Posted: by The Alt Editing Staff
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Photo by Jamie Rice
When America’s political and moral divides deepen and “We the people” bends toward “We the power,” the public clutches onto media figures. The common people desperately latch onto the hope that their favorite athletes, socialites, singers and so forth may provide the consolation and leadership needed to restore foundations of community and justice.
Historically, musicians have championed this calling, delivering some of the most profound demonstrations of advocacy through song, from Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi,” to N.W.A.’s “F*ck Tha Police.” In the modern era of music however, the spirit of unity and creative autonomy has been largely lost to half-assed Instagram story posts and proclamations of “abstaining from politics” (a.k.a. sheltering in their own silence).
It’s grassroots acts like Daisy Grenade that propel the principles of art and expression forward, mustering the strength to push their values through the noise, even if the public only hears whispers. Leading ladies Dani Nigro and Keaton Whittakker take great pride in having begun their project with intentional artistry and activism.
The pop-punk duo, breaking through the bustle of Brooklyn, NY, makes music for the monstrous feminine. The girls question “Does anybody know how to hide a body?” in cheerfully catchy choruses or demand their subject “Bite my tongue/Fill my mouth with blood” while clothed in babydoll dresses and charm bracelets. For the girlies who grew up blasting Avril Lavigne or who wish Olivia Rodrigo would get a little bit angrier, Daisy Grenade is a natural supplement.
Although the girls veer sonically onto paths of alt-pop and pop-rock, winning over the hearts of genre pallbearers Fall Out Boy and Pierce the Veil, their psyche is authentically punk. They’re not afraid to shout in the face of injustice, as seen in rowdy benefit shows so uproarious they were forcibly shut down by police. As Whittakker puts it, “Rock music specifically is a culture born from political unrest. If you call yourself a punk and abstain from ‘political conversations’ while the western hemisphere descends into fascism, you’re not a punk, and frankly, I do not f*ck with you!”
Showing up and speaking up have been ingrained in the band’s M.O. since their first official gig in 2021— a fundraiser to support the opening of Dave’s Lesbian Bar in Astoria, Queens. The venue operates as a mutual aid space by day and a live entertainment bar by night. Crediting Dave’s Lesbian Bar with introducing them to their first real fans, Nigro says, “Community safety and political awareness have always been the biggest parts of the ethos of this band. I’m extremely grateful for the platform we’ve been given to be able to speak on pressing issues. Music and art have the ability to change hearts, minds, and futures.”
As the band grew, adapting their ethics to touring was of the utmost priority. To make effective motions in individual cities, the girls educate themselves on prominent local issues and the changemakers confronting them. Whittakker stresses, “We’ve put a huge emphasis on organizing and fundraising locally, because we believe that’s where we can make the biggest impact. Electoral politics will not save us, so we must engage at a local level.”
Last November, the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) faced a significant cut in funding, which happened to align with a stint of Daisy Grenade shows. Stomping on the gas, the girls raced to join forces with Let’s Give A Damn. By way of QR codes on the merch table and carving out time during a performance to highlight and relate the organization to their fans, the duo raised over $4,000 for SNAP benefits across 4 shows on the run.
Their special trick for inciting action— explaining the efforts of a particular cause as a lead into a relevant song on the setlist. Most of the time, the instigative fan-favorite, “Riot,” is used to ignite a call to action. Nigro and Whittakker may just be the first in their craft to uncover a positive correlation between headbanging and fundraising.
For their last benefit show of 2025, the girls opted for a different tactic— swapping rage for revue. They resurrected their music theater backgrounds into a cabaret-style evening at Joe’s Pub in NYC, fittingly titled Daisy Grenade Does Whatever the F*ck They Want. The sold-out event raised $1,000 for its philanthropic partner, The Audre Lorde Project, which provides leadership and wellness services for people of color who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, Two-spirit, transgender or gender nonconforming in the NYC area.
To Daisy Grenade, the new year prompts new opportunities to outdo their own efforts. On their upcoming headline tour, they’ll donate $1 from every ticket sale to the nonprofit of cherished collaborator Let’s Give A Damn. Furthermore, a portion of streaming proceeds from their most recent release, an adrenalized rendition of No Doubt’s “Hella Good,” will be allocated to The Center for Reproductive Rights.
When it was brought to the girl’s attention that the cover’s release date aligned with nationwide “ICE out” strikes, the band issued a statement affirming they would refrain from promotion until the next day. They then encouraged fans to participate in the protest to the best of their abilities. Nigro reiterates, “Using your platform to mobilize people locally and nationally is absolutely imperative at this time.”
Scaling to Daisy Grenade’s level of engagement might intimidate artists implementing activism for the first time. The duo validates fears surrounding publicly vocalizing one’s beliefs— they’ve confronted it too, but stand in spiked pink boots on the belief that even the smallest act of empowerment is a valuable start. Whittakker presses, “We all need to do the work to move past that fear. Lead with love, understand that every voice has power, and you can change the world one small step at a time.”
Nigro continues, “We really don’t make money— we make enough to continue touring and then we work our day jobs to (kind of) pay our bills, and then we fundraise & donate. There are artists far larger than us who choose NOT to do that, and I hope we begin to see more artists on board for activism, because we need everyone.”
Swinging between extremes in true Daisy Grenade fashion, Whittakker contrasts the band’s compassionate consolation with a cautionary assertion. Closing on a mic drop, she speaks to both the soles atop media platforms and the hands propping them up: “If you can’t access your empathy and engage with your own privilege enough to feel a need to do something about it, you have a lot of work to do.”
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Emma Ehrhard