Local music scenes are special. At its best, the scene is a group of found family organically brought together through the love of music and community. Within these passionate ecosystems, you also have a network of bands from across the country that have achieved something special within their world. Some of them break out into the next level and become the next big thing. Most though, stay at the local legends. One such set of local legends is the Albuquerque punk band Left Unsaid.
Formed in the late ’90s, they got as far as getting heavy radio airplay on their region’s alternative rock station, getting support slots when major bands rolled through town, and getting higher billing than some national acts on all-day radio music festivals. They were right there, almost ready for that next leap. But, it didn’t happen.
In the new documentary, Left Unsaid: Never Ending, It’s Better This Way, guitarist and vocalist Mario Rivera tells the story of Left Unsaid through tons of never-before-seen archive footage.
Accompanying that footage are new interviews with all the major players in the Albuquerque independent music scene. While Rivera is telling the story of the Left Unsaid and their rise to local superstardom, the documentary uses the band to focus on more general themes that anyone could appreciate – friendship, loyalty, passion, DIY attitude.
Before the documentary, I had a vague idea of who Left Unsaid was because I knew their song “Dresden.” By the time the credits rolled, I felt like I was one of the uber-fans who followed their entire journey from the beginning. Rivera does an amazing job of creating a documentary that really is for anyone who’s ever rooted for the locals to shine. There is a power in building up a DIY community that is universal. This documentary is just one example of that. Honestly, if you care about independent music at all, Left Unsaid: Never Ending, It’s Better This Way should be required viewing. It’s that good.
To give us some more context about the band and about the documentary, Mario Rivera took some time to answer a few of our questions. Check out what he had to say below.
For the uninitiated, who is Left Unsaid?
Left Unsaid is a band was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the late ’90s, formed by four friends with a shared love for punk, emo, and post-hardcore music. What started as a DIY project in a small town quickly grew into something bigger. We built a loyal fan base that gave us a glimpse of what was possible, a chance to break through and become something truly special. We weren’t just making music we loved; we were creating a community, and that connection is what carried us through all these years to this day. Left Unsaid is a testament to how far friendship, dedication, and love for music can take you.
This documentary started to take form in 2020. What was the motivation to work on it?
The pandemic gave me a lot of time to reflect. I started going through old footage and realized how much footage I had captured of our band and the scene, but never really shared. Left Unsaid wasn’t just about us, it was about the incredible local scene we came from, and the relationships we built along the way. I wanted to tell that story, to show the reality of being a DIY band trying to make it and to pay tribute to the people and places that made it all possible.
One of the first things that really stuck out to me was Joe Anderson and The Launchpad. How important is it to have that level of support in the local scene?
Joe Anderson and The Launchpad rules, straight up! Having someone like Joe, who genuinely cares about the local scene and works to give bands a platform, is absolutely critical. The Launchpad wasn’t just a venue for us, it was a home. Joe believed in us, gave us opportunities, and created a space where the scene could grow. That kind of support is really hard to find. Without it, a lot of bands, including us, might never have had the chance to find their footing.
In a world where we see Blink 182, My Chemical Romance and Taylor Swift doing arena tours and selling tickets for astronomic prices, why is it so challenging to get folks to drop ten or twenty bucks to see some local bands?
It’s tough because local bands don’t have the same name recognition as those big acts. A lot of people won’t take a chance on something new unless they’re already familiar with the band or their music. Local bands are definitely underexposed, and even though those huge bands all started small, it’s easy to forget that when they’re headlining arenas now.
These days, with the internet and social media, it feels like you have to blow up online first before you can get people to come out to your shows. It’s a different game now, but the hustle is still the same. By the way, since you mentioned Blink 182, I’ve got to brag a little and say how stoked we were when we found out Tom DeLonge shared the trailer for our documentary and the link to watch it on his Instagram story. That was fucking amazing!
What are the most important steps to build a scene in a band’s respective locale? What do they need to avoid at all costs?
Building a community is key. Go to each other’s shows and support each other. It’s an awesome feeling being part of a rad scene and to see everyone grow together.
What to avoid? Pay to play gigs! [Laughs]
As a band who really went through the ups and downs and were right on the cusp of breaking into a much different stratosphere, do you have any words of advice or encouragement for bands out there grinding right now?
Keep grinding, but don’t lose sight of why you’re doing it. This industry isn’t easy if you’re trying to make a career out of it, but you never know what can happen. Just have fun with it and enjoy the process. I mean, look at me here 20 years later, and I’m still making music and touring. It’s not my career, but I’m grateful and super stoked I can still do it. It’s just like they say in skateboarding, you didn’t quit skating because you got old, you got old because you quit skating, [Laughs] Hell yeah!
While working on the documentary and watching back clips of your younger selves, what’s your fondest memory and also your biggest regret related to the early days of the band?
My fondest memory is playing our own sold-out shows at the Launchpad and just hearing the crowd singing our songs back to us loud as fuck, it was so rad! My biggest regret is not communicating better as a band. We were young, passionate, and sometimes stubborn, and I think that led to decisions that maybe weren’t the best.
Aside from the documentary, Left Unsaid also released some new music. What’s the new song and how did it feel creating new material again?
Yeah, after 20 years, we wrote a new song together called “Wormwood.” We basically took it back to our roots with this one and it was fun to do with the boys again. Go and check it out!
Did you get bit by the new music bug, or was this a one-off thing?
Yeah, we thought it would be rad to come back with something new and exciting to go along with the documentary. Who knows, we might keep writing more music. There are definitely ideas floating around.
How has your approach to writing music changed since the “Bottle Rocket” and “Dresden” days?
Well, to start off, we all live in different states now, so it’s not like the old days when we’d all be in a room together jamming and writing. Now, it’s a lot of FaceTime and sending project files back and forth. The whole process is different, but it’s pretty amazing how technology lets us still make it happen. It’s wild what you can do now and it rules!
Where do fans of the band and folks interested in the DIY punk band turn to get access to this documentary?
It’s available now on Amazon Prime Video! Just search for Left Unsaid, Never Ending, It’s Better This Way and it’ll show up!
Looking back at the entire history of the band, is there anything you think you would’ve done differently?
I wish we had taken more risks and believed in ourselves a bit more. There were opportunities we hesitated on, and looking back, I think we should’ve just jumped in. I also think we could’ve communicated better as a band and been more open with each other. But in the end, every decision we made led us to where we are now, and honestly, none of us would change a thing!
Any last words?
First off, a huge thank you to Bearded Gentlemen Music for having me, I really appreciate it! Also, a massive thanks to everyone who’s supported us over the years and continues to do so. Please, support your local music scene! To all the bands out there grinding, keep going! You just never know how much your music could affect someone. And just a quick self-plug, please check out my other two bands, Nights Like Thieves and Ikana, we’re both on all the social media and streaming things on the interwebs. Thanks for reading, much love!