A blast of warm air greets hardcore fans as they enter Victory Stables, a skate shop and community hub on San Pablo Avenue in Oakland. An onslaught of guitars and drums fills the space. In a sea of dark clothing and roiling movement, black t-shirts flash phrases like “Latinos run hardcore,” “Chinga la Migra” and “Real Bay Shit.”
At a benefit show in March organized by non-profit group Bleed Out Booking, seven Bay Area bands took to the slightly elevated stage with no intention of getting a cut of the evening’s profits. Instead, the proceeds from the event were donated to families affected by ICE and CBP raids and detentions. A diverse demographic of attendees filed against the walls at the beginning of each band’s set, marked by the beginnings of an electrifying riff or a band-member’s shouts for people to come inside.
The Bay Area is often described as a melting pot, and data from the US Census Bureau shows that the region is getting more diverse, despite astronomical housing prices and rampant gentrification. This diversity extends into the region’s music scenes. With this in mind, the recent local surge in ICE and CBP-related activities may hit close to home for many showgoers.
“You can’t go to a single show without a band or someone in the crowd having a “Fuck ICE” t-shirt or literally vocally saying ‘Fuck ICE,’” said attendee Juno Miller at the March benefit show. “Everyone here is here for a reason, and they’re here because we share these political beliefs, and we share this connection and care for the community.”
In the Bay Area, people in the hardcore music scene aren’t just drawn together by the music they listen to, they share sense of community rooted in the deep interconnectedness of the region, which has led to direct and tangible approaches to activism.
According to members of Leer, the San Francisco-based band that headlined the event in March, benefit shows in the local hardcore scene are not just a common way to help the community financially, they’re also a gateway for attendees to engage in civic issues.
“A lot of people wouldn’t necessarily have this entry point to be able to support communities and people that need help,” Garrett Blodgett, bassist for Leer, explained. “So just going to a show, they’re just going to see some music anyways, but at the same time, they’re able to contribute to helping the community.”
For members of Bleed Out Booking, community equals survival; the idea is inherent to alternative culture and living outside the mainstream. The members of the organization have asked to stay anonymous because they are an anti-establishment non-profit that actively speaks out against the Trump administration, and because they publicly post donations from benefit shows online. (They’re referred to by their first initial only.)
“I think that oftentimes we find that the mainstream context is very closely aligned with capital,” said B. “And when we remove ourselves from capital, we find ourselves more interdependent within our communities.” Bleed Out Booking strives to keep costs for events low to make them as accessible as possible to all ages. They also regularly book smaller bands in the area to give them the platform to build their own reputation and fan base.
Organizing fundraisers to support people in need and seeing the Bay Area community show up for these events has also helped with the members’ feelings of helplessness and anger at the state of the world.
“Being a part of a community that is so grounded in that aspect, like so tangibly connected to the literal places we’re at, it helps a lot in that feeling of unity with everyone around you” said Bleed Out Booking’s T. “It’s hard to put into words how comforting it can be just knowing that there are so many people nearby that you can kind of just fall back on.”
Danny Coggins, who books shows as R’N’RG Presents and is the event coordinator for the San Jose-based non-profit Crossthread, has toured around the world with Sunami, a hardcore band based in San Jose that has gained worldwide prominence. Having traveled across the United States and to five continents, he points out the uniqueness of the Bay Area hardcore scene.
“I would say that the Bay Area in general by far has the most diverse crowd out of anywhere on the planet,” Coggins explained. “Like the planet everywhere. We’ve got a little bit of everything.”
Not only is this seen through skin color and ethnic background, but also in the Bay Area’s subcultures and signature style.
“Everyone that comes here finds a little bit of home,” said Haley Bayuga Graff, Crossthread’s treasurer. “Everyone that tours here, everybody that comes through is always shocked and surprised and in awe and astounded by the love in the Bay.”
Some see how the Bay Area’s diverse characteristics influence the community organizing efforts that result from the hardcore scene.
“I think without diversity, you don’t have those kinds of community events and community support,” said Morgan Ruiz, secretary of Crossthread. “You look at places that are less diverse and maybe they’re putting something on, but if you don’t have experience with people that aren’t like you exactly, how are you supposed to know any struggles or trials or anything that anybody else is going through in their life.”
This is a view B shares, having also lived in Portland, Oregon. “What really stands out to me is that it’s very direct organization and activism. Whereas coming from Portland, they do have mutual aid networks and there is work being done up there, but it’s a lot of theoretical activism because people who live there may not be able to personally identify with a lot of the causes.”
Being an active part of the Bay Area is anything but theoretical for members of Bleed Out Booking and Crossthread. At the benefit show in March, Bleed Out Booking raised $1,200 for families affected by ICE and CBP-related activities. They donated the proceeds to three families’ Go Fund Mes found through NorCal Resist, a mutual aid and immigration-justice non-profit organization.
Crossthread has organized school supply drives for youth in foster care in the past, and Coggins has organized with other promoters in California to sell merchandise where all the proceeds go to ICE-related family relief. Crossthread’s ultimate goal is to provide a permanent community space where events like all-ages shows and fundraisers can be hosted and where people can connect with those around them.
Since getting into the hardcore scene in 2023, benefit attendee Miller has found herself in a tight-knit community that she says has helped build her confidence. She emphasized the importance of community-oriented spaces today.
“I feel like everyone today just kind of wants these third spaces because no one wants to just be cooped up inside,” Miller said. “Especially with how the world is now, people need it more than ever… to talk to each other and get out of the house.”
Another fan, Dewey Garcia, sees community as a form of resistance against the government. They said going to benefit shows gives them hope.
“Everyone here kind of has similar mindsets and we can all… share different ideas and build up each other,” Garcia said at the benefit show in March. “And the real change makers who are putting on shows like these and raising this money, we can all support them and learn from them.”
