Jonny Tex is an indie rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, assembled from the wreckage of a messy country cover act and rebuilt with tighter songs, dry humor, and a steadier hand on the wheel. Their music runs on earnest absurdism and slacker pop precision, Western undertones woven through East Coast restraint.
Their debut EP Mark of Cain, released this past May via Austin label Happen Twice, is four songs about men performing as someone larger than themselves: insisting everything's fine, shutting people out, picking fights with their own reflection. The whole thing is held together by misguided sincerity and cheap heroism.
Frontman Tex, a former youth pastor in training, writes as someone who mistakes confidence for clarity. The narrator is more amused than sympathetic, and not entirely off the hook himself. In under a year, the band has opened for Guerrilla Toss, Center Mid, and The Thing, played six showcases at SXSW 2026, and sold out their Cambridge release show at the Lilypad while looking ahead to releasing their debut album in early 2027.
"A self-assured debut... melding basement heavy riffs with western soundtrack guitar licks, he proves he has his own mark to make."
Live
- SXSW 2026 — 6 showcases (Hotel Vegas official showcase, Line Hotel pool headliner, + 4 unofficial)
- Someday Fest 2025, NICE a Fest 2026
- Mark of Cain tour — Boston (sold out), Cape Cod, NYC
- Debut singles tour — Montreal, Boston (sold out), NYC (sold out), Philadelphia (DIY, at capacity), New London
- Opened for Guerrilla Toss, French Cassettes, The Thing
- Opened for Center Mid at their sold out debut show at The Sinclair
- Multiple sold out Boston headline shows
Streaming
- 24.4K Apple Music plays in first month
- Apple Music INDIY (worldwide) — #4
- Apple Music New In Rock (worldwide) — #116
- Qobuz Indie Newcomers — #6
- Radio: KUTX 98.9 Austin, WHUS 91.7 (UConn), WMBR 88.1, WZBC 90.3, WTBU 89.3, and stations in France and Arizona
Press
- WBUR — monthly local music feature
- Atwood Magazine — SXSW interview
- Earmilk — "Mustard Seeds" review
- Glide Magazine — "Bill" review
- Ugly Hug — "Mark of Cain" premiere
- Obscure Sounds, Up To Hear Music, Cambridge Somerville Independent, Allston Pudding, Radiotrails