Defying any definitions of age, Ephrata, P.A.’s Texas in July have already toured the country and back, sharing stages with everyone from The Devil Wears Prada and Every Time I Die to August Burns Red and Maylene and the Sons of Disaster – all before the entire band had graduated from high school.
With the two youngest members walking across the graduation stage this year, Texas in July are about to charge headfirst into living out their dreams full-time. Vocalist Alex Good explains, “Now that we’ve finished high school, we plan to tour as much as humanly possible. We are so stoked on seeing the world and meeting new people everywhere we go.”
The band is comprised of Good, Logan Maurer (guitar), Ben Witkowski (bass), Adam Gray (drums) and Christian Royer (guitar). By balancing their sensitive expressions of faith with some of metalcore’s most ferocious and in-your-face vocals and breakdowns, the band is well on their way to making a name for themselves and to putting small-town-Pennsylvania on the map!
In just three years since their inception, Texas in July have already built up a community of diehard fans around the world - most notably in their hometown, where they pack the 750+ capacity venue, The Chameleon Club. In 2008, the digital-only release of their debut EP, Salt of the Earth, introduced listeners to their signature sound of heavy, groove-oriented metalcore.
The EP sparked such impressive digital sales, that it was later released as a physical CD that was distributed nationwide through Hot Topic and snatched up by the masses at the band’s merch table. Salt of the Earth led to packed tour dates and provided the perfect preview of what was to come on their debut full-length album, I Am.
Released in September of 2009 on CI Records, I Am is a true testament to the band’s passion, intensity and musicianship. Royer states, “We want our fans to love our music and look at it to its fullest. From our lyrics to our breakdowns, we hope everyone can relate to it one way or the other.” From the brutal churning rhythms of “Elements” to the relentless intensity of “Satellites” (featuring Gwen Stacy vocalist Geoff Jenkins), the album displays Texas in July’s musical maturity while simultaneously showcasing their impressive songwriting and technical talents.
Never wanting to settle on what they’ve already achieved, the band is already looking forward to their next release. Witkowki explains, “I Am has put our feet in the water, as far as the music industry goes, but we hope to take our sound to even greater heights on our upcoming full-length.” Gray elaborates, “We feel that our music has already progressed a lot and will reach out to a greater base of people. We’re really looking forward to further developing it and sharing it with new audiences.”
Texas in July will certainly have the opportunity to reach new audiences as they have already begun an impressive, non-stop tour schedule that will carry them all across the United States, Canada and Europe. The band will then head back into the studio, where they will write and record a new album on Equal Vision Records. Maurer reflects on their current and future plans stating, “…we just hope to never feel as if we have arrived. We always feel that there is something more for us to achieve and another step to take.”