Minutes away from the Empire Polo Club, the local hardcore scene is firing on all cylinders.
In the past year, the heart of Indio has become home to a scene that is gaining both talented bands and community support.
“I’ve seen how much the community enjoys getting together for the shows,” said Miguel Arballo, a musician in hardcore band Destroy Nothing, and the owner of The Lab venue in Indio. “I actually have seen this style of music, this genre of music, grow exponentially here, in the small time that I’ve been involved in helping put on shows here at The Lab. There’s a very large amount of bands here that are very, very much in tune with the hardcore scene.”
What has made the Coachella Valley hardcore scene grow? Of course, credit must go to the creative musicians and the venues that have hosted them—but Arballo argues that community support has been the No. 1 factor.
“It’s been really nice to see that people want to come out to shows, that people want to go experience this music live—and not only experience it, but also be a part of it, and help it grow along with themselves,” he said. “That is something I’ve never witnessed. You hear of scenes exploding or scenes blowing up in different cities … but you never really see it in your community.
“I wasn’t part of the hardcore or the metal community before 2020. I didn’t really go to a lot of metal shows to support bands, and I wasn’t really trying to find out what bands were out here—because I wasn’t seeing support from anyone. That held me back a little bit in trying to really go explore, but once I became a little bit more involved, it was interesting to see a lot of youth in it—not so much for the money, but just to play music. This is how they feel out here, and to see them release that aggression and their creativity has been wonderful. “
While some young hardcore musicians may be inspired by a band like Militarie Gun being featured at Coachella, Arballo said he doesn’t think most of them are motivated by fame and success.
“(Big success) is like a cherry on the top,” Arballo said. “I think building the community aspect has actually been the biggest catalyst. For us, Destroy Nothing was exploring our music styles and what we wanted to write, and we just happened to gravitate to that place naturally. … Maybe that was from being exposed to a lot more of the hardcore music that was coming out, subconsciously. I think it’s nice to see that there’s a spotlight on that, and that those bands are being highlighted at the biggest music festival in the world, but I think a lot of bands really just like the community aspect of it: Going out, playing, meeting other bands, interacting with them, getting to make friends and learning from them has been a huge thing. For Destroy Nothing, we’ve actually made a lot of friends in the hardcore scene in a very small amount of time.”
Militarie Gun frontman Ian Shelton told me: “If you can elevate your message and your aggression in a way that actually reaches people, then anything is possible.” Arballo echoed this statement.
A lot of bands really just like the community aspect of it: Going out, playing, meeting other bands, interacting with them, getting to make friends and learning from them has been a huge thing.
Miguel Arballo
“We’re all going through the same struggle, and unfortunately, sometimes that leads to aggression that you build up inside of you—and (when) you’re able to release that at a show where you love (a band’s) music, it gets you going that way,” he said. “I think that’s what I’ve seen from the bands out here–they’re truly connecting with people, and people are relating to them personally, and not just because they’re a hardcore band. … That really makes you want to go to their shows to support them, because they’ve brought you into their space and into their life.”
The musicians and fans fortifying the scene have been helped by Indio venues like the Little Street Music Hall and The Rollup, as well as Flat Black Art Supplies in Palm Desert, all of which have opened their doors to the energetic brand of intense music. There have also been community members like photographers and videographers who are lending their talents, for free, to promote and grow the scene.
“Shout out to ChakaDogg, Jasyn Smith, showing up and doing interviews,” Arballo said. (Full disclosure: I have been helping Smith with interviews.) “We’re able to put that exposure out there, because not a lot of bands create that content. There are people doing interviews, and photographers that are literally community photographers. They’ll show up to take pictures, and they’ll share them, and that exposure has helped it blow up. Everyone has a skill set, and they want to help out.”
This sense of community focused encouraged Arballo to open his own venue, The Lab.
“There are a lot of venues that have opened up the doors to this sort of music,” he said. “It’s kind of crazy to see a hardcore show. Sometimes it’s complete, utter chaos, and you’re afraid of what’s going on in the middle of the storm—so I can see how venue owners have a bit of a concern for that. But for the most part, there are really no violent interactions. If you’re in the middle of a pit, you know what you’re in for, and you can easily stay away from that.”
