Hired Ground

Giovannie and the Hired Guns rock some head-banging into the two-stepping Texas music scene. With a mix of Twisted Sister, Weezer and Ramon Ayala, the Stephenvillebased band delivers a blend of high-energy fun that is redefining the sound of Texas Music.

Mexican-American frontman Giovannie Yañez first set out to form his band in 2015, first meeting bass guitarist Alex Trejo as a college student working at a pawn shop. Over time, the band evolved, adding Carlos Villa and Jerrod Flushe on guitar and Milton Toles on drums.

With each new addition, the members added their own style to the lineup.

“Our magic is that each player can be themselves and be true to themselves,” Yañez said. “We are all a bunch of dudes that grew up listening to the same music but we come from different walks of life, and that’s Giovannie And The Hired Guns.”

The result is a pumping, guitar-infused good time that hearkens back to a time when alt-rock and heavy metal got equal shares of radio play, with a dash of country and Norteña thrown in to keep things fresh.

The band’s latest single “Ramon Ayala” is a prime example of that.

“Ramon Ayala is a very respected artist from Mexico,” Yañez said. “I’ve heard my grandpa, grandma, uncles, aunts, dad, mom, you get the point, jamming to him, sometimes until the long hours of the night. When I say ‘I still bump Ramon Ayala when I get drunk,’ it’s because I do, and I know a lot of other people do as well. The single was a way of me being able to bring my culture and let it be known, as well as making it relatable.”

As an homage to that foundation, Yañez and the rest of the Hired Guns bring the music of their teenage experience into the mix.

“I grew up in the country,” Yañez said. “I would listen to Randy Rogers, but my uncles raised me on Korn and Metallica. We really got into Green Day. I remember all that. I liked the energy they gave out.”

The music video for Ramon Ayala rocks a nostalgic 80s metal vibe. “I wanted a ‘Hot For Teacher’ meets ‘Smokin In The Boys Room’ with a little modern twist,” Yanez said. “It really shows off the band’s personalities.”

Giovannie and the Hired Guns will play Cheatham Street Warehouse on Aug. 26 at 8 p.m. as part of their current Texas tour. “The sound system is great there,” Yanez said. “It’s insane. It’s probably all the ghosts of whoever roams in there.”

As to be expected of such a high-energy rock outfit, Yañez said that he thoroughly enjoys their time on the road. “I feel like our lives never stop,” he said. “We’re always going somewhere and I love it. Recently, we had cowboys in a rodeo crowd surfing. It was so wild.”

Stage-diving cowboys notwithstanding, Yañez said connecting with the crowd is what he and his band mates most enjoy. “We rock you out,” he said. “I like getting the crowd interacting, I make sure they’re part of it. I connect with a lot of veterans that have PTSD, people who have gone through relationship battles… we all have demons. I talk to people after shows, and they hug me. They say thank you for saving my life. That’s what I want. Making music with my brothers for the rest of my life.”

People are definitely listening. Giovannie and the Hired Guns have racked up over 110,000 streams and 21,000 video views on “Ramon Ayala” since its independent release in July. To hear more, visit their website at gioandtheguns. com or follow them on Apple Music and Spotify.

Tickets are $15 and available at CheathamStreet.com

“...we had cowboys in a rodeo crowd surfing. It was so wild.” – Giovannie Yañez

Giovannie and the Hired Guns

August 26, 8 p.m. - 11 p.m.

Cheatham Street Warehouse

Tickets: cheathamstreet.com