of the crowd until hair whipped in frenzies. Abarca says he sees I.E. hardcore continuing to evolve, fusing new genres and making the Inland Empire a place to watch as alternative music booms in the \u201cscrappy\u201d venues of San Bernardino, Corona, Pomona and Riverside.<\/p>\n

\u201cLatinos in the Inland Empire have always been hardcore,\u201d Abarca said. \u201cPeople just know it now because we make them hear us.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When the gates opened at St. John\u2019s Episcopal Church in San Bernardino on Good Friday, the music coming…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":884972,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5123],"tags":[26949,1582,276,56281,1532,359236,359237,28579,2961,359238,224,5337,359240,359235,975,359239,6566,28985,31469,4370],"class_list":["post-884971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-band","tag-ca","tag-california","tag-creator","tag-friend","tag-garrett-boyer","tag-hardcore-venue","tag-inland-empire","tag-la","tag-latino-hardcore-punk-revival","tag-los-angeles","tag-losangeles","tag-mosh-pit","tag-mouth-people","tag-music","tag-music-scene","tag-place","tag-pomona","tag-san-bernardino","tag-show"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116794107767172148","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/884971","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=884971"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/884971\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/884972"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=884971"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=884971"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=884971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}