fenix

Band Members:
5 band members,ernee(vacals), rick(lead guitar), rene(lead guitar and keyboards), joe(drummer), and zuess(bass). with are experiance in music, live performance, and studio work we have or 100 years. each member has good stage presence. we give you your $$$$ worth.

****(ERNEE FENIXX) - the lead vocals of "fenix" has been influnced by "geoff tate" of "queensryche", for many years, since he first heard there cd, "rage for order". ernee has stepped up in the major ranks of power vocalist in the musical world, his ability to vocally copy artist, has given him stature and respect amongst other musicans. influenced by the shreking vocals of "robert halford" of "judas priest", that gave ernee that rang in vocals of a 3 1/2 scale that are needed in the heavy metal sound that they produce on stage and in the studio. then of course there is the melodic style of vocals that "steve perry", of "journey", has weighed a lot of ernee's influence too be versitile in the music that he performs and the creative ideas that help in harmonies and the writing abilities of melody lines that complete "fenix's" original music.

****(RICKKY ROCKIT FENIXX) - has been under the influence of "slash" of "guns & roses" since they first came out! rickky rips out the licks as good as they come. so many guitarist have had several guitars too play with different styles. he has the skills too burn the stage with blazing riffs and licks to send rivalrys and fellow guitarist home with the smell of molten metal and burning wood. rickky still plays his "les paul" that has seen many of rockin' shows here in the u.s.a. and internationally. influenced by his older brother, he had paved the road for rickky too scorch a trail and with plumes of smoke that would leave a lingering impression forever.

****(RENEE FENIXX) - has too be influenced by the guitarist of "disturbed", "dan donegan". the monsterous metal sound that chokes you too the loins and that fat sound of power amplifacations, that renee has captured, says, "rock and roll has not lost it'svaneer". also influenced by "chris degamo" the ex-lead gutarist of "queensryche". the rippin' sounds of renee's "flying V", puts the crowd too a stand still and renee's heavy licks of the power drive that "disturbed" has branded into his playing style of metal. then there's"randy roades", from "ozzy osbourne", they say,"speed kills", then renee does just that, there is no stopping the show. then he shifts too the "les paul", the metal sound that "queensryche" has added the final ingredent too his tasteful style.

****(ZEUS FENIXX) - his influences are his long line of musicians that come from the family tree. born with the gift to play just about anything that makes a sound that is on key. he surely has the profesionnelism that has been carried on by the real true musicains. he can pick up where others have tried to achieve that goal and stature of next in that line of musical influences. zeus is a very versitile musician with a creativeness of writing music and can stand on it"s own with the ryhtem section.

****(JOE FENIXX) - drummers of tejano music caught him since he was in cloth diapers. joe comes from a long long line of drummers that are very versitile, the off beats of "john bonham" of "led zepplin". joe has mastered the 2 styles and mixed the 2 influences of "john bonham" and the "tejano mistros", that got him started, joe plays with the passion that has been with him since the day he banged on the garbage cans and tin roofs.

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Victoria has its own mythological Phoenix of sorts, (the 500 years notwithstanding considering the oldest member of the band is only 50 years old). And much like their namesake, Fenix plans to rise again.

Not that they ever really went away. Ranging in age from 50 to 34, the band as a whole has more than 100 years experience on the stage. Having done the entire music circuit in the city, the band has created quite a fan following with their covers, which range from Journey to AC/DC.

But this time, it will be their own music they're playing, according to lead singer Ernee Muñoz. And while the band isn't planning on dousing itself in gasoline and setting itself on fire, they plan to take a hiatus from performing to record a CD of their own music.

"We plan on coming back much stronger this time; in fact, stronger than ever," Rene Rodriguez, guitar and keyboards, said. "But first we need that time off to create."

Having purchased a portable studio, Fenix has been concentrating on their own music and began writing three months ago. Two and half songs are already done, and Fenix is planning on taking off the last two months of the year off in order to write and record the rest.

Although there is no set release date for the CD yet, Fenix fans can expect a songs similar to the covers they've played for so many years, only more modernized, yet still with a classic touch to it, Rodriguez said.

"After awhile, you want to go back to your roots," Muñoz added. "All five of us come from a Tejano music background, as well as rock, and that's our main inspiration for our original music."

Formed in March of 2002, the band at that time was made up of Rick Gallegos, Jesse Mejia and Joe Hernandez. They rehearsed for a year together before they found a vocalist. But they always knew who they wanted - a singer with a caliber and energy level to equal that of the band; a local legend; a man named Ernee Muñoz. Click Here To Advertise With Us. Unfortunately, Muñoz was getting ready to retire from the music scene.

"When they approached me about singing in the band, I was already semi-retired. But once a musician, always a musician. And in that same way, a lot of us are like the Phoenix. Getting older, we became more laid back. Being in the music scene for so long, you can begin to become burnt out and tired of that whole lifestyle. But then we made the decision to come back," Muñoz said. "We figured the name was fitting considering, but we didn't want to spell it the Egyptian way. We wanted to put our own mark on it."

The final piece of the puzzle came together when one of the band's guitarists quit right before a show. According to Hernandez, that wasn't about to stop them from performing. Putting out the call that they were looking for an immediate replacement, 10 guitarists showed up to audition.

"We hired Rene right there. He was the last piece and we wouldn't be the same band we are today without him," Gallegos said.

Describing their covers as a mixture of heavy metal, classic rock and modern rock, the band said they strive to create a concert-like atmosphere wherever they play. With a large fan base, according to Gallegos, it's their commitment to getting that right sound that has helped their popularity to grow.

"We do have a big fan following; they're very loyal. Everywhere we play, they go. But it's only just now that we've made the full circuit in Victoria. When we first came out, no one would let us play. They didn't know who we were. It takes a while to build up that reputation," he said. "But I think one of the things that made us stand out as a band is that we did work so hard on our sound before we began performing, and we make sure our sound stands out from other bands."

"We try to sound as much as possible as what song we're covering," Muñoz added. "And we do it with flair."

More like a band of brothers, Fenix plays as though they've been together for much longer than the four and half years that they have been.

"As a band, we're very comfortable with each other, which allows us to be as creative as we can. We work very well together, like one cohesive unit, and can be open with each other," Rodriguez said.

"It's a lot like a marriage," Muñoz said. "We have our fights, say we're sorry and move on. But that actually helps the creative process. We can disagree with one another when we're working and in the end, it'll just make for better music. And hopefully when the CD is finished, it'll make us standout."

As for their cover band stature? Even though "Journey, Ernee!" is commonly heard being yelled out from the crowd at almost all their gigs, Fenix knows it'll take awhile to lose that stigma.

"But we're not really worried about it. It'll always happen. The audience will always want to hear one of our cover songs. We'll just reinvent them," Muñoz said.

Whether or not the CD is successful, Fenix members say it is, and always has been, just about the music.

"We want to revive the music here in Victoria, which has been dead for quite awhile. We've been working with other local bands to bring back a thriving music city," Gallegos said. "And it's slowly starting to happen. Now there are a lot more new bands in the area. But we're hoping to kick start it into high gear."

"While a lot of clubs in the area have been supportive of us, a big part of the problem is when they bring in bands from out of town. It's important that the community support local music, and, hopefully, we'll be seeing a lot more of that," Rodriguez added.

The release date for the CD hasn't been determined, and plans for a big concert once it is released are tentative, but Fenix leaves little doubt they will live up to their namesake. They will rise again, and do what they do best.

Rock out.

Aprill Brandon is a reporter for the Advocate. Contact her at 361- 580-6514 or abrandon@vicad.com, or comment on this story at VictoriaAdvocate.com.