Jess Humphrey is an artist and photographer whose creative roots trace back to the 1990s and early 2000s hardcore punk scene, where she documented bands, tours, and the intimate, chaotic spaces that defined a generation of DIY music culture. As a teenager and young adult, Humphrey lived on the road and in venues, using photography as both a tool for connection and a way to understand identity, belonging, and freedom within a scene built on intensity, community, and resistance. Her images from this period capture not just performances, but the emotional undercurrent of the era: friendships, girlhood, devotion, and the raw beauty of life lived loudly and without permission.

After stepping away from music photography, Humphrey went on to build a successful career in fashion design and creative direction, where her eye for composition, color, and storytelling continued to evolve. She eventually returned to art full-time, now working primarily in glass, collage, and sculpture. Her current practice explores many of the same themes that first drew her to the hardcore scene: visibility, vulnerability, strength, and self-definition, translated through material, form, and color. Based in Corning, New York, Humphrey’s work bridges subcultural history and contemporary art, carrying forward the DIY ethos that shaped her early creative life.

The Lousekateers are a Westchester-based DIY punk band that evolved from a "Craigslist miracle" into a genre-blending group incorporating elements of bubblegum pop-punk, ska, and alternative rock. Formed after a long musical hiatus by vocalist Gingerval and drummer Danimal, the band’s name and identity serve as a rebellious critique of Disney’s corporate culture and glee club image. Their songwriting often explores themes of finding happiness amidst world chaos, overcoming toxicity, and navigating the social isolation of the suburbs, notably in releases like Sayonara, Dude and Life After Mandals. Primarily a touring act due to the limited local scene, they maintain a prolific, high-energy presence influenced by 90s icons and simple advice from punk veterans to never stop creating.

What do the Goonies, Chewbacca, and Star Trek’s The Borg all have in common? They’re all nerdy pop punk songs released by the Atlanta-based band, Hyperspace! Hyperspace is comprised of vocalist/guitarist Jason Kochis, drummer Ryan Paul, and bassist Kayvan Sarikhani who have been rocking out the southeast corner of the U.S. for a little over a decade. The geeky rock trio has performed at large and small venues alike, specifically ATL’s Star Bar, Criminal Records, multigenre convention DragonCon, and even embarked on a tour through Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Florida. In addition to live performances, Hyperspace has released 5 studio albums. Their most recently, "Distant Signals" is about aliens, Star Wars, time traveling robots, disillusionment, and failing relationships.

Formed in early 2024, the NYC-based extreme metal outfit Plague Master rejects narrow subgenre labels in favor of a "no influence" philosophy, resulting in a Frankenstein's monster of death metal, grindcore, and hardcore. Born from the social and political volatility of the COVID-19 era, the band utilizes a cynical, anarchist lens to critique government failures, class struggles, and the destructive nature of humanity. Their sonic identity is a collaborative grit, blending HM-2 powered Swedish death metal guitar tones with technical, crust-influenced bass, progressive drum fills, and raw, high-energy vocals. Known for their chaotic and inclusive live performances, the group aims to create an environment where the "working class" can vent their frustrations through high-intensity moshing, all while maintaining a confrontational stance against systemic inequality.

My Like Sunday is a punk rock/pop-punk band from Indonesia, formed in January 2020 in the city of Palembang. The band consists of D’Coky (guitar, vocals, Bagus (guitar), Fatrin Budiman (bass), and Aditz (drums). In 2020, My Like Sunday recorded and digitally released their debut single titled “Mati Atau Bertahan”, followed by their second single “Punk Love Story” and their third single “4th”, which was released along with an official music video. In 2022, My Like Sunday independently recorded and released an EP titled The End. The EP contains five tracks: “Mati Atau Bertahan,” “4th,” “Punk Love Story,” “Segitiga Berdahak,” and “The End.” The song “Mati Atau Bertahan” helped My Like Sunday gain wider recognition and led to live performance opportunities, including appearances at music events such as Soundsation. In 2025, My Like Sunday released their latest single titled “Kami Masih Ada”.

Amy Harris is a multifaceted creative professional whose work spans the realms of music, video production, photography, and social advocacy. A true jack of all trades, she seamlessly utilizes various mediums to foster connection, understanding and empathy. With over a decade of experience in the film and television industry, Amy has established herself as a skilled video editor and post-production specialist, particularly within unscripted content. Her musical identity is equally prominent; she is a guitarist, producer, and songwriter involved in multiple projects, where she blends technical production skills with raw artistic expression.

Trouble Bound are a Newburgh-based punk band out of the Hudson River Valley area of NY. The boys have been wielding their very own brand of punk rock fused with subtle rockabilly accents since 1999. Citing such influences as Rancid, Stray Cats, Motorhead, Still Little Fingers, Eddie Cochran, Social Distortion and The Ramones.

With songs written about daily-life, working class struggles, “what goes around comes around” karma forbodings, and even inner turmoil… It’s instantly obvious to the ear -the earnest quality and heart on the sleeve approach to songwriting. Telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Taking inspiration from the trials and tribulations of working the trades of the blue collar, to love gone awry and the importance of friends and family sticking together through thick and thin. These self-taught rockers have always had the music to cure what ails them and exorcise the angst of the daily struggle.

Eevie Echoes & The Locations started as humble open mic performers before cementing themselves as a bedrock queercore act of the Brooklyn punk scene. They specialize in seamlessly blending the personal and the political. As a mostly trans band, their music addresses the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community, and confronts naysayers who seek to erase queerness from existence while always bringing raw power, pure emotion, radical authenticity. The 4 piece consists of Eevie Echoes as lead vocalist, songwriter, and rhythm guitarist, Emma Taylor as backup vocalist and lead guitarist, Eliza Endless as backup vocalist and bassist, and, Nick Grasso as drummer. The four have had a fruitful music career, playing notable shows alongside bands like Delilah Bon, Jasmine.4.t, Brennan Wedl, Vial, Shamir, Teenage Halloween and Kaonashi, as well as numerous festivals and headliner shows around the USA including Stoopfest and Punk Island. The quartet's debut album "The Cons Of Being A Wallflower" gained them significant attention and showed off the group's diverse sound and ability to play with genre, dabbling in ska, chiptune, emo, garage rock, pop punk and grunge.

New York City’s Sonic Taboo is an instrumental power trio that defines their sound as a raw, multi-genre blend of stoner rock, heavy psychedelia, and doom. Eschewing traditional vocal structures to grant themselves greater creative freedom, the band crafts immersive "soundtracks" specifically designed to mirror the visceral experience of a motorcycle ride. Their live performances further this atmosphere by blending songs seamlessly into a continuous, energetic set accompanied by cinematic projections. Since their formation roughly six years ago, the trio—consisting of Paulo Cassio, Fernando Minichiello, and Dylan Lappin—has released two studio albums and a 2025 live record, building a reputation for unfiltered, high-voltage rock that avoids commercial polish in favor of sonic integrity and grit.

Old Knife is a trio from Northern Virginia that plays music influenced by NY and DC hardcore, post punk, no wave and metal. Maddie Franca (bass) and VJ Hyde (guitar/vocals) have been playing for around 3 years after working together at a summer camp. VJ asked Maddie if she wanted to join his band and she answered, “sure but I’ve never played bass.” VJ replied, “don’t worry I’m a music teacher” and the rest was history. She was a quick learner and Old Knife started playing all around the DC area shortly thereafter. Their third show was the at the historic DC summer concert series, Fort Reno. They were all set to record their first album at Inner Ear Studio with Don Zientara (Dischord Records) when their first drummer fucked around and found out, Vitriol style. So Maddie and VJ parted ways and VJ enlisted his old pal Devin Ocampo (Faraquet, Medications, Smart Went Crazy) to play drums on their upcoming debut EP “Slam the Door.”

Maddie and VJ still needed to find a permanent rhythm section to continue composing and playing live shows. That person turned out to be Ella Gallogly who is the front person of DCs post-prog dark metal band, Lud Roes. The three had met previously while sharing a bill engineered by Ryan Parsons from local garage rock band, Gas Station Dick Pills. Unlike boner pills purchased at Chevron, the chemistry was instant and the trio have been melting faces ever since. Old Knife is wrapping up their EP for release in early 2026. They will be playing around the DMV and out in VJs hometown (NYC) during the winter/ spring as well.

Crying At Work isn’t just a hardcore band - they collectively hold a deeply rooted commitment to social justice and inclusivity, driven by the personal and political convictions of its members. The band's current lineup solidified when vocalist Lacey reached out to guitarist Cale after his previous project broke up. Sharing similar moral and creative goals, Cale brought in drummer Ellie, and bassist Jackson joined as they were using his house for practice. CAW sets itself apart in the Michigan scene not only with its diverse makeup, but also through its unique sound, which incorporates non-traditional samples from genres like rap and nightcore. Their philosophy, "existence is resistance," is a driving force, especially for members who lack the privilege of safety in every space. The band actively translates this message into action by organizing and playing benefit shows for causes ranging from aid to families in Gaza to supporting those impacted by ICE. Through unapologetic music and community-focused advocacy, Crying At Work strives to dismantle oppression and create a safe space for marginalized groups

Racket Magazine was founded in March 2005 by an Jonathan Yost, motivated by a desire to create a forum for material that was enthusiastic, strongly opinionated, occasionally foolish, and sustained by inexpensive coffee, low-quality beer, and vibrant music. Prior to establishing the magazine, Yost wrote for another music blog but felt constrained by the editor's preference for typical press-kit questions, instead finding greater interest in extracting peculiar trivia or being lighthearted with artists. Having studied music business at Cal Poly Pomona, he launched Racket based on an unconventional, perfectly captured by early non-traditional segments like conducting a Mad Libs interview with Bleeding Through or aggressively mocking Hawthorne Heights—whose interview they secured despite the magazine's tagline being "because life’s too short for Hawthorne Heights". The magazine's spirit is defined by "enthusiasm counted as a credential," with Yost actively seeking out new writers, or "Racketeers", to give them a chance, aiming to be a non-gatekeeping mentor who allows contributors to sound like themselves, not an imitation of the founder. This approach has allowed Racket to thrive for two decades by focusing on heart-driven content and measuring success not by page views, but by the founder's pride when a friend or reader enjoys a recommended artist.

Egg! is a noisy alternative rock trio from Bristol, CT. Formed in 2017, their sound draws from a broad number of influences including punk, emo, psychedelic, progressive rock, and post-hardcore. They have released three EPs and one single, with a second single planned for 2026. In addition to countless local shows, they have done two small tours through the New England and New York areas, always looking to go further. The band encourages people to come out and see them live if you really want to get a feel for what they sound like. And, they ask you to fart if you like them.

She Zine Mag is not, strictly speaking, a punk magazine. But it may be more punk than anything we’ve come across in quite a while.

Their operations are deeply informed by some pretty hardcore principles —speaking truth to power, fostering inclusiveness, and doing it yourself. The zine's approach is to not sit there and be quiet when hierarchical power structures exploit women, queer folks, racialized creators, or workers. They are is dedicated to speaking the truth no matter the cost, amplifying not the faces of movements, but those who are doing the real work, and calling bullshit when there is bullshit to be called out. And they are not afraid to do so.

We had a chance to sit down with editor Allison Moyer for a wide-ranging interview, and we absolutely loved what she had to say. We think you will too.

The Baltimore hardcore band War On Women employs a potent blend of hardcore punk aggression and feminist punk energy, creating music that is both politically charged and a rejection of the status quo. The band, both individually and through their music, is outspoken in fiercely tackling systemic social inequities, the gender pay gap, transphobia, abortion rights, and misogyny. In this interview, vocalist Shawna Potter discusses her use of the music to personally process her outrage at the mistreatment of marginalized communities while fostering awareness and empowerment for listeners. The title of their recent album, Time Under Tension, metaphorically captures the current political pressure, suggesting the choice to either break down or emerge stronger from the struggle against global fascism.

Chris Wynne is the founder of In Effect, a publication dedicated to the hardcore music scene, which originated as a fanzine in 1988. The publication, described by one review as "the Bible of NYHC", initially concentrated on New York Hardcore (NYHC) bands, utilizing a hands-on, DIY cut and paste method for its initial issues. After a hiatus between 1989 and 1993, the zine ran continuously until 1999 with its final printed edition, Issue #12, boasting over 130 pages and a print run of 10,000 copies. The zine’s contents, including interviews and reviews, are now collected in a book published by Shining Life Press.

Following a long break that Chris Wynne initially thought was permanent, he launched the In Effect Hardcore website in February 2012, adapting the publication to a digital format. The website mirrors the original fanzine's content by featuring band interviews, record/show reviews, and scene news. Wynne’s motivation for running In Effect Hardcore stems from a genuine love for the music, operating it as a hobby without financial gain, which affords him the freedom to cover bands he feels are under-appreciated. This authentic approach is encapsulated in the publication's motto: "Keeping it fucking real dude".

We had the opportunity to conduct an looooong conversation with the veteran Birmingham punk band, Rotunda, whose name pays homage to an iconic local landmark. Known for their blend of street punk with elements of Oi! and hardcore , the band has been a fixture in the UK underground scene since the mid-to-late 1990s. Lou, Dave, Steve and Lee (Guitar) discuss their origins, musical evolution, and the continuing importance of the DIY ethos. They recount memorable moments, from playing with The Damned and a notable radio feature on Steve Lamacq's show, to the wilder side of their live performances.

The off-kilter and noisy post-hardcore that Consumer Culture play has been developing through the anti-capitalist ideology and creative vision of vocalist Marshall Veth since 2018, and hit a new level with the entrance of guitarist Paul Joyce in 2019. Joyce quickly fell into the project’s style with crushingly dissonant playing that ultimately proved to pair best with the drumming of his own son, Paulie, who was quickly becoming a formidable player when the pair started playing Consumer Culture songs together. When the band was ready to play again in 2022, Paulie had joined Consumer Culture full time. Bassist Annie Bailey joined in 2024 after having a long-term interest in the project, setting the Baltimore quartet on their present trajectory of consistent performance and releasing new material.