“Albuquerque is pissed”
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Albuquerque, I’ve noticed Albuquerque hardcore is very aggressive.
(The song Relentless fades in)
My name is Anthony Lee I go by Tony heartless
(music fades out)
And um I grew up in Shiprock NM, on the Navajo Nation. Things are tough everywhere. But, I would say Albuquerque is pissed off for sure.
And they got a lot to be pissed off about, you know, I mean, you got a lot of reservations around here.
Everybody’s shooting each other. Everybody’s stealing from each other. Fentanyl. I mean, yeah. Regardless, I know Some of these things are gonna be, I mean, times are tough.
(music fades in)
Some things kind of just always stuck out with hardcore.
It started with hosting shows, um, that put me in connection with the different artists in the area.
I do think that the hardcore sound is different here than it is depending on the region like for us, ours is New Mexico, melodic, hardcore
I would say Hardcore… has kind of a mix of punk and metal. Like it’s got the speed and thrash of punk, but you know,
(music plays quietly in background)
the distortion and grittiness of metal
(music picks up and fades back down)
I did write one song, and I named it Relentless.
(music fades in *Kill the indian save the man*)
All I wanted was a place to call my home
Double crossed will our children ever know
What’s done is done, burry the truth
Assimilate our youth
Don’t you want justice, countless slaughtered in the name of christ
In vain will not be your death, let the preachers pay the price
(music fades out)
And you know I was referring specifically to the boarding schools, um the album art is actually of a boarding school.
And the reason why I named it Relentless is I felt, you know, when you think of Dine, you always hear resilient.
We are resilient. We are resilient. And we are. Um, but I felt that I wanted it more forward verb you know.
I do feel like it did come from a place of aggression. Um but also I wanted it to be a form of, a seed, just planting a seed for conversations.
I had to learn to kind of let some stuff go, because I realized I started getting angry, you know, um, and I think that’s, I think that’s normal for anybody who, you know, you find out what’s happened to your ancestors, your aunties, your uncles, your grandparents, you know, it’s understandable to feel angry.
I had just gotten to the end of my rope, and something got to change you know.
When I first started doing music, I didn’t understand what it was that was pulling me in. Um, I know that it was the only thing that I was holding on to at that point in my life, you know?
Felt very hopeless, felt very depressed. And, um, so I think that has kept me rooted and humble in a lot of ways.
I think that I just hope that everybody’s ready. Because, the things that I’ve, that I’ve seen people working on in the area between hip hop and hardcore, um, is gonna blow people away.
(music fades out at end of song)
Lee Gavin speaks with Toni Heartless, singer of melodic hardcore band Heart Museum, on leaving his hometown and finding a sense of belonging within Native communities in the hardcore scene of New Mexico. We navigate what gave Toni his drive to create and what gives him inspiration in his writing process.
Toni Heartless, a vocalist, explains his feelings during his musical journey as he creates music in his living room studio in Albuquerque, N.M., on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. “When I first started doing music, I didn’t understand what it was that was pulling me in,” says Heartless. “I know that it was the only thing that I was holding on to at that point in my life.”
LEE GAVIN / NEXTGENRADIO
Anthony Lee sits amongst his recording equipment that takes up most of his living room adorned with a mix of Kokum scarves, colorful artwork and instruments. Born and raised in Shiprock, New Mexico, and known as Toni Heartless, he is the lead singer of the melodic hardcore band Heart Museum. His entrance into the hardcore scene was a tumultuous journey of finding himself despite the hurdles many in the Indigenous community are faced with.
Finding a way to define “home” has never been easy for him. Life at Shiprock is at times, hopeless, he said. Shiprock has gone from a bountiful community that once thrived to an unsafe community due to nuclear waste from the uranium mining that is creating an environmental breakdown.
“You look at old photos of Shiprock during the fair, and you see mountains of fruit, watermelon, cantaloupe, just an abundance of food. Um, and now, we’re millions of dollars in debt. Nobody knows where the money is.”
Toni Heartless poses behind Launchpad, a music venue in Albuquerque, N.M., on Nov. 13, 2023. “All I wanted was a place to call my home. Double crossed, will our children ever know? What’s done is done. Bury the truth. Assimilate our youth. Don’t you want justice?” Lyrics from the song “Relentless” by Heart Museum.
LEE GAVIN / NEXTGENRADIO
LAUREN IBAÑEZ / NEXTGENRADIO
“THINGS ARE TOUGH EVERYWHERE. BUT I WOULD SAY ALBUQUERQUE IS PISSED OFF FOR SURE.”
His involvement in music came from a place of necessity, and the desire to see what was not provided for the community he grew up in. In 2017, Heartless opened Asterix venue in Shiprock to create a space to play music.The venue promoted shows to bring hardcore to his hometown. Money was tight and he couldn’t keep the venue going. He had gotten to the end of his rope and something had to change.
He moved to Albuquerque in 2021 to begin working with his stepfather in construction. It was difficult for him to think he had given up on his dream, but he found a way to make music whenever he could. Heartless was able to find purpose and really connect with other people who, like him, had oftentimes not felt like the place they grew up really defined “home” to them.
“We were playing out of sheds with dirt floors and everybody was circle pitting, there’s dust in the air and we’re using a half combo marshal for the vocals and you couldn’t hear nothing it was all distortion, blowing out fuses and things like that to where we’re at now right with with the big stages and and all the lights,” says Heartless at his studio in Albuquerque, N.M., on Nov. 13, 2023. Heart Museum band members Justin Hale (guitar), Derrick Joe (drums), Toni Heartless (lead vocals), Delwyn Johnson (bass/vocals) and Alonzo John (guitar).
COURTESY OF TONI HEARTLESS
LAUREN IBAÑEZ / NEXTGENRADIO
In hardcore, Heartless found a place where he can feel at home and find more meaning in his daily life. He hopes to continue finding new ways to express himself through his multiple musical endeavors, and finding inspiration from bands ranging from My Chemical Romance to Avenged Sevenfold.
“I would say hardcore is kind of a mix of punk and metal,” he said. “Like, it’s got the speed and thrash of punk, but you know, the distortion and grittiness of metal.”
Being from a marginalized community has always been something at the forefront of Heartless’ mind. As many other marginalized people, the oppression and injustices made him angry and that reflects in his creative process. That was the driving creative force behind the song “Relentless.”
“I do feel like it did come from a place of aggression,” he said. “But also I wanted it to be a seed for conversations.”
Heartless reminisces on times spent at Arrowsoul Trading Post in Albuquerque, N.M., an Indigenous-owned space offered to Indigenous artists to create and showcase their craft.
LEE GAVIN / NEXTGENRADIO
Toni Heartless performs with his band Heart Museum at Alien Fest in Dulce, N.M. When asked what makes Albuquerque hardcore unique, Heartless said, “Albuquerque, I’ve noticed Albuquerque hardcore is very aggressive.”
COURTESY OF TONI HEARTLESS
“They’re pissed off. These guys are pissed off and they got a lot to be pissed off about, you know? You got a lot of reservations around here, everybody’s shooting each other, everybody’s stealing from each other, fentanyl. Regardless, I know some of these things are gonna be, I mean, times are tough. Things are tough everywhere. But I would say Albuquerque is pissed off for sure.”
Hardcore is often a place where someone can express their frustrations, both physically through aggressive moshing, and their lyrics. Even in the way the musicians down-tune their guitars with the heavy gritty and sludgy breakdowns found in the music. Hardcore is a call to action, it’s the way they manifest their resistance, where sometimes wandering youth can find a place that makes them feel accepted, despite how anyone else may judge them.
“You find out that there’s just a group of people that are just fighting their hearts out trying to keep the community, trying to keep some growth.”