Hardcore Punk ideals, mixed with melodic and melancholic songwriting.
Texas is the Reason is what many would consider to be one of the most influential bands of the “Second Wave” Emo scene. Coming out of New York City, the band became a sensation in the underground quickly after forming in 1994 and with their first EP “If It’s Here When We Get Back It’s Ours” in 1995 they exploded across the nation. Their influence grabbed hold hard in the flourishing midwestern Emo scenes and quickly rose to become the next big band after Sunny Day Real Estate. In 1996 the band solidified their spot in emo history with the release of their seminal, and only, album “Do You Know Who You Are?” which many consider to be a true cornerstone of what the sound of 90s emo truly is. The fun didn’t last forever though, as tensions began to rise in the band due to increased stress from the newfound fame and inner turmoils the band ended things on a high note with what the band called an “awesome” show in Bielefeld, Germany and broke up at the end of their first European tour. And so was “the end” Texas is the Reason; except for a 10-year anniversary show in 2006, and a short reunion tour in 2013, and a 20-year anniversary in 2016. Until…
On March 3, the legendary 2nd wave Emo band updated their previously untouched Instagram account (@texasisthereasonofficial) with a new logo, TX30. Made to commemorate the 30th anniversary of their debut and consequential explosion into underground fame.
The word quickly spread as the band’s Instagram account quickly rose from just over 1000 followers to 3,500. Speculations immediately came as talks of another reunion could be in the works for the legendary band. Texas is the Reason had previously done such reunions in 2006, only 9 years post-breakup, and another in 2012 as well as the latest single show in 2016 for the 20th anniversary of “Do You Know Who You Are?”.
Despite previous claims by drummer Chris Daly in the past equating the band to a, “really cool old car that’s in really great shape… it’s not built for, like, a cross-country roadtrip, but it’s good to take out and drive around the neighborhood.” it seems the band is going all out and going to two festivals this year with the yearly emo-sanctuary festival “Best-Friends-Forever Fest” in Las Vegas being the first announced on March 4, and then Furnace Fest in Birmingham, Alabama.
Although the band is coming back together for their biggest performances in over a decade, it will be without founding member and lead guitarist Norman Brannon as he stated in an Instagram post that the band brings back bad memories of a tough time during his struggle with closeted homosexuality. Brannon still gives his blessings to the band and the fans and it is unclear if they will have a session guitarist covering his spot on stage as no info has come out.
A very exciting time for avid emos, hardcore punks, and cult followers of the band. We can only hope for more shows and possibly even a Brannon appearance, although unlikely.
