Willie - Vocals/Guitar Damon - Guitar Adam - Bass Donnie - Drums
Houston, we have a problem. It looks like FENIXtx is breaking wide open... Fenix tx (formerly known as Riverfenix) came together on the north side of Houston in the balmy southern autumn of 1995. In search of a life bigger and better than a job at the local Gunspoint Mall, and being -- quite frankly -- bored out of their minds, the original three members decided to avoid the path that so many of their ghetto neighbors had followed. Leaving a life on the stoop behind, they picked up instruments and started a band. The droves of girls that followed were just a perk.
After a long drawn out search for the world's tallest bass player and the world's angriest drummer -- and after the original singer was injured in a tragic seagull-related accident -- the line-up solidified with Willie and Damon on guitars and vocals, Adam on bass, and Donnie on drums. When not avoiding drive-bys or trying to convince vegan Donnie to eat bacon, the four devoted their time to writing songs and playing shows, building a strong draw in their home town. Early tours helped build a nationwide audience.
That audience grew when Fenix tx moved their operation to sunny San Diego, where the humidity is often below Houston's 175%. The widened audience drew the attention of manager Mark Hoppus and the Tahoe Agency, who began booking Fenix tx on large tours across America and Canada. They've played with such bands as Blink 182, Unwritten Law, Buck-o-Nine, Reel Big Fish, and even one memorable show with 80's icons Duran Duran.
With the single "Speechless" in full rotation on L.A.'s KROQ, Fenix tx merged their association with indie label Drive Thru Records together with MCA, subsequently remixing and rereleasing their first album along with two new previously unreleased songs. Most of the record was produced, engineered and mixed by Jim Barnes, with most tracks on the Drive-Thru/MCA Records re-release remixed by Jerry Finn (Blink-182, Green Day). Ryan Greene (NOFX, Lagwagon) also recorded and mixed two new songs, "Flight 601 (All I've Got Is Time)" and "Surf Song." With a "new" album came a new name. Looking to leave behind the clean and drug-free image of their former namesake, and also to avoid a lawsuit with the mother of the real River Phoenix, Riverfenix became Fenix tx, paying homage to the state that spawned them.
The re-released album, now simply titled FENIXtx, covers a lot of bases. From the opening chords of "Speechless" to the album's glorious cock rock guitar solo played by guest axe-man Ro Sahebi, FENIXtx is the musical equivalent of the Texas chainsaw massacre, only slightly less bloody and a lot more fun. The band sings about normal things from everyday life, including multiple stomach-pumpings at the E.R. ("Apple Pie Cowboy Toothpaste"), assassinations ("Minimum Wage"), and wasting your girlfriend's step-father with a Louisville Slugger ("G.B.O.H.").
The future promises to bring continually greater success for Fenix tx. A new album is in the not-so-distant future (the droves of girls are, of course, still just a perk). For now, with the album's reissue and their touring schedule psychotically overbooked, it's all work and no play for FENIXtx. But that's the way it goes when you're young, gifted and blacked out. Watch for FENIXtx, coming soon to an emergency room near you.
