Texas bands bringing back Alternative Rock to the local scene

By Adrienne Bast

Local Music Journalist

With so many subgenres of alternative rock, it is no wonder that many local bands have been shaped by the sounds of the genre with their own personal, unique touches. With rock being around, arguably, since the 50s artists, such as Chuck Berry, took influence from the earlier form of the genre, blues. It later became alternative rock once the softer sounds of 70s rock became heavier due to the introduction of metal. Many amazing bands started in Texas before becoming big names in the music industry such as Pantera, Toadies, Butthole Surfers, Drowning Pool, Fastball and Flyleaf. Texas continues to be one of the main contributors of new upcoming rock bands to this day.

Alternative rock bands have blown up in the local scene, specifically, such as Sap, Max Diaz and Olive Vox. Some of which have gone on tour with bands from other states. A lot of their sounds have stemmed from the familiar feel of 90s and early 2000s rock bands such as Nirvana and Soundgarden and more indie/alternative bands such as The Strokes, Death Cab for Cutie, The Killers etc.

Sap, formed in Austin back in 2022, has grown in popularity since their first single release, “Kiss My Kitty Cat” back in Feb. 2023. It was a hit on their TikTok account reaching 10k likes before the song was even released on music streaming platforms. They released their first full album Lard Baby in the summer of 2023, which has been my favorite album release of the year so much so that I bought the CD. With heavy influence from the grunge era of the 90s, Sap blesses its listeners’ ears with lyrics that bring dark undertones and raw emotional vocals.

Their fan base stretches beyond the locality of Texas, with so many fans from other states that they are now on tour around the country with another grunge band, The Jins from California. Even though they are busy touring, they are still busting out new jams like their new single release “Bleed In The Sun” which came out Feb. 15. When it came out, I couldn’t get enough, along with their other new single “Ginger Minge.” It reminded me a bit of Nirvana’s song “Aneurysm” with Evan Fundora imbodying Kurt Cobain’s more funky vocals. Set to be back to performing in Texas by the end of the year, make sure to keep up with their performance schedule and new releases by following them on Instagram @sapstinkss.

Max Diaz is another alternative rock artist from Austin who takes influence from punk rock and mixes it with modern sounds from indie artists such as Mac Demarco. He has gained a large following on Spotify with 78.6k monthly listeners and his latest release is a beautiful rendition of Mac Demarco’s “Chamber of Reflection” but embellished it up more with a distorted, heavier sound common with alternative rock music. His performances are fun, energetic and interactive, especially his performance of “Cowboy Cult,” having the crowd respond to his screaming of “Cowboy!” with “Cult!”.

Like Sap, Max Diaz is doing a U.S. tour with his first gig happening at Rubber Gloves Studio in Denton on April 20th. To keep up with concert dates follow Max Diaz on Instagram and other social media platforms @themaxdiaz.

Alternative rock continued to bloom in the early 2000s and 2010s will hits like Cage the Elephants’ “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” and “Come a Little Closer” and Incubus’ “Drive.” Songs and bands like these have made their impact on up-and-coming bands, specifically Olive Vox from Dallas. Olive Vox is a band making headway in Dallas’s local scene, even appearing at this year’s Grammys. At their concert in November, they blew the audience away with an amazing rendition of a Cage the Elephant’s song, giving it an edgier more punk feel. The brothers, Parker James and Caden Shea, and the rest of the talented young band have garnered a large following on Spotify with 14k plus followers.

They just released a new single “Carefree World” along with “All My Friends Are Dead” on Feb. 9. Olive Vox is touring with a TikTok influencer turned music producer, Caroline Carr, making their debut collaboration in the heart of Texas. They’re headed to local venues and performing in Austin at the Mohawk on March 6. Their Instagram and other social media platforms @olive.vox, post updated schedules of upcoming shows and releases.

With the alternative and indie music scene gaining popularity with present-day music enjoyers and makers, Texas local bands have helped push out new music with listeners from all over the country. Keep this music alive and help support our local bands by streaming their music and going to shows in your area.