Is Austin, Texas, officially ‘chopped?’
A post-interview conversation with Ritual’s vocalist/guitarist, A.J. Silvas, ended with us pondering the fate of Austin. Our verdict? For now, the city’s holding on. In ten years? Keep your moving boxes handy.
Silvas moved from Arizona to Texas a decade ago, and to say Austin’s lost some of its flamboyant weirdness in that stretch might be selling it short. Between self-driving Waymos, fugly Lime Scooters and high-rises keeping our rents sky-high, the ‘Live Music Capital’ feels like it’s slowly going mute. But if you’re stressing about the music scene flatlining, Silvas swears Oklahoma City surprisingly has it covered.
I met Silvas at Tweedy’s, as we hid from the rain in a corner booth before Ritual’s set at 29th Street Ballroom, opening for Soul Blind, Split Chain, Downward and Dream Fatigue. We talked about the Capitol’s compromised scene, the show, life on the road, their upcoming debut album and what really inspires a band that can high-kick and growl in the same breath. TL;DR: Think Christian Slater’s bedroom in Gleaming the Cube. But I’ll let Silvas explain that himself.
How do you feel about the Austin music scene and the Texas scene as a whole?
Silvas: Texas is dope because we have a lot of different types of bands. We have bands like Narrow Head and Bleed, then we have bands like Skourge and I Promise the World. It’s dope because we have different scenes, and every big Texas band is killing it.
Do you feel safe being in the music industry in Texas?
Silvas: I think we have it pretty good over here. Not only is there Texas pride, that people from Texas- I’m not from Texas- but people from Texas have, and that goes along with the music scene because when someone sees a band from Texas doing good, it makes it that much more special. It’s like, ‘Oh, that band is killing it, and they’re from my city.’
Do you like Texas more than Arizona?
Silvas: I do like it more than Arizona. I’m from there, so of course, it’s better. It’s literally just hot. It’s dope now, but when I was younger, I was like, ‘Man, this sucks. There’s nothing for me to do.’
Is there a music scene over there?
Silvas: Yeah, bigger bands are Glixen, Jimmy Eat World, and Gatecreeper. All these dope ass bands are from there, but being young there, you’re like, ‘What am I gonna do here other than skate?’
You’re inspired by lots of 90s alternative bands. What is it about them that compelled you to start your own band, Ritual, with an adjacent sound?
Silvas: All those bands that might have been in video games, or we might have heard from cousins, are what we draw from. If you ever played MX vs ATV Unleashed or Tony Hawk’s [Pro Skater], all those songs in there inspired me to get deeper into guitar music and rock music. Growing up in the early 2000s, after this wave of 90s alternative music and extreme sports went hand in hand, it was a cool moment for pop culture when skateboarding, motocross and BMX became part of heavy music. Especially being a young boy at the time, all you want to do is skate and ride your bike, and it goes hand in hand with these bands like Deftones or Korn– not that we draw inspiration from Korn. We love Deftones, Helmet and Failure, and those are songs you might hear in an MX vs ATV compilation or a motocross video. That combination of energy and alternative music is what I draw from.
So you’re a big skater?
Silvas: Yes, I grew up skateboarding. There’s not much in Arizona, so all there is to do is skate.
Do you still skate?
Silvas: I still skate. I like to go to Mueller Park because it has a pump track, and it’s fun to blast it all day long. It’s dope.
You should do a show in an empty pool like in the movies!
Silvas: [Laughing] That’s super old school and dope. If anybody’s tapped into an old pool…
I saw that you performed at South by Southwest this year. Was that your first time being a part of the festival?
Silvas: This was our second time. We didn’t play much SXSW, unfortunately, but we did play once at Hotel Vegas, and it was dope. We got to play outside, which we had never played before. It’s just dope to be there during unofficial SXSW. That’s where the heat is at.
How do you feel being a local band during a festival known for bringing in musicians from all around the world?
Silvas: It doesn’t feel different on our end. I’m still gonna play the show, and it’s gonna be dope. It’s just different because it brings a lot of different people out, and you play to people you normally wouldn’t see or play to. I’m throwing around the term ‘normie,’ but playing a normie show can be badass because they’re just hyped on music or hype to be there. Sometimes you play a show that you are a really good fit for, and nobody’s really hyped or caring. Not all the time, but sometimes it is. So sometimes playing a normie show is dope because they’re just excited to see you.
Do you feel like you connect more with the crowd playing local shows?
Silvas: Honestly, no. I connect more with the crowd when we’re on tour because they’ve never seen this before or heard a band like us. I’ve had this conversation before with other bands, but in Austin, we’re so saturated with bands, music and things in our face. You play a show and nobody cares, or they’re talking. They don’t care what you’re saying or what you’re trying to get across. People are just hanging out, and they don’t really care about the music or the message.
How does it feel to reconnect with Split Chain and Dream Fatigue, and to be a part of tonight’s bill?
Silvas: Seeing Split Chain again is dope, and hanging out with them is sick, because they’re from the other side of the world and we don’t get to see them. They’re from Bristol, England. They have good energy on stage, which is what I like. I like to see a band having fun because if they’re having fun, I’m having fun. Same with Dream Fatigue. We played with them a couple of months ago, and they’re sick because we’re in the same realm, and we know a lot of the same people. Making all these friends from across the country or the world, and then having one spot to link up again is my favorite part about touring and playing in bands.
How do you think Ritual fits in with the bands playing tonight?
Silvas: We’ve played with Dream Fatigue before, and Downward is so dope. They’re from Oklahoma City, and all the bands that come from there are so good. A lot of these guys play in other bands that we’ve played with or in bands that we like, so it’s cool to see them and hang out. Split Chain is fire, and Soul Blind is cool. We haven’t played with Soul Blind before- at least Ritual hasn’t. I played with them a long time ago in another band I’m in called Strange Joy. We don’t get to the East Coast very often, and Soul Blind doesn’t come here very often, so it’s sick to link up and make that connection. It’s all about connections and who you know, which is both an upside and a downside. But this is a perfect lineup for us to be on. All guitar bands, good vibes, heavy riffs and dope ass melodies. I don’t want to speak for all the other bands, but I feel like we all draw from the same inspiration: art, music and vibe. It’s a good spot to be in.
When did you first get into creating music?
Silvas: I was in band in elementary school. When I was in fourth grade, my uncle gave me his drum set, so that’s when I started playing music. Being in band high school helped me keep that inspiration and drive going, because I’m doing this every day. I’m surrounded by music, art and creating, and that made me want to go even harder and make it something more than just playing at school.
Have you ever been burnt out from doing it for so long?
Silvas: I’m not burned out from playing music or touring. I’m burnt out from people, like promoters and bookers and all these claws trying to dip into what makes art and music special. A lot of times, these people either haven’t played in a band or have never had to create anything. They’re just dipping their grubby mitts in the pot. That’s what burns me out, is people not answering their phones or emails, or when I’m trying to book a show and they never answer.
You start your first tour of 2026 in less than two weeks. How does that feel?
Silvas: It’s our first time in the Midwest. We went to the West Coast last year, and we toured the Southeast twice, so I’m excited to go up this time.
What do you hope to get out of touring?
Silvas: We just need to reach a market we have never reached before. Touring is when I’m most locked in and most comfortable. I’m hoping to reach more people through the songs or through a conversation. It’s awesome when somebody comes up to us or DMs us afterward, and it’s like, ‘Yo, that was really sick. I had no idea who you guys were until tonight.’ If it’s one person saying that to me for the entire time we’re gone, then that’s worth it to me.
Do you feel creatively inspired to experiment with different sounds on tour?
Silvas: Sometimes, because we are in a new environment, but on tour, I’m mostly in business mode. There are times on tour when we’re talking about a record and get inspired to try something new when we get back. We’re exposed to different things on the road and other bands, and they might be doing something cool- not that I’m trying to rip off other people’s swag.
It’s been nine months since your last release, ‘Your Touch.’ How do you feel having sat with it for a while now?
Silvas: We have been playing those songs since the beginning of Ritual. We had them on the back burner. I’m still super excited about them. ‘Your Touch’ is my favorite song to play. There’s this high energy, but also melodic and feeling to it. There’s emotion to it. There’s a heart in it. ‘Drag’ is a song that we’ve been playing forever. We’ve been playing that. even before we started playing ‘Your Touch.’ That one is more of an ass-beater, but it’s not just riffs. It’s also dynamics and solo drum parts. Having both those songs on one release is dope because you get a different flavor from each. You get a softer, melodic vibe from ‘Your Touch,’ and then you get a heavier vibe from ‘Drag.’ I don’t get tired of playing them.
As of now, you’ve yet to release any albums. How are you feeling in that regard?
Silvas: I am ready to release an album. Once you release one or two EPs, or short singles, you’re like, ‘Let’s do something bigger now.’ We have a lot of ideas we’re sitting on. We have a couple of songs recorded all the way through, but I just want to get as many as we can so we can try and pick and choose. I’m definitely ready to lock in and release eight or nine songs at once. In this age, releasing an album can either be really dope for a band or it will go unnoticed, which sucks. Not to have an old man moment, but people don’t really have the attention span to listen to a record all the way through anymore. It’s like, ‘Do we want to release a big record? Or do we want to keep releasing six songs here, five songs here?’ A record is something we would like to do personally as a band.
On new tracks, do you plan to experiment with any new sounds or really hone in on what you’ve been creating?
Silvas: The songs we have recorded are a little bit different than what we sound like now, but you can still tell that it’s a Ritual song. It’s important for artists or musicians to branch out, but don’t branch out too far and do a complete 180 on your vibe. Or do, whatever. I don’t care. It’s art. But these songs and the vibe we are going for now are a little bit different. We’re drawing from other aspects of music and art. I feel like people try to emulate whatever they’re hearing. They hear one song or one riff by a band, and they’re like, ‘Oh, I want to do that,’ which is dope, but at a certain point, you’ve got to change it up and find your own swag. We’re good at finding our own swag because we come from different musical and life backgrounds.
What do you most hope to get out of an album?
Silvas: What I want from a record is to hear everybody’s flavor, input, swag and vibe. Bands get stuck and I don’t hear five different people’s vibes; I hear one vibe. I guess it can go either way, because you want to be consistent with your music and not be all over the place. But what people need to break away from is, ‘Oh, I need to sound like this. I need to do this.’ I don’t like that. I don’t want to listen to music that sounds like that, and I don’t want to make music that sounds like that. So having all five of us collaborate on one record, rather than just two or three people, is what I want to hear. I want to hear everybody’s story, everybody’s swag, everybody’s vibe.
What are you hoping the rest of 2026 looks like for you as a band/artist?
Silvas: I want to tour as much as possible. I want to reach more people, meet new people and go to new places. Then in the slower parts of the touring season, lock back in on recording. Some weekends we’re focusing on music, and others we’re playing. Which is what you do. Bands get in this mindset of, ‘I can’t tour or play shows, because I have to write a record.’ If you’re a band, you can do both. You can tour, you can play shows, and you can write a record. That’s what music is, that’s what creating is. I feel like we can do both.