“If it's funny to us, maybe everybody else might think it's stupid or think it's funny,” guitarist/vocalist Ayden Rodriquez says. “At least we're having a good time doing it.”
There's nothing more inherently Texan than embracing Southern culture, and Yellowbelly has done this since its inception. From their recently released and aptly named debut EP, First Rodeo, to their promotional photos that would feel at home on the back of a country record, there's a bit of twang in everything the group does, and it all started with a random idea from Rodriquez.
“I thought, ‘How funny would it be if we had a shoegaze band, but with a country band name?’” Rodriquez says. “So, actually that’s what became a lot of our song’s names, our failed band names.”
Rather than a full-on blend of cowboy and Cobain similar to Aaron Lewis or Cross Canadian Ragweed, Yellowbelly uses country flair to highlight their heavy, raw sound and add color to the band’s image.
“Cactus” opens their EP with a Southern-style riff that Rodriquez distorts and rips on for the rest of the track. Drummer Joshua Graves jumps repeatedly from a heavy hi-hat groove to pairing his ride cymbal with erratic snare hits, driving the song forward into a solo section from Rodriquez.
“Yellow Belly Bandit” tells the story of a cowardly, opportunistic crook and features a sick breakdown led by bassist Jonah McAlister with Rodriquez clipping out on high distorted notes for texture. Rodriquez plays a solo with a hillbilly kick to close out “Schooner.”
When the trio showed up to rock their show at Denton house venue The Asylum on July 27, they were dressed in matching black-and-white striped suits, like old-timey bandits ready to pull off a big heist. McAlister and Rodriquez jumped around the stage and flipped each other off while Graves played it cool in the back and opted to keep his thief mask on for the entire gig.
The band's songwriting process is about as organic as it gets: The guys gather around a bluetooth speaker to crank some tunes and jam out until an idea arises.
“Ayden will be like, ‘Oh that sounds pretty cool,’ then start playing a guitar lick,” Graves says. “Then that’s when I play a beat, then Jonah comes in with the bass.”
“I think our best writing comes when we’re all just relaxed and fucking around,” Rodriquez adds. “I prefer that we butt heads on everything; that way, one of us doesn’t end up writing the whole thing and we all get to do what we want.”
Rodriquez says the band draws from “basically anything with a fuzz pedal,” namely shoegaze groups such as Title Fight and Fort Worth locals trauma ray and Flowerbed. Seeing bands from right around the corner build a following and come into their own has been a huge source of inspiration for Yellowbelly.
“I’d see bands like that coming out of here and I was like, ‘We can capture that,’” Rodriquez says. “I feel like we have that same kind of feeling, so it’s a lot of shoegaze. Then songwriting-wise, it’s Midwest emo and country, the saddest stuff.”
Before Yellowbelly, the guys were part of a short-lived doom-metal project called Kitty, which is where Rodriquez and Graves met. McAlister had met Rodriquez through a mutual friend in high school and knew Graves from their time playing games together online.
“Our first gig together as a band was Jonah’s first time ever playing in a band,” Rodriquez says. “He was an orchestra guy in high school.”
Locked in
“I played double bass there and played bass guitar all throughout, just on the side,” McAlister adds. “Whenever he invited me to do that stoner doom-metal thing, I was super rusty. Then he got me a job as a teacher and I was like, ‘OK, I gotta really lock in.’”Once on stage, McAlister discovered he had a bit of stage fright, a shockingly common problem for performers. It’s something that hasn’t gone away, but he’s found ways to help manage and work around it.
“I get nervous before shows, and it’s every time,” he says. “You don’t really get used to it. Whenever I play, I like to take my glasses off so I can’t tell anyone in the crowd apart from each other.”
A few months after Kitty fizzled out, Rodriguez got the gang back together for a new project. They started off playing small shows in towns with four-digit populations such as Pantego and Joshua, and have since worked their way up to venues like Growl Records and Andy’s while hitting house shows along the way. The band attributes its steady growth to its goofy, unserious demeanor and word of mouth.
“I come up to Denton a bit for shows and it comes up that I’m a musician,” Rodriquez says. “I’ll say my band, and somebody has already heard of us. If they haven’t, I’ll be like, ‘Hey you should check us out!’ When we get a chance to show other people who haven’t seen us before how nuts, fun and weird we are, they enjoy it.”
Yellowbelly has more shows lined up for next month, including spots at Craft and Growler and Andy’s Bar on Aug. 16 and 18, respectively. They’re also gearing up to record their second three-song EP next month, which they hope to release this winter. With First Rodeo already under their belt, 2024 looks to be a busy but productive first year for Yellowbelly.
