Latino Indie Rock band Vortxz has moved from their hometown, Houston, to Austin, and we spoke with them about what their fans can expect from them after the move. I’ll confess that I had not heard of this band until they were set to be the headliner for one of the University of Houston-Downtown Thursday Night Concerts at Discovery Green this past May. However, after researching about them, it was clear why this band was a headliner. Their music is amazing, they have a strong fanbase, and they are rising in popularity across the country.
“It was our last show in Houston for a while,” lead singer and songwriter Isaias “Rambo” Rodarte said, “we just wanted to make it super heartfelt.” Unfortunately, it started raining and their concert in Houston had to get cut short. However, that didn’t stop them from giving their Houstonian fans a great time before their departure to Austin. Despite getting an unexpected ankle injury during the show, Mr. Rodarte made sure to still engage with their audience. “So, I jumped in the crowd, and then we were just all partying in the rain together!” Mr. Rodarte exclaimed. During the show, Vortxz also played their newest song “Esperando” for the first time live as a gift to their hometown fans.
The group was serendipitously founded by Mr. Rodarte. He attended the same church as his other bandmates Noe Rodriguez, who is the lead guitarist/keys, and Jonathan Lopez, who is the drummer. Luar Quintanilla is the bass player, and he grew up playing music with Mr. Rodarte in school. What was supposed to be a Harry Potter movie marathon hosted by Mr. Rodriguez turned into a mini concert for the band.
“Literally, it happened all in the span of a week,” Mr. Rodarte said, “we threw a concert which was just seven songs, and that included our first original, which was called ‘Reality’.” Mr. Quintanilla attended that concert and then officially joined the band upon invitation from Mr. Rodarte. Then, they officially had their first concert as a band a couple of months after that. Last year, the band started off playing in empty venues in Houston and have since made many accomplishments like selling out their first two shows in Los Angeles at The Paramount for their The Outer Space tour.
As a Latino band from Houston, they have various musical influences, but still opt to celebrate their culture through their music. They did a cover of a Grupo Frontera song called “un x100to (Version Rock)” and have created their own original Rock en Español songs like “Amor de Mentiras”, which Sirius XM Radio Caliente 152 has been playing on rotation. That’s the beauty of being Latino musicians in America, they can fuse the music of their culture with other genres to make their own unique songs. When I asked them about how their culture influences their music and their journeys, they endearingly reflected on the Mexican music they would hear from their parents growing up, from artists such as Luis Miguel to Vicente Fernández, and how it impacts the music that they make.
“A lot of the music that we make…just [comes] from a place of nostalgia,” said Mr. Quintanilla, “What comes out is what we were raised with, what was embedded in us.” However, the band doesn’t let their culture keep them in a box as other musical influences are at play with the sounds that they create. Mr. Quintanilla mentioned growing up listening to A Flock of Seagulls and Prince and how they are part of their musical influence as well. Some other bands the group mentioned that have influenced their music are Coldplay, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foster The People, twenty one pilots, and more. “We’re not just making music [saying], Oh, cause we’re Hispanic, we have to make music that sounds like Maná.” Mr. Quintanilla explained, “It’s basically all (genres) that we love and, thankfully, everyone that listens can relate to some extent of it.”
When I asked about their creative process of making music, Mr. Rodarte broke it down for me: “There’s two ways. So the first way is, I’ll write the song and create the melody and the base of it, and then I’ll bring it to the guys like, Hey, guys, this is what I made. Can you help me arrange it,” Mr. Rodarte continued, “The second way is we’ll just mess around and they’re like, Wait, that sounds good, play that. And then, it creates a whole song.”
Lately, there have been a lot of changes happening for Vortxz. They recently moved to Austin and I asked them about what prompted that decision. “Our manager lives here, and we’re working on our album right now, which will be out very soon,” Mr. Rodarte said. The band is also glad to have a range of audio engineers based in Austin at their disposal. “It really helps to know that there’s a big scene of producers [and] audio engineers that can really help to figure out what’s our sound,” Mr. Quintanilla said. They are no strangers to the Austin music scene, as they have played at SXSW before, but they aspire to one day play for the Austin City Limits Music Festival. As they focus on creating their new album and tour, they have also been creating new music in Austin.
The band’s latest single is “Esos Besos” and they have future collaborations lined up with other artists, like Edgar Alejandro for a Mariachi song. They also expect to drop their debut album this August and will immediately start their U.S. tour this summer/fall on the East Coast, continue onto the West Coast, and come full circle in Texas with Houston as their last stop.
When asked about how they see their music evolving in the next few years, their faces lit up. “A lot, actually.” Mr. Rodarte beamed, “It’s been two years and a half, but our music is so different – In a good way, not in a bad way.” Upon meeting local music producer The Mask, the band’s eyes were opened up to the endless possibilities of evolving the sound of their music. “We’re already preparing for the second album, and how it’s going to sound, and what to do better,” Mr. Rodarte gleaned, “We have no sound. I want to make a song in every genre like whatever you’re looking for, we have it.”
Outside of music, the band loves working out at the gym and playing soccer together. However, outside of their hobbies, they still juggle music with their responsibilities like work, school, or both. Mr. Quintanilla discussed his experience as a musician, a barber, and a student in college. “I don’t think it’s supposed to be easy.” Mr. Quintanilla, “If it was easy, then everybody would do it, right,? Then you really wouldn’t see the worth of it. You know, a diamond is made by pressure.”
When I asked about any advice they could give to aspiring musicians, especially those with Latino backgrounds, Mr. Quintanilla advised to “Just keep going and make a decision [for] yourself. Choose if you really want to go into this musician’s life or not.” Mr. Rodarte added, “Really believe in yourself, if it’s really what you want to do.” He also emphasized breaking out of the box and not letting anyone destroy your dreams.
The band said the best way for anyone to support them is to stream their music and they also talked about their wonderful fanbase. “Our fans are really cool,” Mr. Rodarte said, “I’ve always wanted to build a community where it’s not like, We’re the band. You’re the fans. No, we’re friends.” The band regularly does meet-and-greets after their shows, TikTok and Instagram live streams, and connects with over 200 fans on their Discord channel. Their fans are supportive of not only the band, but also each other by encouraging meetups together at Vortxz shows. When I asked them for any words for their fans, Mr. Quintanilla immediately said, “We love them – Thank you and we want to make y’all proud.”
You can stream Vortxz music on various music platforms. For more information about their upcoming album, music, and tour, visit their website and click here to follow them on social media!
