Jesus Piece vocalist Aaron Heard acknowledges that times have changed. On the Philadelphia-based metalcore band’s current tour supporting 2023’s …So Unknown, the frontman told Boulder Weekly he doesn’t expect to see mosh pit antics quite like those from his youth.
“Back when I was coming up, them dudes were a different kind of beast. Beating the shit out of their best buds. Things were flying across the room,” he says. “There were fewer cameras then, so people were just doing crazy shit and hardcore was still for crazy people.”
But Heard, himself referred to as an “Olympic-level” mosher by Colin Young on the Hardlore Podcast, seems good-natured about the evolving state of hardcore and his own band’s expanding fanbase.
“We have a lot of new fans, a lot of younger fans. So I understand,” he says. “It's cool to get all kinds of people into the band as opposed to just the moshers.”
Fans new and old will have a chance to hear Jesus Piece’s brand of frenetic, thundering metalcore when the band appears at Denver’s Gothic Theatre on May 2 with support from Sanguisugabogg, GAG and PeelingFlesh.
Heard says he hopes Jesus Piece audiences have a multifaceted experience during their shows.
“I want people to feel scared but intrigued. I think that’s how you get stuck into this shit,” he says. “You’re like ‘I don’t know what the hell is going on. But I’m scared. But I like it?’ And then you’re there every weekend for the next 10 years.”
‘Shift and flow’
Jesus Piece drummer Luis Aponte and guitarists David Updike and John Distefano have been creating that atmosphere by delivering churning, metallic riffs arranged with explosive breakdowns ever since the band’s formation in 2015. Heard’s vocals guide the action as he barks, roars and launches call-and-response chants to cull insight from the grim realities of life.
Since the band’s prior release Only Self in 2018, 31-year-old Heard has experienced personal transformation as well.
“Becoming a father changed me,” he says. “I think I just made a conscious effort to be nicer to myself. I tried to start talking to myself better. Because, at that time, I was really self destructive. It’s good to have that responsibility to help you shift and flow into where you need to be.
“This lifestyle, when you’re touring, is pretty lawless,” he continues. “You don’t have a schedule. You don’t have many responsibilities. Having a kid makes me think about home and that’s way more grounding.”
Heard reflects this perspective with surprising tenderness on …So Unknown’s “Silver Lining”: “Nothing I won't do for you / You're my foundation / Center of my universe / It's us against the world.””
New perspective
Heard’s journey has also been defined by his diagnosis with ADHD several years into Jesus Piece’s steady rise in popularity. He says this development helped bring clarity to some longtime struggles.
“I definitely knew I was thrown off, I just didn’t know what the fuck it was,” he says. “In a song like ‘Neuroprison,’ I’m singing about having these racing thoughts. I was like, ‘I don’t know what the hell’s going on with me.’ Now I’m like, ‘Oh. It’s a mental condition.’
“It answered a lot of questions, but it also made me think, ‘Mad people got ADHD. I’m acting like it's all philosophical or something,’” he continues. “It made me feel more humanized for sure.”
Heard is finding value in this new perspective, and the skills he has developed in response, as Jesus Piece stirs up crowds from coast to coast on their current U.S. tour and prepares to support Brazilian metal icons Sepultura on European dates this fall.
“It’s good to know because it makes it easier to combat executive dysfunction and meltdowns,” he says. “I’ve learned to keep track of myself, set reminders for things. It’s helped me be a lot more organized, now that I’m aware of what’s going on. I think the band definitely appreciates it.”
‘There for you to take’
Over the last decade, Jesus Piece have honed their belligerent sound and reputation for ferocious live sets to earn a place among a proud lineage of Pennsylvania hardcore and alternative bands. Heard says it’s a badge they wear with honor.
“Over the years, Pennsylvania has pumped out some of the most influential bands to the younger generation: Title Fight, Balance and Composure, Tigers Jaw. They all had their time when they were absolutely crushing the scene,” he says. “It was all kind of happening around us and we were seeing that it’s possible to make music and get people to notice. It’s all there for you to take, you’ve just got to get it there.”
According to Heard, inclusion in this community has helped shape Jesus Piece into a heavy music force that frightens and intrigues a loyal and growing audience.
“Pride in the musicians from your state can be such a driving force,” he says. “Plus, expectations are out there now, you know? Raising the bar shows you what’s possible. It fires me up when I see people who are close to me win.”
ON THE BILL: Jesus Piece with Sanguisugabogg, GAG, and PeelingFlesh. 7 p.m. Thursday, May 2, Gothic Theatre, 3263 S. Broadway, Englewood. $25