What started as a group of friends hanging out and making noise has grown interested Gunpoint, a rez-born band finding its voice through heavy music and live shows.

Gunpoint grew out of the kind of moments most rez kids know well — long hangs, shared music and the feeling of wanting something bigger.

For members Chavo Ventura, Dereck Mendez, Ju:ki Patricio and Drake Patricio, that meant picking up whatever instruments they had and turning loose jam sessions into actual songs.

It wasn’t planned or polished; it was rez kids creating something real together, piece by piece, until it became a band, with Ventura providing vocals, Mendez playing guitar, Ju:ki Patricio on bass and Drake Patricio on drums.

“We always (messed around) with the same music,” said Ventura. “We had the instruments, but we never took anything too serious.”

Drummer Drake Patricio already had a kit, and Mendez picked the guitar back up after years away.

Everyone fell into the role that made sense.

The push to pick a band name didn’t happen until fellow rez band Thamju asked the group to join them for a show.

They threw out all kinds of ideas — funny, random, chaotic — until Gunpoint stuck.

It didn’t need a long explanation; it just worked.

Their first show on the Tohono O’odham Nation was last-minute, but people still came out.

Their Tucson show hit differently: the crowd moved, kicking dust into the air as people reacted to their sound.

That’s when things started shifting.

But for most of the group, the big moment came when they played a show outside Arizona.

“The first time we went out of state, that’s when I felt like, okay… we’re actually a band,” Mendez said.

Gunpoint talks a lot about community support — seeing family at shows, spotting someone wearing their merch, hearing people say, “You’re from T.O., right? You’re in that band?”

For them, that’s the core of everything: representing where they come from and making space for more Native bands to show up.

Their sound is heavy and thrashy, but they grew up around more than just metal — juggalos, gangster music, local rap and the mixes common in rez households.

“Almost every rez kid grew up with aunties and uncles listening to that kind of stuff,” Ventura said.

It all shows up in their songwriting. Their first original song, “Blood Soaked Windshield,” addresses drunk driving and fatal crashes that affect many families on the rez. Ventura said the title reflects the aftermath of those tragedies.

“All Gone” is dedicated to loved ones who’ve passed on, a song for the people they miss.

Then there’s “40 Unit One,” a track inspired by getting tossed around at Insane Clown Posse concerts and written as a nod to “all the rez kids wearing Chucks,” referring to Chuck Taylor shoes.

Their favorite show so far took place in New Mexico, where they played inside a boxing ring at a Native American hardcore festival. The band said they received immediate support from larger acts in the Navajo and New Mexico scene.

“Hearing that they (connected) with us heavily was cool,” Ventura said. “Getting support out of state meant a lot.”

Gunpoint shared a message aimed at the rez kids standing in the back — the ones who want to make music but feel shy or unsure.

“Don't be scared. Do what you want.”

“You can hide behind your black hoodie, but we notice you.”

“Speak up. Share what you’re feeling. Go do something.”

Gunpoint isn’t trying to be something they’re not; they’re showing what’s possible when rez kids decide to try.

Trinity Norris is the founder of O’odham Media and has a master's degree from the University of Arizona in Global Media Studies.

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