HUNTER WINSTEAD

***“Don’t do something just so you have a slogan to yell and a flag to fly, because when your falsehood comes to light, then you make the true believers look like fools.”***

Hey, I’m Hunter. I play bass in Torture and keyboards in Draped In Black. You may also know me from Glass Killing Floor, Strict, or my record store Catch-All Records.

What was the moment or experience that first pushed you toward veganism?
I distinctly remember the exact day and place it happened. August 7th, 2015 at The Foundry in Lakewood, OH. First day of tour filling in for Lowered A.D., day of the show xBishopx hops on and opens the show!? What a way to start a tour. This was my first time really getting to chat with Mean Pete (RIP) and Shane because they had pamphlets for their Green Panther Press. At this point I was already vegetarian for 4 years and I remember both of them asking me “what the fuck is stopping you from being vegan?” (probably very slightly paraphrasing here) and my answer being so pathetic that I didn’t want to give up cheese. Took the internal oath right then and there and never looked back.

Did your path into veganism come before or after getting into hardcore / straight edge?
Veganism yes, vegetarianism no. I was definitely still very deep in the brutal death metal scene and just discovering that hardcore wasn’t what I originally thought it was at age 16 when I went vegetarian. Straight edge on the other hand I immediately adopted the second I discovered it. I don’t know if I’d even heard any of the hardcore songs about it at that point.

Was there a specific band, record, or scene influence that opened that door for you?
The members of xBishopx quite literally kicked open the door to veganism for me, but there were also a small group of vegan straightedge people in my local scene of Evansville, IN. I also can’t understand the influence Harms Way had on me. The band that opened my mind to hardcore because it was so death metal influenced AND straightedge.

How did your friends, family, or local scene react when you made that shift?
Thankfully I had plenty of likeminded friends and even the ones that weren’t only had lighthearted prodding at most. My family still doesn’t quite get it even a decade later, though they try their hardest to wrap their head around veganism.

For you, how connected are veganism and straight edge—are they inseparable or distinct choices?
They’re completely separate yet create a whole. Straightedge is for me and me alone, while veganism is for everything around me, the planet we inhabit and the animals that populate it.

How do you respond to people in the scene who embrace one but not the other?
I strongly urge everyone to be vegan and strongly judge those who break. Straightedge on the other hand is something that I take seriously for myself, but some people are truly insufferable with how their brain is naturally wired and if something in moderation helps them, then good for them.

What role did the hardcore/metal scene play in shaping your beliefs?
The music itself shaped my beliefs in religion, society, politics, etc before the scene did, but when discovering the scene of each it was nice to realize I wasn’t alone in my beliefs and values.

Do you feel like the scene today is more or less aligned with vegan values than when you started?
It’s strange, I feel like the amount of edge bands has skyrocketed in the last year or so with a bunch of the newer generation finally starting their first bands, while the amount of vegan bands and rhetoric seems like it’s fading away a little, at least over here in the states.

What kind of impact do you hope your band has on listeners?
With Torture, I hope people who might uninitiated come away with a new perspective on humanitarian and political causes, and that we may be their first step to seeking the truth on issues they either weren’t aware of or had no prior interest in learning about.
Have you ever heard from someone who changed because of your music?
Over the last two years I’ve definitely had numerous lengthy discussions at the Torture merch table with people of all ages, race, religion, background, etc about how the band either opened up their world view or made them feel validated. I also had similar experiences when Glass Killing Floor was a band with people telling me that GKF was what made them go vegan. Any time this happens, it’s always the highlight of my day.

Do you think music can genuinely shift people’s behavior, or just reinforce existing beliefs?
Both. I remember the world pre and post 9/11, and how much changed in the 5 years that followed. My little Midwest town, like most across the country, became accentually patriotic and that was kind of just the new social norm. As a young child I just went along with it, but then when I found music outside of top 40 radio, System Of A Down and Rage Against The Machine were the two that I gravitated toward the most, both musically and lyrically. Those are bands that fully shifted my behavior and begin to question authority and society at large. Years later, I would be listening to straight edge or vegan bands and feel validation in the lyrics. It all really depends on when the message hits you and what your stance is when you hear it.

Do you see veganism as inherently political?
No. In my opinion it is an inherently ethical principle that in turn could (and should) inform your politics.

How do you balance music with direct action or activism, if at all?
Music is most often the vessel that allows myself and others to partake in activism. Touring gives me the opportunity to meet and discuss with people all across the country about countless topics, but veganism is one that is constantly reoccurring.

What keeps you committed when it gets difficult or isolating?
I’m already a rather isolation preferred person so I’ve never felt isolated or pressured to change or break.

Where do you see the vegan / straight edge movement going in the next decade?
Veganism in the United States has become infinitely more accessible over the last decade, I hope the same can be said for the next as well. When Torture toured the UK last fall, I quickly realized that the US is still so far behind in many ways, so I’m trying to stay optimistic about the near future.

What would you say to someone on the fence about embracing these ideas?
Just fucking do it. It took a motivational talk that was near borderline bullying for me to fully open my eyes to veganism. Go watch some documentaries, read some zines, go volunteer at your local animal sanctuary, and then go look at your plate and really think about it deep down.
As for straightedge, you either get it or you don’t. Don’t fake the funk and claim OR break to fit in.

Final Thoughts:

First band that made you think differently:
System Of A Down.

A lyric you’ve written (or heard) that still hits hardest:
Every word of “The Discipline” and “New Ethic” by Earth Crisis

One misconception about vegan straight edge:
That we’re ALL elitist assholes.

One non-negotiable value when being vegan / straight edge:
Sincerity. I think this goes beyond XVX, and should apply to most everything in this world. Don’t do something just so you have a slogan to yell and a flag to fly, because when your falsehood comes to light, then you make the true believers look like fools.

One thing the scene needs to do better:
Saving the best for last huh? I will save the readers from the essay length scene soapbox talk I would love to go on, but I will say this;
Befriend and nurture the newest additions to your scene.
Show them the ropes and loosely guide them through your local scene’s history, similar to ancestors passing down history through oral tradition. If you outright disregard the new generation, they can and often will do everything in their power to defy you, and the iPad kid/TikTok generations unfortunately have an overwhelming need to be morality police and simultaneously think ruining peoples lives is funny and a meme, so they will say and spread lies because the end justifies their means (usually engagement farming on social media).
Let them know that the internet isn’t real, but that the repercussions from acting foolish on there can be.