Nerve Hooks delivers hardcore punk as an outlet to release anger, build community, and give other bands the opportunities they once needed themselves.
Check out the full interview below:
The Inland Empire band is comprised of Owen on guitar and vocals, Danny on guitar, Richard on bass, and Josh on drums. Together, they describe their sound as heavy, catchy, fast, and fueled by what Owen calls “righteous anger.”
“We individually, collectively as a community, and as a nation have a lot to be angry about right now,” Owen said. “It really comes alive at our shows when I’m yelling and talking about the things that make me the maddest I could ever be, and people are right there with us in the crowd.”
Their sound combines hardcore punk, thrash, metal, and catchy songwriting, shaped by four members with drastically different musical backgrounds. Their influences range from Metallica, Bad Religion, and System of a Down to Radiohead, Tame Impala, Ceremony, Angel Du$t, Slint, and early Beartooth.
That mix has helped Nerve Hooks develop a sound that feels aggressive without losing its sense of fun.
A Band Born on Craigslist
Nerve Hooks started on Craigslist, similar to This Is A Revolver, a band we interviewed a few months ago.
Owen had recently finished school and was searching for a band when he found an ad posted by Danny and the group’s earlier members.
“In one word, Craigslist,” Owen said when asked how the band formed.
The lineup continued to evolve from there. Owen later recruited Josh after hearing him play drums in another band with Owen’s then-girlfriend, now wife.
Josh had only ten days to learn the entire set before joining Nerve Hooks for a weekend run of shows.
“My friend texted me and said, ‘My boyfriend’s band needs a drummer, and they have a show in ten days. Do you think you can learn the whole set?’” Josh recalled. “I was like, all right, let me try.”
Apparently, he passed the world’s most stressful audition.
Richard joined more recently after spending roughly ten years away from performing live. The opportunity to play bass with Nerve Hooks gave him the chance to return to the stage.
“It’s been cool playing live again,” Richard said. “I really wanted to get back into it, so I jumped at the opportunity.”
The Name Nobody Voted Against
The name Nerve Hooks also emerged through a highly sophisticated creative process involving Facebook Messenger and a list of surgical instruments.
Owen had recently joined the earliest version of the band and wanted to contribute a name. After the group exchanged several bad ideas, he searched for surgical instruments and suggested Nerve Hooks.
“It’s not that everyone voted yes on the name,” he said. “No one voted no.”
The name stuck.
“It was the best name that we came up with that wasn’t already taken,” the band joked.
Songs Built for the Crowd
The band’s favorite songs to perform reveal how much Nerve Hooks values audience interaction.
Owen chose “Dirt Nap,” the song where he regularly crowd surfs and, according to him, gets dropped almost every time.
“It’s easy for people to sing with us,” he said. “We invite the whole crowd up onstage, and we have a lot of fun.”
Danny and Josh both enjoy playing “Get Away,” particularly because of its chant and memorable guitar parts. Richard chose “Fixture,” partly because he controls the tempo and can push the song as fast as possible.
That physical energy is central to the band’s identity. Nerve Hooks does not simply rehearse its songs. The band practices how to perform them.
According to Owen, bands should think about transitions, movement, crowd interaction, and what happens between each song.
“Know your songs, but practice putting on a good show,” he said. “It’s not nerdy, and it’s not corny to practice performing.”
That preparation has helped Nerve Hooks grow from a nervous first show into a band capable of commanding rooms such as the Viper Room.
During their first performance, Owen had unexpectedly taken over vocals after the band’s original singer left one week before the show.
“About fifteen seconds into the first song, I remember thinking, get me the fuck off this stage,” he said. “I wasn’t meant to be the singer.”
Meanwhile, Danny performed that first show wearing sunglasses in a dark room because he had pink eye at the Eagle’s Nest Saloon in Lawndale, CA. Check out the throwback clip below:
Creating Opportunities in the Inland Empire
Nerve Hooks has also become increasingly involved in organizing shows throughout the Inland Empire.
The band created the IE Alt Punk concert series to highlight local artists and later expanded its efforts with Nerve Fest, a nine band festival centered on the region’s punk community.
One of Owen’s most meaningful memories came when he walked into Rowdy’s in Rancho Cucamonga for the first IE Alt Punk show and realized people had actually shown up.
“I remember thinking, fuck, there are people here,” he said. “It felt big to me. We were doing something that wasn’t just for our own egos. We were helping other people get shows and putting something together.”
The band has booked acts ranging from established local groups to young musicians struggling to find opportunities. One show featured Cat Rat, a sibling band whose members were only 13 and 11 years old. Nerve Fest also included Waiting Room, a band whose members had recently finished high school and were having difficulty getting booked.
“It felt good to be in a position to give other people opportunities,” Owen said.
The band also completed a run of six shows in six weeks across the Inland Empire. Rather than immediately focusing on touring outside the region, Nerve Hooks believes there is value in building a strong foundation at home.
“There is a lot of potential in working the area that you live in and growing something meaningful there,” Owen said. “There’s more longevity to building a real base and community relationships.”
Touring remains part of the band’s future, although the immediate goal is to continue strengthening the Inland Empire scene.
Learning to Perform Through the Fear
When asked what advice they would give newer bands, Nerve Hooks kept it simple.
“The only way to get through it is to get through it,” Owen said. “Stop thinking about the best way to do it, what you need to buy, or who you need to meet. Just do it.”
Danny encouraged musicians to treat shows like rehearsals and trust the work they have already put in. Josh advised performers to avoid testing unpracticed ideas for the first time onstage.
The band also emphasized the importance of reaching out to other musicians rather than pretending to have everything figured out.
“We like to look big, bad, and professional on Instagram, but we’re figuring it out,” Owen said. “If you hit us up because you’re figuring it out too, we’re going to work together.”
Still Searching for Their Best Song
Nerve Hooks has already played recognizable venues, organized festivals, built a local following, and developed a stable lineup, yet the band still believes it is at the beginning.
“As much as it feels like we’ve accomplished in the last couple years, it also feels like we’re just getting started,” Owen said.
The members hope to continue refining their sound, reaching larger audiences, and eventually playing venues such as the Hollywood Bowl.
For now, their focus remains on creating better music, delivering stronger live shows, and helping the Inland Empire punk scene grow alongside them.
“I think anyone would be foolish to say they stopped looking for their sound and stopped looking for their best song,” Owen said. “I really feel like we’re just getting started.”
Nerve Hooks released “Birth Is a Death Sentence” on August 14. The band also sells CDs and encourages listeners without a CD player to skip the big box stores and find one at a thrift shop instead.
Because nothing says hardcore punk like keeping obsolete physical media alive through Goodwill.
Follow them below:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nervehooks/
About C² (Christy + Chris)
Concert lovers turned creators. Highlighting creators, bands, stories, sounds, and places you need to know.
Disarray Magazine is an independent media platform established in 2009, spotlighting rap, R&B, punk, hardcore, alternative culture, live music, food, nightlife, and the chaos in between. Created by journalist Christy Buena, C² exists to document the bands, people, and moments shaping the scene.
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