Toxic Authority, spearheading the Denver punk scene, is spreading punk rock across the southwest. The Denver-based punk rock band recently announced “A Trip To Save The Southwest” tour on Feb. 2.
Originally from California, founding member Ike Sanchez (guitar and vox) moved to Colorado shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic. Lovers of punk rock across the Front Range couldn’t be more grateful.
“As soon as I turned 18, I moved to Denver, and had to get a band together. Now, here are these guys,” said Sanchez.
Bassist Luca Aparicio and drummer Trentin Martinez make up the rest of the three-piece punk group.
“I was working at a music school over on Broadway, and some mutual friends went ahead and let me know that somebody was looking for a drummer. [Sanchez] auditioned a couple drummers, and I guess I stood out,” said Martinez.
The band added Aparicio, who won their personal “America’s Got Talent audition contest” over multiple other bassists, after former member Jerimiah Kachersky left Toxic Authority to attend to personal matters. To this day, Kachersky is still considered an honorary fourth member of the band. Aparicio, however, was part of the Toxic Authority “lore” long before he even auditioned for them.
“Before we ever met Luca, he was in photos at our D-Park [Denver Skate Park] show back in August. He was actually a big part of our last D-Park show. My microphone kept breaking, and this guy stood there for like an hour and just held my microphone. I didn’t even know him yet,” shared Sanchez.
Aparicio, who’s still in high school, simply started as one of the kids in the scene.
“Some of my greatest friends I’ve made today are just random people who, if I had no one else to go to a show with, I’d just say like, ‘Hey you want to come?’ It’s completely changed their lives coming to shows,” said Aparicio. “It’s definitely something that everyone needs to experience and it could, and probably will, change your life for the better.”
As the Denver punk scene continues to grow substantially, Martinez and the rest of Toxic Authority are happy to be at the forefront of the underground scene that’s molding into something huge.
“The thing is, a lot of kids right now need a third place to spend their time and play music. I see younger kids who go to my old high school and I’m just like, ‘wow.’ I realize we’re doing something here,” said Martinez. The group was featured on Denver 7 last August, and has gained popularity among punks in Denver.
“It’s really awesome. We’re so stoked that people are starting to give us a little bit of credit and check us out a lot more in the Denver scene,” Sanchez said. “They’re freakin’ making our biggest dreams happen.”
Toxic Authority goes on tour across the Southwest with Radiofry in March. They can be seen March 5 at Thrash Zone in Cheyenne, Wyo. They will be in Albuquerque, N.M. on the 7 at Blackwall Gallery. Their next New Mexico show is at The Mod in Shiprock the following day, March 8. On March 11 they head to Groundworks in Tucson, Ariz. They play March 12 at Dinos Hideaway in Farmington, N.M.
The band returns to Denver on March 13 at the HQ which is an album release listening party for their upcoming album, “God Save The Worst.” They will then head to Salt Lake City on the 14 for a show at Garf Artfunkel House. They will finish the tour in Colorado Springs at Thrashers Bar on March 20.
