Hey, thank you for taking the time to do this interview. Would you mind introducing yourselves for anyone who doesn't know you?

I’m Dani, I sing in Dry Socket. We are a hardcore band from Portland Oregon. We’ve been a band for around 5-6 years now, but only started touring a couple years ago.

Could you tell us about how yall found punk and hardcore?

Geoff, our guitarist, and I have pretty similar stories. We both grew up on the east coast and got into punk/hardcore pretty young, jumping headfirst into playing in bands and booking shows. I was a pretty angry kid with a shitty home life, and getting into angry heavier music was monumental for me. I found punk first, but I had to move at the start of 9th grade and there was zero punks in the school I moved to. There was hardcore kids though, and it was sort of a natural progression over to hardcore. I still love punk, but the fashion side of it was just never my thing. I was also lucky and grew up a train ride away from New York City, so before I could drive I was going hoping trains and going to shows. Jose grew up in Southern California and Salem Oregon, and like me was a pretty angry kid. I think for him finding heavier music was like finding a home and a place where he fit. 

How did the Dry Socket come to be a band?

Our original guitarist and I met at a show and started talking about Kill Your Idols. We realized we both grew up loving that band and east coast 00’s fast hardcore in general. He randomly hit me up not long after that and asked if I wanted to do a band that sounded like early 2000’s fast hardcore and I jumped on it. Geoff came in on bass, Jose on drums (he later left and we had Curtis for a while, then came back to us) and we made the demo. We have been chugging along since. We don’t really sound like how we intended and that's totally ok. 

The band always seems down to do benefit shows/shirts to help others, which kicks ass. I think stuff like that doesn't happen as often broadly as it should and I know i'm guilty of not contributing as much as i could in that aspect. You played Palestine Benefit show coming up at the end of April. How did that show come together?

Honestly? Third Eye Booking asked us to play and it was an easy yes. There are so many ways to be political, but at the end of the day in the capitalist hellscape we live in, cash is king. Raising awareness and money for things we believe in has been a priority from day 1 for this band. 

Yall have put out a few 7"s, a full length and most recently a split with Body Farm. Each is a little bit sonically different from the last, and they all rip. What are some of your favorite songs/most fun to play live? 

Abomination, off our split with Bodyfarm, is my favorite song to play. It's poppy and bouncy and angry. Lyrically it deviated from how I usually write too, taking a lot of self ownership of what it's like to be different in a world that feels like it hates you and that lends well to a big group sing along so well. It is a song that makes me feel so connected to the community around me. 

You recently got back from a tour in Europe. How was it, how was the reaction over there?

When we got offered the tour we kind of had a “who us?” moment. I am still very much flabbergasted that people care about this band to that extent. We didn’t know what to expect and pretty much every show was a wild banger. The UK shows were chaotic and fun. France really showed up and they bring an energy that's different from the rest of Europe. We got to play with so many diverse cool bands, I feel really lucky for the line ups people thoughtfully put together. I also had the single best pastry of my life in Switzerland and show people a photo of it like it is my child. 

How were the shows with Hope Con last fall? I'm jealous yall got to play with and watch them 3 nights in a row.

I think Geoff is still pinching himself from those shows, they are one of his all time favorite bands. The shows were really cool, it was our first time being part of a package and it was a special experience getting to have this little community of the bands for the weekend. They are a great group of people and are still just crushing their live shows after all these years too. 

How would yall describe the NWHC scene to other scenes in the US? Is there anything that stands out to it compared to other scenes other than it just being home?

I can’t speak for Washington, but Oregon does feel different than the rest of the US. We have a young scene here overall and are a political scene. We have a strong queer scene too that has grown into something really unique and cool. I think we are a less violent scene than other places, and I appreciate that immensely because it does allow for all sorts of people to feel more confident coming to shows and participating. Hardcore is inherently violent, and I understand that. But coming from growing up in Connecticut Hardcore, not being worried about being destroyed no matter where I am in the room is lovely. 

I'm really excited that yall are going to be a part of the NWHC comp that will be coming out later this year. Apart from that song, are there any other plans for new music coming up?

We’ve got 3 new songs coming out on a split in late summer/early fall 2025. I can’t give more details yet, but I think these songs are the best songs I’ve personally written. I also wrote and did a sound clip/spoken word thing on it that was totally out of my comfort zone, but I am hyped to see how people react to it. 

We are writing for a second LP, with plans to record later in the year too. All of our previous material had our previous drummer Curtis, so this new stuff with Jose writing feels a bit different for us in a way that feels like progression. I am excited for people to hear it. 

You had a weekend run of shows in the Bay in May and then have Northwest Hardcore Fest coming up in August. Do you have any other plans for show wise coming up/you're able to talk about?

We are taking it slow for the first half of 2025, we kind of needed a breather after Europe and we needed some time to write. But the second half of 2025 is going to come on strong. We have plans in the works to go back to the UK and Europe, the East Coast, a west coast run and then we are kind of seeing what gets sent our way. We are not a full time touring band, so it's always a balance of how much we can do without completely destroying our work/home lives. So far it's been working and we want to keep pushing as much as we can.

What do you like most about the state of the NWHC scene at the moment?

The queer and trans bands that are pushing hard and taking up space. 

Is there anything yall would like to leave people with?

Right wing bullshit is working its way into everything right now, including hardcore music. When you hear people like Elon Musk or Joe Rogan saying how happy they are they can now say the R word again, and then go to shows and people are also saying it, thats right wing bullshit influence. When more and more bands are dropping Pussy on stage, thats right wing influence.

The creep towards the right happens without us even realizing and they are targeting young men in particular. If you get upset because someone asks you not to say a word, question why you get upset and who benefits, not why you can’t say it. If you can’t understand that comparing a Pussy to weakness might make people with vaginas and femmes who are that show uncomfortable and feel unwelcome, then you need to question yourself. Words hold weight, and especially right now when things like politicians coming after folks with Autism are happening, it's even more important to think critically about who benefits from their use. 

Things are only going to get harder and worse in the United States and it's up to us to foster scenes that are not just micro versions of greater society. They want us to dehumanize other people, not give a fuck about other peoples feelings, other peoples lives. They benefit and everyone else loses, especially the most vulnerable.