Dead Pioneers

Formed in Denver, Colorado around Gregg Deal, Dead Pioneers has since 2020 developed a hard-edged punk rock that fuses hardcore, post-punk and spoken word, with lyrics directly tied to the visual, performative and political work of its singer. The band brings together Gregg Deal on vocals, Josh Rivera and Abe Brennan on guitars, Lee Tesche on bass and Shane Zweygardt on drums. Born from the extension of Deal's artistic projects, Dead Pioneers initially built itself as a live extension of his texts on Indigenous identity, colonialism, racism, American pop culture and class relations. A first track, "Bad Indian", marked the project's beginnings before the release of the album Dead Pioneers in 2023, initially self-produced and then reissued by Hassle Records. The band continued with Po$t American in 2025, an album that widens its range toward darker and more tense forms, followed by Wagon Burner in 2026. In this trajectory, Dead Pioneers also circulated on broader punk and rock stages, with dates in the United States and Europe, notably alongside Propagandhi, Pennywise, Comeback Kid, as well as several Pearl Jam opening gigs.