barelylocal

a central texas punk zine

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Photo by: Daemon

New Kids On The Block: Daemon

by barelylocal |  This article is from June 2024, so some info may be outdated.

The shows throughout June saw two newcomers to the scene, Idiots Haven and Daemon. I got to chat with both of these bands and learn more about them. NOTE: This article only includes the Daemon interview. You can read Idiots Haven's interview here.

“We’re Daemon. That’s the name, right?”

I’m sitting on the patio of Cultivate 712. Across from me is Daemon, the newest band to the Waco scene, composed of Kayden on bass and vocals, Emmanuel on drums and Carson and Eduardo on guitar.

Immediately, it’s clear that they’re all close friends. They’re so comfortable with each other. It feels like a group of guys just hanging out. This makes sense when they tell me how they got started.

“Me and Carson talked about [having a band] sophomore year,” Kayden says. “‘We’re gonna play, we’re gonna play.’ The problem was always finding a drummer.”

The band finally started taking shape whenever Kayden and Eduardo started working at Raising Canes together.

“We both talked about music,” Eduardo says. “I play guitar and he plays bass and sings, so I said we should just get together and jam out.”

Kayden was still on the fence about putting time and money into playing for real. After all, they still didn’t have a drummer. That is, until Eduardo suggested a drummer he knew: his brother, Emmanuel.

“As soon as he mentioned he had a drummer, I was like, ‘Oh, let’s do this!’” Kayden says. “We needed somebody to play lead, so I called Carson. I said, ‘Do you wanna play thrash metal?’ He goes, ‘I’ll give it a try!’”

The group was originally going to play grunge, with Carson citing Nirvana as the “gateway drug band.”

“Then, Eduardo’s like, ‘I wanna play thrash! I wanna get people moving!’” Kayden says. “‘Fuck it. Let’s do it.’”

They list dozens of bands as inspirations. Mostly thrash, of course, but they all have varied music tastes. Other artists are mentioned like Jimi Hendrix, Olivia Rodrigo and Daft Punk.

“It’s not just metal,” Eduardo says. “It’s a bunch of music that we take and put in a blender and try to make it our own.”

Out of the four of them, Kayden has been in the scene the longest. Collectively, though, they say their favorite thing about the scene is the community.

“It’s the only place where you can hit the fuck out of everybody and they say thank you for it,” Carson says. “It’s so strange.”

Kayden mentions that the group wants more people involved in the scene, though.

“There were a lot of people here tonight just to see us and we’re really grateful for that,” he says. “But we wish everyone would’ve stayed around the entire night and come to more than just one show.”

When I ask about their favorite local bands, they’re quick to name Idiots Haven. They talk about how eager Idiots Haven was to play with them, and how chill they are.

“That was the first time I ever met them and I got the firmest handshake of my life,” Carson says.

They mention Forget-Me-Nots and Gobblinz as general local Texas bands and DogBite and Rewound as more Waco-specific.

“Also, RASURA. I fucking love RASURA,” Carson says. “I’m so sad I’m not listening to them right now.”

RASURA’s set had started about halfway into our interview. I decide to let Daemon go and end the interview. When I ask if there’s anything else they’d like to add, Carson speaks up first.

“I got my back blown out in the mosh pit,” he says. “I set my guitar down and got my shit blown.”

You can follow Daemon on Instagram at daemon.tx. Their shows are actually insane, so don’t miss the next one.

Read part one with Idiots Haven here.

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Donate to Support Missy Brown's Liver Transplant Journey, organized by Jordyn Sanchez

Hello friends & family! We are starting this GoFundMe to help with medic… Jordyn Sanchez needs your support for Support Missy Brown's Liver

Someone I really admire and who does a lot for the local scene in my old town is going through a rough time. Their mom is in the hospital with a failed liver and their family doesn’t have the funds to cover this, especially because their dad had to take off from work to be with their mom. If you can help them out, their sister started a gofundme to try to cover the medical expenses.

Their story below the cut.

Hello friends & family! We are starting this GoFundMe to help with medical expenses for Missy (Melissa) Brown, wife of Nelson Brown. She was recently diagnosed with cryptogenic cirrhosis of the liver a month ago where she spent just shy of two weeks in the hospital in College Station.

On November 20th, she was taken back to the hospital via ambulance to College Station. Then, early morning of Nov 21st, she was transferred to Houston, TX, where she is now in ICU needing an immediate liver transplant. Doctors have started her on dialysis. With the diagnosis and need for a transplant comes outrageous doctor bills, as well as husband, Nelson, having to miss work to be there with her in her time of need. Any help and/or prayers will be greatly appreciated!

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SECOND DEATH

by barelylocal | May 2024.

On Earth Day, Bedtime Stories released a new single, “Second Death”. The song is a part of “Save the Earth 4”, the fourth annual compilation album released by Far From Home Records. The album has fifteen other artists on it and all sales are donated to Ocean Conservancy. Consider buying it on Bandcamp to help save the planet!

We spoke with Ethan, who does vocals and guitar for Bedtime Stories, about the single.

“I was inspired by early 2000s screamo bands. Mainly ithrewmywishesdownawellandtheyshoulddiethere and how they use weirder chords. My favorite part of the song is probably the ending part where [our drummer] Carter goes into double time.”

Bedtime Stories’ new album You Will Not Judge Who I Become has been in the works for a little bit. Here’s what Ethan had to say on that:

“The album is about not letting your emotions take over your actions. I’ve been working on it for a minute and I’m super proud of it. It’s definitely some of the best stuff I’ve written lyrically.”

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dontletmedieinwaco: A Condensed Interview

by dontletmedieinwaco | This article is from May 2024, so some info may be outdated.

Dontletmedieinwaco is a dream, a dream that Waco’s scene will continue to flourish into what it deserves to be.

The name is from a song by Croy and the Boys of the same title. The lyrics are a guy begging God not to let him die on a bus while it’s still in Waco city lines. I guess when I first got here that’s how I felt too. I grew up in Nashville. I was pretty spoiled by its DIY scene. When I moved to Waco, I was bummed to see there wasn’t a consistent flow of shows or spots to play. I would drive to Austin or Dallas for shows every week and wonder how we could be in the middle of those two huge musical hubs and not really have a solid scene of our own.

I decided the best way to channel my passion for shows was to just make them happen. It has been a super long journey - two years ago, I began desperately bugging bands and people around me about playing at houses, and it finally worked! Bedtime Stories, Dogbite, and the people of 2124 have been incredible to work with. There is such strength in numbers, if we all just continue to embrace the unknown together we will be able to pull off some insane shows.

I am currently in the process of scouting out potential spots that I think could host some pretty iconic shows, and I’m hoping to help establish at least 2 consistent house venues that can hopefully operate for as long as possible. A more long term dream of mine is establishing a solid punk venue in one of Waco’s many empty buildings. Whatever ends up happening, it is critical to me that shows remain accessible and affordable to everyone. If I’m not losing money, I’m doing something wrong!

My favorite thing about the Waco scene is the willingness everyone has had to throw themselves into uncharted territory. Anything DIY in nature is going to be chaotic and scary at first, but taking those initial risks is so, so worth it. My least favorite thing - about all scenes - is bad attitudes. I believe the music should always come first. I hate to see pools of hatred and exclusion bubble up that end up impacting everyone else. A scene is a living organism; it’s important to keep all of that out so it can live a long and healthy life.

My hope is that DLMDIW will infect everyone in our scene with the DIY bug, acting as a catalyst for more shows to start happening on a regular basis. I would love for Waco to be put on the map as a punk town, for people to start traveling to come see what we have going on. I love Waco and all of its weird people. This city is crawling with talented musicians that just need the right places to show off what they’re really made of.

We are lucky to have a handful of great current venues, but I think it’s crucial to have places that are completely specific to the scene. That’s where the community can most effectively interact and grow.

We currently have two shows at 2124 coming up on June 8th and 28th with some incredible local and out of town bands, you seriously don’t want to miss them. Get to the dang gig!!

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SO glad you're on tumblr now... central texas tumblr users rise

Real! I unfortunately kinda love Tumblr.

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New Kids On The Block: Idiots Haven

by barelylocal | This article is from June 2024, so some info may be outdated.

The shows throughout June saw two newcomers to the scene, Idiots Haven and Daemon. I got to chat with both of these bands and learn more about them. NOTE: This article only includes the Idiots Haven interview. You can read Daemon's interview here.

The first time I saw Idiots Haven was at the 2124 show on the 8th. They call it their first real show since it’s the first they played with other bands. After seeing their amazing set, I make my way outside to catch them for an interview.

In the backyard, the three are trying to Tetris their instruments into the back of a van. When I tell them I’d like to interview them, their drummer Harrison says, “Don’t put in the fact that we don’t know how to pack.” (Sorry, Harrison.) 

Idiots Haven is composed of Dylan on vocals and guitar, Adam on bass and Harrison on drums. All three are fifteen and upcoming sophomores in high school. They all do marching band. When I ask them what “Idiots Haven” meant, they give a simple answer: “We thought it was funny.”

Dylan and Harrison started the band when they were in 7th grade. “Me and Harrison were on a trampoline, and we were making fun of bands, ‘cause we didn’t go to [shows] back then,” Dylan says. “We thought it was a silly idea, and then… we made one.”

“The reason why we’re awful is because we started playing our instruments [when we started the band],” Harrison tells me. When Adam joined the next year, he just started learning bass, too. 

“We started with indie,” Adam says, “and then we did pop. Grunge. And then we did a lot of punk.” Their familiarity with so many genres is evident in their set. Most of the show was punk: loud, fast and whiny; but with interludes of some slower stuff. 

They have one goal in mind for the future: to get better. “Just practice, go to more gigs, get the experience that we need,” Adam says. They want to release music in the future and are currently working on an EP.

It’s clear that they all have a love for music and playing gigs. They’re always eager to play a show, so if you want to book them, you can DM their Instagram, @idiotshaven. Follow their Insta, too, to see where they’re playing next! Each show is electric; you won’t wanna miss it.

Read part two with Daemon here.

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Photo by: Blake Burk

An Interview with RASURA

by barelylocal | This article is from May 2024, so some info may be outdated.

If you were at the Masonic Lodge show on 4/20, you might have caught the first band, in between their flashing lights and fog machine. That was RASURA: a band new to the scene, though its members are not. We spoke with the band about the beginning of their group and what is up next for them.

How would you describe your music? CAMERON: I would say it’s hardcore meets metalcore with 2000s underground influence and some cool melodies.

What exactly inspired y’all to start Rasura? RILEY: We started Rasura when two projects* we had worked on for years kinda fell apart. We turned those two bands into one passion project and went from there. * A Night Out (Cameron and Riley) and Deceived by the Fallen (Noah, Alex and Evan)

You guys just played your first couple shows. How was that? RILEY: They went great! It’s always an amazing feeling seeing people come out and support us and all of our friends in the scene. We definitely plan on more shows in Waco and anywhere that we can. We want to make careers out of this passion! Two shows are coming up in June: the 8th and the 22nd.

What’s your favorite thing about making music and playing shows? ALEX: It’s fun! NOAH: Knowing that I’ve made my mark and utilized my time doing something creative and meaningful. RILEY: For me, it’s the crowd connection to something that we pour the other half of our lives into! EVAN: It gives me a space to express myself, outside of my personal life that can sometimes be overwhelming to a breaking point. CAMERON: It gives me a platform to express my thoughts and ideas and to connect with people emotionally and let them know that they’re not alone; we all share struggles that are worth talking about. Also, being able to pump up a crowd makes it worth it every time.

Do you guys plan to release anything on streaming? RILEY: We get our mix back for our debut single “My Worst Intervention Wasn’t My Own” in early May. Later in the month we will be releasing another single, “Violence and Timing”.

What are y’all’s opinions on the local scene? RILEY: There is a lot going against punk and metal culture in Waco so it makes it even more inspiring to see these shows happening and people working hard to get the scene where it should be with so many talented musicians making their way through Waco. CAMERON: I’m really hopeful for the scene. I’ve seen a lot of new faces and prospecting musicians wanting to jump into the fold and it makes me excited that I might be inspiring new musicians.

RASURA: We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to speak with barelylocal today. We are so grateful for this music scene that has given us an avenue to show our talents, given us a voice and potentially shooting us higher than we ever expected!

Make sure to check out Rasura’s debut single “My Worst Intervention Wasn’t My Own” and follow them on Instagram, @rasura.tx!

Photo by: Blake Burk