About Us

Hiya! I was raised by a swath of hippies and punk rockers since I was a baby. My dad would take my friends and I to punk shows at 11 and throw us into the pit. I remember my first punk show vividly. There were other shows I had been to and enjoyed, but nothing was like this. I was in elementary school, and my dad drove my friend and I to the observatory in San Diego to see the Interrupters. I instantly fell in love with the moshing and the intoxicating euphoria of a crowd screaming along with Amy’s lyrics. From there I only fell more in love. I played bass for a couple years and joined a new band who I quickly became tight with. They showed me a new youth culture world of modern punk, something I hadn’t seen from moshing with my dad and his friends at big Descendants or Vandals shows. Soon I was invested in hardcore and powerviolence with a mix of skramz, while still of course keeping true to my hippie heritage of Americana, blues, and the Beatles. One of my favorite things about music is that good music doesn’t belong to a single genre. I listen to 90s hip hop rap one day and Bob Dylan another. 

Anyway, the other enticing allure of these scenes was the DIY punk ideology. These subcultures already were overtly and unabashedly controversially conversational. But then I learned about the values of art and written expression within the community, and as I was already a little nerd, oh shit I was hooked!

The other elements of my life include rock climbing and skiing while spending time in the mountains, obviously art and music, my job at a small business ceramic studio as well as my own ceramic art, school, and reading/writing. 

Hi! Unlike Caz I was raised on kidz bop in a more conservative household. My dad liked the classic "dad music" such as Aerosmith or Guns n Roses but nothing as intense as the music i grew up to love. I was first introduced into the punk and metal scene by my cousin who, despite her equally conservative upbringing, had a taste for metal.  Once I was introduced, I was hooked. I researched more and more about different bands and after many years, I had curated a unique music taste and the perfect playlist.  I listened to metal and punk as well as some classic rock such as queen. I never knew that music can have such an influence on my emotions. 

Freshman year was the first time I was introduced to the punk scene. I listened to the music but never experienced the utter chaos that was moshing. I got thrashed and loved it. It made me get into listening to local bands and going to local punk shows. I realized that being punk is being part a community that supports each other. I was always told about the dangers of metal  and punk shows by parents who lived through Woodstock 99. But they couldn't have been more wrong. I was safe while simultaneously being thrashed. 

Sophomore year I began to connect with others over music. I hung out with my peers that I shared a music taste with and we bonded over songs and bands. I would regularly go to local shows and to see more popular bands as well. I loved the chaotic but friendly atmosphere that welcomed me with open arms. 

I'm a Junior now and when I'm not going to shows I tend to spend my time drawing, working, or hanging out with friends. I wanted to make the Art Boxes to build a local community as welcoming as the punk scene that I'm a part of.