The Alt Black

Natalie Voltaire: Avid Goer, Record Store Clerk, and WMUC Radio DJ

MUSIC

How did you get into punk/alt music?

   Growing up I always just listened to whatever came on the radio or whatever my parents played around the house. My parents are Haitian so there was a lot of music from their country and neighboring islands being played around the house. Things like kompa, zouk, soca, calypso, and reggae. Aside from Caribbean music, they also played hip-hop, R&B, and 80s soft rock, and pop around the house. After years of listening to that stuff, I finally developed my own taste in music from watching MTV. I loved all the pop-punk bands that came on TRL and played on the soundtracks of the reality TV shows I would watch. I didn’t start to actually care about music until I was in middle school though. That was when I was on youtube almost every day looking videos of pop-punk and metalcore bands. I would keep clicking the related videos on the side and that’s how I discovered more and more bands that I liked. When I was in high school I finally started going to shows. As I got older, I started listening to classic punk, metal, and hardcore.

 

Do you remember your first time hearing a song from this genre?

  I don’t remember the first time I heard a punk, alt, metal, or pop-punk song, but I vividly remember being a kid and watching Good Charlotte on TRL when I was about 6 or 7. Their songs were super catchy and fun to sing along to and I thought Benji’s liberty spikes were cool. Most people my age were obsessed with either Good Charlotte, Blink 182, or Green Day at some point when they were younger and don’t let them tell you otherwise. People love to act like they came out of the womb listening to the Cro Mags and that drives me insane.

MOM 💙 DAD

How did your parents react to the new music?

 

 

  My dad hates most of the music I listen to and the aesthetic that accompanies it. We used to butt heads over it when I was younger. He would rip my posters down and throw my “emo” clothes out. My parents are Haitian Catholics but they are pretty americanized and aren’t very religious so the dark imagery and gore that came with the music didn’t set them off as much it would the typical, strict Haitian parents who go to mass every Sunday and call anything with unclean vocals devil music. As I got older, my dad finally gave me my space to be me. Luckily for him, I dress like a normie and no longer wear black eyeshadow every day. He likes some of the mainstream, classic stuff I play which is cool. I’ll play Sabbath around the house and catch him singing along while he’s ironing or making his spreadsheets for work.

 

My mom finds some of it to be tolerable but most of it just sounds like horrible noise to her. She hates the heavier stuff I listen to (like death, thrash, and hardcore) and cringes at the most of the band names. She hums and finger drums along to catchy pop-punk songs that I’ve beat to death on long car rides and she’s recently been playing doom metal to help herself fall asleep, so some things have grown on her. They still don’t like the thought of me going alone to shows and dodging crowd killers in the basements, bars and warehouses on a weekly basis, but they’ve learned to be ok with the music itself.

 

 

MISCONCEPTIONS???

1rst “BAD” GUYS

The reality of it is that beyond all the leather, clunky boots, and menacing facial expressions, these are some of the kindest people you’ll ever encounter. I’ve dropped my phone in the pit and people have stopped moshing to help me look for it. Some kids don’t have enough cash to pay the cover and someone will just let them in. I’ll go to a show in another town and someone I met earlier that night will offer to let me crash on their couch so I won’t have to take an Amtrak back home alone at 2am. These are heavily tattooed, combat boot wearing sweethearts.

2nd ALL BANDS ARE RACIST!

 

There is definitely an issue with racism in the scene, but not to the extent that people think. A very small amount of the people in the scene are actually racist. This current generation of musicians has been pretty good at holding people accountable for their hateful/ alienating views and actions. Even some of the old heads in the scene have realized that some of the ignorant stuff they did or wrote when they were 15, was wrong and is no longer that they’re about.  Most of my friends look at me crazy for being a black girl who enjoys stuff like Oi and black metal. I question myself about it as well. For the most part, I know which bands to steer clear of and which bands just use certain lyrics or imagery for shock value.

3rd TOUGH GUYS

Another misconception about the scene is that people assume everyone thinks they’re tough guys for listening to harder styles of music. You do get a couple wannabe tough guys here and there but for the most part, people don’t act like that. I promise you, half of your favorite musicians are actually huge nerds and they own it. I have friends in black metal bands who sit around and play dungeons and dragons during their free time. My friend’s boyfriend even taught himself to code because he was bored on the long drives while his band was touring.

 

CONCERT CULTURE

What was your first live show and how was it?

I’ll never forget the first show I went to. I was 13 or 14 and I went to see the Bamboozle Roadshow at the Merriweather. All Time Low, Good Charlotte, Boys Like Girls, and a ton of other pop-punk bands I obsessed over as a teen was playing and I had a blast. It was a pop-punk show so it was pretty high energy. There was a lot of crowd surfing and jumping around but no moshing.

When did you get in your first pit and what show/band/song was playing?

I wish I could remember my first pit but I can’t for the life of me. It was probably a metalcore band at warped tour or something. I don’t mosh very often but when I do, I go HAM. I hand my backpack to the bartender or merch guy, throw my hair in a bun, and go apeshit.

Number of shows/bands that you’ve seen?

I wish I could count. Definitely over 100, but probably less than 200. That’s only counting the shows I’ve willingly gone to. In addition to those shows, I also work at a couple venues so I see bands play almost every night.

Have you ever felt out of place at a show?

Yes

I’ve never felt out of place for being a black woman at a show or anywhere for that matter. Ever since I was a little kid, my dad taught me that I belong anywhere I chose to go and I fully believe that. I’m there for the same reason everyone else is and I know my shit so there’s no need to feel out of place. I’ve seen shows at bars where super huge biker dudes hang and just sat at the bar with my beer like it’s nothing. I’ve definitely been in situations where people weren’t particularly welcoming, but I don’t allow those things to make me feel uncomfortable. I get the occasional confused look or rude stares.

No

I feel out of place for being socially awkward. It seems as though everyone in the music scene knows each other and people make friends fairly easily. Entering a small house show where half the crowd lives or works together makes me feel a lot more out of place than entering a venue and being the only black girl.

Which band do you resonate with the most and why!?

This is such a hard question. If I had to choose one I would probably say Turnstile. They were a huge part of my transition into the hardcore scene. I knew of the early dchc and nyhc bands, but I wasn’t aware that there was a present-day scene still thriving until I heard of Turnstile and their associated bands. (TUI, Angel Dust, Mindset, etc.) After seeing them play at soundstage with Basement, I’ve been going to hardcore shows ever since. Sonically, Turnstile is an amazing band but their live shows are always what captivates me. They have so much energy. Franz is the craziest, he’s always doing backflips. I’m super shy/reserved so I rarely ever mosh, but they’re one of the few bands I’ll hit the pit for. I also love that they’re from my area. Brendan and Brady grew up about 15 minutes from my neighborhood and Daniel is from PG. Everyone from the DMV is so proud of them and what they’ve accomplished.

What have you gained by listening to this genre of music?

 

I’ve gained a ton of knowledge for one. When I get into something I get SUPER into it. I start reading every book on it and watching every documentary I can find on the subject. I’ll find one song I like and then I’ll dive into that person’s entire discography. I’ve gained a sick record collection. I gained a few friends from meeting people at shows or record stores. The most important thing I’ve gained through this music is a sense of self. It may sound corny but I really found myself through this music. I never had any other hobbies or interests. All I do is go to shows, collect records, and listen to music all day. Doing these things makes me feel genuinely fulfilled in a way that no other activities do.

 

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Have you seen an increase in the number of black people at shows, since you went to your first one?

[I’ve noticed a slight increase in the number of black people at shows but it’s still a predominantly white environment. I’ve theorized about a few possible explanations for the increase in diversity within the punk/alt/metal music scene these past years. I’m a sociology major so I love paying attention to changes in demographics and the societal/cultural happenings that lead those changes. Sorry for being a huge nerd. A lot of these people have always been fans of the genre but never participated in the scene. It’s recently been made more socially acceptable to be open to your versatility in music then it was a few years ago. People aren’t as ostracized as they used to be for liking underground stuff. It’s so accepted now that it’s even being portrayed as “cool”. The more obscure, the better. That was never ok before. So now that being the black sheep has been de-stigmatized, people feel freer to be themselves.]