Quiet Color

by chuck bell

During the mid-90’s major label scramble to sign punk rock bands with pop potential, Texas is the Reason were among the first to be hyped as “the next Nirvana.” Unfortunately, the pressure to deliver on this hype led directly to the band’s demise. In the early 90’s, former Hare Krishna punks Norm Arenas (ex-Shelter) and Chris Daly (ex-108) decided that they were no longer interested in preaching their religious beliefs through their music. With the addition of bassist Scott Winegard and guitarist/vocalist Garrett Klahn, they took their name from a line in the Misfits song “Bullet,” which refers to the conspiracy theory surrounding the JFK assassination.  Taking a considerable sonic departure from their previous hardcore bands, Texas is the Reason ushered in a new wave of melodic punk rock with their 1994 self-titled EP. Daly’s rapid-fire drums and Arenas’ decidedly less aggressive guitar work created the perfect backdrop for Klahn’s soaring, emotive vocals.

Artist: Texas Is The Reason Song: The Magic Bullet Theory

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After a few split 7″s with the Promise Ring and Samuel, Texas is the Reason went into the studio with Jawbox’s J. Robbins to record their only full-length, Do You Know Who You Are? In keeping with their JFK conspiracy theme, the band named two of the songs “The Magic Bullet Theory” and “Back and to the Left.” The album gained the band an overwhelming amount of attention from major labels in 1996. After months of courtship, the band finally signed with Capitol Records. However, all of this business caused a great deal of tension between the band members, especially while they were touring overseas. Arenas and Daly explained that during a show in Bielefeld, Germany, they agreed that if the show was “awesome,” then it would be their last. The 8,000 German fans singing along with Klahn were enough for the band to claim their victory. Despite having an open shot at the mainstream, Texas is the Reason called it quits on that day in 1997.

After the breakup, Daly joined former Jawbreaker frontman Blake Schwarzenbach in the beloved indie rock band Jets to Brazil. Klahn began working with New Rising Sons, who were very similar to Texas is the Reason. After they were dropped from Virgin Records, he formed Solea with members of Knapsack and Samiam, who have since released 2 full-lengths and an EP. In 2000, Arenas and Winegard joined a similar post-hardcore supergroup, New End Original, with Charlie Walker of Christiansen and Jonah Mantranga of Far and Onelinedrawing. After releasing a single LP on Jade Tree Records, the band broke up in 2003. In order to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Do You Know Who You Are?, Texas is the Reason decided to play a single reunion show in November of 2006. They had always regretted not playing a final show in their hometown of New York City, so they booked a date at the Irving Plaza. The show sold out in a matter of minutes, so they added a second date the next day. However, they warned their fans that this reunion was a one time event, and that they definitely had no intention of getting back together or recording any new material.