RIVAL WAVES
Rival Waves is:
Joel De La Garza: Vocals, Guitar
Marc Schulz: Guitar
Erik Salinas: Guitar
Paul Pinon: Drums
Dave McLeod: Bass
Rival Waves is an American rock band from Austin, Texas. Blending propulsive, guitar-fueled sonics with a relentlessly fearless post-punk aesthetic, Rival Waves marry distortion-soaked, hard driving rhythms with anthemic arena-ready choruses that have earned the band initial comparisons to Pearl Jam and U2.
Rival Waves began as concept singer/songwriter Joel De La Garza developed to leverage disruptive tech to more meaningfully engage with fans in an ever-changing music landscape. Entrenched in a South Austin studio, he began writing and recording material that would become the band’s musical blueprint.
This initial concept led to collaborations with some of the best session musicians in the world – including members of Pearl Jam (Jack Irons), Linkin Park (Scott Koziol), Nine Inch Nails (Teddy Kumpel), Porno for Pyros (Martyn Lenoble), Alanis Morrisette (Nick Lashley), and Hans Zimmer Orchestra (Satnam Ramgotra).
These sessions put the project into clearer focus and helped De La Garza realize that the next step was to turn this studio project into a live band. In 2016, he joined forces with guitarists Marc Schulz and Erik Salinas, and Rival Waves was born.
Since the band’s inception, Rival Waves has embarked on earning their place as one of the most exciting and innovative rock acts in the thriving Austin music scene. With a handful of pivotal performances in 2017 including bills with Bush, MISSIO and Blue October, the band kicked off 2018 playing to packed rooms during Free Week at Empire Control Room and Stubb’s along with established Austin acts OTIS the Destroyer and Megafauna – further solidifying their growing reputation for muscular, incendiary live shows. Over the remainder of 2018, they checked a few more landmark venues off their list with impassioned performances at The Parish with Red Sun Rising and a dynamic show at 3TEN at ACL Live with Young Rising Sons. The band was voted Deli Magazine’s Emerging Artist of the Month for July 2018.
On the heels of the successful release of their first two singles, which have netted the band over 200,000 digital streams, Rival Waves released their debut album, TRANSDUCER, on August 10, 2018. This guitar-fueled, fiercely earnest collection of songs merge the best of the rock anthems of Foo Fighters with the self-awareness and intellectual proclivity of Fugazi. The band’s desire to bridge the connection between art and audience, as well as their love for musical experimentation, bleeds through on every track as they explore the ever-increasing politicization of our world and our desire to navigate our way through the chaos.
As Rival Waves singer/songwriter Joel De La Garza explains:
“The music is loud and intense, but lyrically, and it’s all up to the listener’s interpretation, we’re just seeking to resolve issues—whether they be personal or how we see the world around us. We’re looking to show audiences how we feel about this life of constant conflict. That we’re all seeking some kind of order from the chaos.”
Infused with De La Garza’s love of classic, alternative and punk rock, his south Texas upbringing, and a desire to reach audiences in new and meaningful ways, TRANSDUCER is a singular and topical release that lays bare the best and most profound facets of the human experience and the current world we all struggle to understand and journey through.
Rival Waves wrapped up a busy 2019 with a series of shows before heading into the studio with new drummer Paul Pinon and bassist Dave McLeod in tow to record their first full-length effort. The band teamed up with Grammy-nominated producer Chris “Frenchie” Smith at The Bubble Recording Studio in December 2019 and are set to release A Meaningless Chaos in 2020.
RIVAL WAVES RECORD
DEBUT ALBUM
A MEANINGLESS CHAOS
2020 sees Rival Waves release their 1st full length LP. This 11-song collection, entitled A Meaningless Chaos, was recorded over four days in December 2019 at The Bubble in Austin, TX with Grammy-nominated Producer Chris “Frenchie” Smith (…Trail of Dead, Jet, Toadies). Each of these powerful tracks find the band firing on all cylinders in a multi-genre, completely collaborative experience.
A Meaningless Chaos serves to take listeners on a journey through the loss, the fear, the anger, the complete resignation, and the determined, clear eyed optimism of life. It is a story as old as time, but also a journey that so many in and around the band have experienced over the last few years.
We could not be more proud of this new album – and can’t wait for you to experience it!
