How Music Shaped Us | Growing Up on Metal, Emo & The Scene

This episode is a deep dive into the music, bands, shows, and moments that helped shape who we became. We talk about growing up on metal, getting introduced to Deftones, discovering heavier music, being part of the local scene, starting a band, and reliving the chaos and magic of those live show days. If you came up on metal, emo, post-hardcore, or just music that changed your life, this one will hit home.

🎙️ In this episode:
 • How family and upbringing influenced music taste
 • Discovering Deftones and the impact of White Pony
 • The moment heavier music opened up a new world
 • Getting into emo, post-hardcore, and metalcore
 • How Unmask Your Savior got started
 • The local scene from 2006 to 2011
 • Memories from The Rabbit and other legendary venues
 • Favorite live shows and unforgettable concert moments
 • August Burns Red, Poison the Well, As I Lay Dying, and more
 • Talking about dream podcast guests from the music world

🧠 What you'll learn:
 • How music can shape identity and friendships
 • Why certain albums hit at the perfect time in life
 • What made the local heavy music scene so special
 • How discovering new sounds can change your direction
 • Why live shows leave memories that stick with you forever

⏱️ CHAPTERS / TIMESTAMPS
 00:00 Intro
 00:00 Early metal influences from family
 00:55 Discovering Deftones and White Pony
 01:50 The darker side of Deftones hits different
 02:08 Getting into emo and post-hardcore
 02:25 The start of Unmask Your Savior
 03:57 What the scene was like from 2006–2011
 04:39 Rabbit and Sanctuary show memories
 05:35 How Poison the Well changed everything
 06:26 Upcoming shows and concert plans
 07:28 August Burns Red tickets surprise
 08:29 Dream guests and podcast talk
 10:58 Wild concert memories and crowd moments
 13:35 First concerts ever
 14:22 Missed shows and concert regrets

#podcast #anythingandeverything #mattreyna #deftones #metalcore #posthardcore #heavymusic #concertstories #augustburnsred #musicpodcast

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Okay, then okay, so um high school, a lot of people don't understand, man, my swag when it comes to metal, right? So my dad, bro, he he was Iron Maiden Judas Priest Metallica, you know what I'm saying? Uh 90s, you know, um um rock as well. That's what I got into. So I was into my own thing, just kind of scratching the surface. And I thought that, man, like Ozzy and Randy Rhodes was like, you know, like the best guitar player, and and you know, and like nothing could get harder than like Metallica, Pantera, you know what I'm saying? Metallica's pretty hard, but that's pretty much. Well, but but but my thing was I never knew like you weren't exploring yet. No, not at all, right? And I'll never forget this day, right? I you I say that we were in the cougar, but you said we were in something else, right? We definitely couldn't be in the cougar, dog, because the cougar did not have a CD player, bro.

SPEAKER_01 0:49

Oh, okay, okay. Well, think about that, it's a 90s. Oh, I think I had a Thunderbird, too. That one had a CD player, but maybe I don't think so, bro.

SPEAKER_00 0:55

I think it was a Thunderbird, blue one? It was a blue one. No, no, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_01 0:58

The 91 Thunderbird.

SPEAKER_00 1:00

Yeah, boy. Talking about that, bro. So um my dad had got me White Pony, Deft Tones White Pony, and I remember I had that on CD. First one you ever heard? Yeah, first Deftones ever? White Pony? Yes, because obviously I was a like a change in the house of flies, right? Right. Because I was I was like 10, uh 12 years old, right? Because it came out in 2000, right? So I was 12 and I was like, man. Remember I listened to back to school, uh back to school, and you were like, that's a dumb song. Back to school. He was like, That's dumb, dog. And I was just like, I think it's tight because it was like hip hop, you know what I'm saying? It was like hip hip, you know, like Chino was busting out. Then uh I went into your car and you were listening to self-titled. He was listening to hexagram, bro. And that broke was on repeat at that time, bro. That broke my mind when I and I was like, Who's this? And you were like, This is a deaf tone, dog. And I'm like, this is the deaf tones. I know death tones, right? Yeah, I was like, Yeah, I know, but not like this, and bro, they had went dark at that time, too, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:57

That self-titled yeah on your damn arm right there, bro.

SPEAKER_00 2:00

So I hope it made inputs on your life. Oh man, so then you know, hexagram minerva, whatever.

SPEAKER_01 2:04

And then come in here, come in here. Let me wipe your fucking nose right there, Junior.

SPEAKER_00 2:08

Bro, so then, bro, you started introducing me into all that, you know what I'm saying? All that that type of like uh, what was it? Poison the well across five Aprils, um like emo kind of, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:20

So it went from like Deft Tone, that's like progressive, and then it went to like the emo, and then it went to like post-heart.

SPEAKER_00 2:25

Yeah, yeah, like that's when everything changed for me too, dog. Definitely, bro. Dog, one of the coolest things that was part of my childhood, which I kind of piggyback off yours, was Unmask Your Savior, bro. When you get when y'all started the band.

SPEAKER_01 2:38

Yeah, all that came from that though, bro. That was just like I always would sing and mess around younger, like even RB or whatever, trying to rap, I try to freestyle, all kinds of dumb shit, bro. I always play around, right? And then I started hearing deft tones and rock and stuff like that. Then I would sing the indie rock or alternative. I'd sing that stuff, and then deft tone, I try to sing like Chino, fucking dress like him, you know. I was doing all that shit, and then I got into the poison, not poison the well, but like stuff like the use and like the emo, right? Under oaths. I started to scream and mess around with that. And I was like, This is kind of going kind of cool. And then the first band we had was called Abandon the Silence. That was the first band we had. I think I didn't know. And it was like an emo type of vibe because we didn't have a person, he only had a one kick drum, so there was no double bass and that stuff. And then we ended up getting Rufo, so we got Rufo.

SPEAKER_00 3:22

Who was in the first one?

SPEAKER_01 3:23

Yeah, Marco? My friend Max.

SPEAKER_00 3:24

Remember him, Max? I think so. Was it you, Marco, and Monkey? Still?

SPEAKER_01 3:28

It was Marco, me, Max, uh Monkey, and then yeah, it was just that. We didn't have another guitar player. Okay, and then we got Val later on, and then Switch Drummers out. We got Rufo, and then that's when we kind of became like Unmasked. We like came back as Unmasked. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 3:43

Yeah. Bro.

SPEAKER_01 3:44

So it was like emo kind of, and then from there it started to be like metal, and then the last stuff that we had was like straight metal, dog. Like it was just it was sounded like you know, the bands of the time of 2011.

SPEAKER_00 3:57

Yeah. Oh, so it was at that time from 2006 to 2011. Bro, explain to me the scene at that point in time. So I was in high school. Uh y'all were out of high school, but what was the rabbit like at that point in time?

SPEAKER_01 4:14

Bro, because that shaped the rabbit was every way I am now. There were shows every night. Exactly. Every night, Monday through Monday through Saturday, and then Sunday I think it was closed. Or sometimes they would have free shows. It was like free shit, like it was a show every day, and then the national acts will come, bro. You if you were gonna go see a show, you're going to the rabbit to see it. If it was like, bro, like Asblet Runs Black or like August Burns Red, uh As a lay dying, like everybody was going to the rabbit, bro. It was the shit, bro.

SPEAKER_00 4:39

I'll never dude. It's some of my most memorable, you know, events, like shows that I ever saw. I remember this once I or I I know I know you know this time. The sanctuary. Oh dog, yeah, bro. So I'm at the sanctuary, man. I'm listening to Poison the Well, and I'm like, we didn't even did we say that we were gonna see each other there. I don't know. I don't even know. No, no, no, no, we didn't, right? I'm what I'm watching Poison the Well, and somebody grabs me from behind, and and you singing like zombies are good for your health, or or I don't know what it is, and it's it's T Dog, and I'm like, Oh, what's that? Bro, that was that was awesome.

SPEAKER_01 5:12

I think it was like me, it was me, Max, and his chick, and then there was somebody else, you had the Bronco, right? Yeah, the Bronco, and then it was you and Alex, right? You and Alex, and I took y'all home. I think so. Yeah, dog. That was that was faded, too. I shouldn't have drove y'all home, but it didn't matter though.

SPEAKER_00 5:30

Also, too. I remember, bro, we were at I Oh Julian.

SPEAKER_01 5:33

It was Julian too, was it?

SPEAKER_00 5:35

Yeah, because Julian, that was his shot. That was his band, right?

SPEAKER_01 5:37

That was he's the one. Dog, if it wasn't, if Julian would have never, I'll never forget this. If he would have never got the sampler from Hot Topic, that's where that shit came from. And it was You Come Before You. It was a sample. Oh, I didn't even know about the other ones, yes? No, that's the only that's the first time I heard that. Nah, bro, because remember they were on Trust Kill. So no, no, but it was a DVD that Julian had got. It was a sample DVD, and it was uh You Come Before You, the the cover. So, like when you put it in, it was a DVD of that warp tour show. And they were playing that album, man. It wasn't even out yet, bro. And then it came out. What oh, and then Warp Tour, yeah, they were warp tour, and it was like Ghost Chant and those songs, and then that album came out, bro. If it wasn't for Julian talking about like this band is badass, and I was all and then after a while, I was like, man, this shit is really good, bro. And then it's like they're well that album they just dropped. I read Oh bro, it's great, man.

SPEAKER_00 6:26

I've been off this is on the way over here. Um, as a matter of fact, uh oh yeah, they're coming. ATX. Um, I I think I need to check that one out.

SPEAKER_01 6:36

I think I think it's gonna be not kill switch for me, only because I've already seen them like four times. I would like to see I saw Poison the Well only that one time, so that would be dope to see them again. And in Austin? And then there's uh oh, that's the only place they're coming, then I come to Antonio?

SPEAKER_00 6:51

Um yeah, they're coming. No, uh uh Poison the Wells only going to Austin. Yeah. Um I don't know, maybe. I don't know. Well, speaking of that, check this out. I'm gonna text you sometime. Because they let me out the house on that one. Uh Jason or what?

SPEAKER_01 7:03

Jason gonna go? Jason wants to go to Killswitch. I don't know what he wants to do yet. What about August Burns Red? I don't really fuck with them. No? Nah, check your phone real quick. I seen them though. We saw that one time, remember? Cool. And you met Jake. Oh, yeah. You were there? Yeah, we took you. We went together. For real? Yes, though. What is this, huh? What you got?

SPEAKER_00 7:28

Oh, is that one of these for me? Yeah, that's for me, you, and Jason. We're gonna go see August Burns Red, dog.

SPEAKER_01 7:35

Yeah, I'm gonna tell him today. Hopefully, I'm gonna tell him. I appreciate you, dog. Damn, thank you. Yeah, yeah. I got I got those tickets before. I'm gonna tell him today. Hopefully he's fucking he was in a bad mood this morning.

SPEAKER_00 7:44

Now, check this out. Check this out. So there's a VIP upgrade, bro, to meet Jake. And I don't know if you want to throw in for that or what, but we could go and do that too. That that's before the show.

SPEAKER_01 7:55

So that'd be badass shit. I would like to meet him. Yeah, I was gonna say, or August Burns Red, because I saw them just that one time, and I don't even think I got to see him. I think we got there late. It was like stick to your guns, August Burns Red. And uh they August Burns Red was like under though. They were like the opening act or something like that. And I didn't get to see them, and you met Jake. I remember that day because we had a you signed a ticket. I remember remember he had like a fedora and shit, yeah. The hoodie on, see? My memory's like it's crazy. I met him outside, yeah. Outside, I followed him outside. I was like, yo, Jake. Um and he had just been start already started with them, probably. He wasn't seeing for them that long yet. Yeah, because he had the other dude, remember?

SPEAKER_00 8:29

Intro seeker. That's true. Him actually doing so. I want to go meet him, bro. And you think you think X, the universe can conspire for me, and I'll on the podcast. That'd be dope. I have to ask him, right? Of course. You what do you think he's gonna say? Hell nah.

SPEAKER_01 8:46

I don't know. He seems pretty cool.

SPEAKER_00 8:49

They seem like cool cool dudes. I don't know, man. I mean, man, we're talking about my my favorite band. Yeah, that'd be dope. I mean, that other than Jake, it'd probably be like Chino. Chino, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:01

Or Johnny. Yep, that's or uh what's it called?

SPEAKER_00 9:05

The other day, remember when Leonardo? The other day, the other day, all Skylar Kroom. Dude, I I talked with him um at the show.

SPEAKER_01 9:13

Remember he was wearing a crazy hat, right or something?

SPEAKER_00 9:15

Yeah, I talked with him and I I told him, Hey man, I'm about to get a podcast. And then I said What was that like though? He's crazy, he's like smoking a joint at the end of the show, just kicking it with everybody. Um, he did a move, man, which was pretty cool when we went to go see him. Me, Xavier Gilly. Um, he just jumped off the stage right after the first song, and he just started taking pictures of everybody from right then and there. Started, you know, just chilling with everybody, and then everybody kind of just left his ass alone. I was like, that was pretty slick, bro. Exactly. So then he was just walking around the crowd, bro, which he usually kind of does. So yeah, after the show, I told him, Hey man, I'm gonna start a podcast. I said, Um, you know, do you have a manager that I could get in touch with? He said, Instagram me. I was like, Oh, I mean, you can't. That's probably that's probably the go-to, though, Instagram me, right?

SPEAKER_01 10:01

Why not? Hey, you never know, bro. People are like, especially people like E is Legend, bro, they've been around for a long time. I mean, you don't never know. They could be like, man, like we're falling off, or they don't care anymore. They're just like, yeah, I'll do it, whatever. If he went into the crowd like that and just said what's up like that, I mean, why wouldn't he come on your podcast, bro? Why not?

SPEAKER_00 10:14

Well, at the same time, you know, somebody I've I've seen all his interviews and stuff, and um, somebody did a uh a podcast with him just like on Skype, you know, and that's that video that's that's how I would assume that's how they would do it. I would I I don't know. I don't think that would. I mean, unless unless they came to San Antonio and they would just want to kick it for an hour. Gotta turn a show. Yeah, I'd be doubly dope. I mean, that would be cool. If one day, one day, this would be big enough to where it'd be worth their time to come.

SPEAKER_01 10:40

You got dog, I mean, what you're doing here is fucking dope. I think that you're definitely doing what you wanted to do. I say, why not fucking you know, shoot for the stars, bro? Do whatever you want, talk, say whatever you want. You want to go meet Jake? You want to go to August Burns Red and tell him, hey, be my podcast? Why not fucking say, dog, you know? I mean, tell him, bro. I'll be right there. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:58

Well, the other day, remember when we were at SLA Dine? You're like, Go, dog. Remember um, Tim? Tim was walking around. Oh, he was through that door, right? Dog, he's a fucking monster, dog, right? He's dog, he's that big as he's as big as that door. He's big, bro. And I'm like, oh, snap. And he's like, Go, go, dog. He's like, go, dog. You go, that's our childhood right there, bro. Go. And there was like two security guards, like, uh-uh. He was like in a door, it was like kind of closed, right? It wasn't all the way open, like what they had just played. And he was there, I think he was just like giving love to like these chicks, right? Of course, yeah, exactly. And I'm like, nah, I was like, hell nah. It looked like he was already on his way out, but um, I was just like, nah, I don't, I don't know about that. But yeah, you were telling me to go. Speaking of which, remember, dog, that one time we were at uh at the rabbit, and forever comes on, and I'm like, I'm like, lift me dog. I went. That's why that's why I'm telling you, go, because you're always the person that fucking does that shit, bro. I ain't gonna do that. So you know how forever, right? He's like, come up here and sing it with me, and everybody's going crazy, right? And I'm telling you, GJ, lift me duck. I'm like, lift me. He lifts me up, throw him up there. Doug, and I grabbed, remember I went up there and we sing it, huh? Yeah, man. That was it. And I get down that you were like, I hate you, dog. You're like and I wouldn't have been there and lift you on the dog, that was tight, man. That would dude, I'll never forget that. I remember they they played, they opened up with uh Through Struggle, everything, right?

SPEAKER_01 12:19

That was a that was a fire one. That one and the one uh sounds I don't like. I remember it was like in the in the uh parking lot. Remember that right? It was like Verizon Wireless. Yeah, with Guar. With Guar. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was Guar. It was Trivium, Trivium Fucking uh, what's the other one? The one I like, the one I like it was low though, remember? It was low because we were far, but it was like a fucking rowdy pit. Because we were outside, no? What the hell was all their mains? All their mains was there. All my shit. Trivium straight up. Oh, I said trivium already. Um, yeah, they were pissing on the crowd over there, had a dinosaur with a dick or what it was, some shit like that.

SPEAKER_00 12:53

Don't they like they took somebody apart or some shit like that?

SPEAKER_01 12:56

I don't know what they were doing, dog. Fucking Sirloin, that's a singer's name, dog. Sirloin. No, it's not or a bass player or some shit. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 13:04

Was that the show that we were at where they were like uh they were checking the mics? They were checking the mics and they were like syphilis, syphilis one, syphilis, yeah, syphilis, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:14

That's the one. Yes, dog, because they're like all foul or something. I don't know what their I don't know what their shit is, but I never jan their music. Well, they play pretty hard. They play hard though. Uh Gore? Yeah, they're used to the shredding that shit, yeah. Um what was your first show? My first show? Ever. Uh it was at Bonds? It was at Bonds. No, I mean the first show. Oh, to go?

SPEAKER_00 13:34

Yeah, you've ever been to.

SPEAKER_01 13:35

Uh I was at Bonds when that was your first show. It was uh uh stained for real? It was stained and static X at Sunken Gardens.

SPEAKER_00 13:43

Damn.

SPEAKER_01 13:44

It was probably like 99. No, I was probably like 2000, like probably 2000, like senior year maybe.

SPEAKER_00 13:50

For real? Yeah. Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_01 13:51

Maybe like I got you like I got you beat maybe like right out of high school like 2002.

SPEAKER_00 13:59

Um my first one was supposed to graduate. You know what my first one was? And there was this uh badass transition here too. Um me and Xavier, man, and Julie Limp Biscuit, bro. Oh, nice. Xavier told me, my memory sucks. Um, badass show. Um Xavier told me that DMX was supposed to be there. It was on uh was it night, was it Lotopalooza?

SPEAKER_01 14:20

I mean, what the fuck was it? Uh it was a word.

SPEAKER_00 14:22

No, it was a chocolate starfish tour.

SPEAKER_01 14:23

Oh, I thought I'm thinking of that damn uh what'd you call it? The one that was all crazy. Uh What's Doc? Yeah, what's that I know? Well, I think that's how they became well. That's when they were doing it, right? Uh DMX is with them. He was supposed to come, right, X?

SPEAKER_00 14:34

So yeah, so he was supposed to come. And he flaked out on us or whatever. So it was Gots Max and a star and like Nimbus.

SPEAKER_01 14:40

Oh, you know what's a what's a like a damn? Like we didn't get to go. There was um remember when Chester, remember when uh Lincoln Park did the whole thing with Jay-Z and they did that reanimation. Oh, yeah, yeah. And they were gonna come to Dallas, they were gonna come to Dallas or Austin. I don't know where they're coming, bro. And we were we had got tickets and we were gonna go, me, Marco, and like a bunch of people. And that's when Chester uh passed away, bro. And it was like, damn, that was one, and then the whole um that one and then Dozen Furies broke up. Like, it's always been like the what is, right? DMX would have been sick, bro, to see.

SPEAKER_00 15:09

Oh man, bro. That's one of the ones that I really, really regret.