Project Overview
How do DFW metal, rock, and punk musicians use sound, performance, and digital platforms to articulate resistance within a predominantly conservative region?
Welcome! I’m Ashlyn, and I’m glad you’ve found your way here. This digital exhibit is both a research project and a personal project for me. As a communication studies researcher and an active member of the DFW metal/rock/punk community, I created this space to document the voices, performances, and digital expressions that make our scene so powerful.
DFW Riffs of Resistance explores how local musicians use sound, performance, and online platforms to speak out against fascism and political extremism. Through StoryMap entries, social media artifacts, and one in‑depth interview, this exhibit highlights the ways artists across the metroplex challenge dominant narratives and build community through their music.
I invite you to explore, listen, and move through the spaces and stories that shape the DFW scene. Thanks for being here and supporting this work.
How to engage with this digital exhibit
This exhibit is designed as a guided experience. Instead of clicking through a menu or jumping between pages, you’ll move through the project one step at a time—almost like following the “stops” of a live show or walking through an installation.
At the bottom of each page, you’ll find a button that takes you to the next part of the exhibit. Each section builds on the last, helping you move through the story in a smooth, intentional way.
Here’s how to navigate:
- Start on the homepage, where you’ll find a welcome message and a brief introduction to the project.
- Click the button at the bottom to move to the next page.
- Each new page will guide you forward—through the StoryMap, the interview, the digital media artifacts, the credits, and finally the “About the Project” page.
- Simply follow the buttons to experience the exhibit in the order it was designed.
You’re welcome to explore at your own pace, pause on sections that interest you, or revisit earlier pages at any time. But the recommended way to experience this project is to follow the sequence—letting each stop add context, depth, and meaning to the next.
Thanks for being here, and enjoy the journey through the DFW scene.
Explore the Digital Exhibit
DFW Riffs of Resistance explores how metal, rock, and punk artists across the metroplex use their platforms—on stage and online—to call out fascism and political extremism. This StoryMap blends performance clips, social media posts, and one musician interview to reveal how resistance circulates through DFW’s constellation of counter‑mainstream subcultures. Each stop highlights a band, a venue, and the digital traces of their political voice, creating a spatial narrative of sound‑driven defiance.
DFW Riffs of Resistance 