A new wave
Growing up, Dominic was an upbeat, extroverted child. At the time, he had little interest in music. He casually listened to mainstream pop music — a couple of Eminem songs and Ninja Turtle soundtracks.
“He was great, the best boy ever,” Dominic’s father, Philip Michael Minneti II said. “He was sweet and kind. One word to describe him would [be] considerate.”
As he transitioned from elementary school to middle school, the COVID-19 pandemic led to virtual learning, and Dominic began to experience mental health challenges. His grades started to drop and he felt disconnected from himself and his identity.
“I was taking influence from [different friend groups,]” Dominic said. “I was [asking myself,] ‘is this what I want to be?’ And that culminated into [a] weird blend where I wasn’t myself at all.”
The summer before eighth grade, Dominic found identity through music when his father introduced him to his favorite movie and album, “Pink Floyd: The Wall.” After years of adapting to those around him, he said the music connected him to who he was.
“[At first] he was pretty appalled; he didn’t like it,” Philip Minneti said. “A few months later, we watched it again and he was like ‘wait a second, I get it.’ He became obsessed with Pink Floyd. It took him from one band to another till [eventually he reached] ‘5000’ of them, it’s ridiculous.”
In April 2024, Dominic decided to start a band. It was initially named Patagonicus, but because of creative differences between band members, Patagonicus fell apart. In the same month, Dominic decided to rebrand Patagonicus as Gator, becoming his solo project for a short time.
The formation of the band was by chance. In July, a stranger from the local music group chat shared an Instagram story from a promoter in need of an opening act for an upcoming metal show — headliners: Esophagus.
“They’re big in the slam scene,” Dominic said. “They were big enough [to] help us if we could open [for them.]”
Having two members and a logo, they reached out to the promoter assuming they weren’t going to get a reply. To their surprise, the promoter responded with the chance for them to open for the show.
With the opportunity in their hands, they were in search of two other members to begin making music. That July, the remaining members joined — guitarist Nathan Trevino and drumist Alex Sanchez, also known as ‘Alfredo’.
“When they got their first show announced, it was like ‘holy cow, they got something going on,’” Philip Minneti said. “He’s done something that I’ve never done before.”
Now that the members were established, they had to prepare a 15-minute setlist before their first show in October that year. Dominic said that coming up with a single riff led to the creation of a whole song. When he first started making music, it would take him one night to create one song; now he’s able to produce songs within two hours.
“He would have sleepless nights,” Philip Minneti said. “In the morning at 5-5:30 a.m. he was still up [while I got ready for work.] He [told me that he was up making] songs all night.”
Around 30 people filled the theater during their first show at the Haltom Theater in Haltom City, Texas. Originally, they were to play alongside Esophagus, but a last-minute tour bus broke down, leaving Dominic’s band to become the sole act that night.
“They performed well and sounded good,” Ballas said. “[I hope that] he keeps pursuing music and keeps trying.”
Concluding their first show, Dominic described the night as nerve-wracking but fun.
“Holden and I would get too nervous to talk, and so [we] would pass the [microphone] back and forth,” Dominic said. “There were multiple times [where] we played a song and we [announced to the crowd,] ‘We messed up.’”
As the band continued playing together, Dominic said that they had given him motivation and confidence, such as interacting with promoters and venues.
“His networking, it’s incredible,” Philip Minneti said. “[He’s] always had friends and close friends, [but now] he’s got hundreds of people that he’s in contact with almost daily [through music.] It’s become a way of life for [him].”
Gator has currently played eleven shows so far, becoming more comfortable on stage each time.
“I try to remove a bit of emotion [while playing,]” Dominic said. “A lot of the nervousness came from the first show, [so by the second show] I go [on stage] and look at it as a job. My job is to entertain the audience.”
Outside of performing, his father has played a key role in supporting him with moving forward while encouraging his musical and personal growth. He participated in mosh pits and crowd surfs at one of their shows.
“I’m Uncle Phil to [Gator’s,]” Philip Minneti said. “[Seeing him on stage,] I couldn’t believe it was happening. [During] the first couple shows, watching him, [I thought] he looked like a veteran rock star.”
As Dominic continues to grow as a musician, he said he hopes to venture more into folk music using classical guitar, hoping to mix thrash metal, a subgenre of heavy metal, with shoegaze, a subgenre of indie rock. Through his lyrics, he hopes to focus on themes of mental health and his past struggles.
“This project [was] something that I wanted to start for [the longest time,]” Dominic said. “I want it to connect with people. I want my music to be upbeat, but tell a story that can move someone.”
On Oct. 17, his band Gator released their debut album, “Gator – Man Eater,” and is available for streaming and downloading on all digital platforms. As Dominic looks toward the future, he sees music as a creative outlet and a continued source of purpose.
“Music helped me find myself,” Dominic said. “[With the exposure] from my dad, he’d always shown me music. It morphed me into who I am today and who I want to be.”