In a place usually reserved for whispered conversations and quiet study, the school library at LTHS became the unexpected birthplace of The Jeans, a rock band made up of Nick Rios, Jordan Walker, Ethan Abello, and Addison Ramirez. What began as a simple jam session between acquaintances has transformed into a vibrant musical journey of friendship and creativity. In a Q&A session, I was able to capture a little of their story and the beauty behind just starting right where you are.
So, first up. How did you all meet?
Nick, bass guitar/guitar: So, we hit sophomore year. I take music theory, and Jordan is in that class. We were acquaintances, but not really close. One day, we start talking and start becoming closer friends. He said, “You play bass, right?” And I said, “Yeah, you play guitar?” And [from that point on], we would just go to the library and jam out and practice. It wasn’t really anything then; we were just jamming out and having fun.
Then, later in the year, Ethan would come to the library during lunch and play guitar as well. In class, we would have a kinda recital just to show up what [we] know and what [we’ve] learned.
Then, Addison showed us a video of him playing drums in a studio. He was going ham! Jordan said we should ask him if he wants to jam sometime; maybe start a little band. So, we asked him in class, and he was down with it. In December, we all got together in Jordan’s garage and had our first practice together. Me, Jordan, Nick, and Addison.
Addison, drummer: “The energy in that first practice really showed the chemistry involved.”
Nick: “Yeah, there was chemistry from the get-go, especially when it comes to timing and connecting on music. It all clicked from the very first practice.”
Jordan, guitar, piano, vocals: “From the first practice we were just kinda playing an acoustic jam session in the office of the library, and then one day we just went to the garage. It was actually like decently good!”
Ethan, guitar, piano, vocals: “Also, we only played three times [and] only had 3-5 practices before our first show.”
Really? Your first show was at Mohawk, right? How did that go?
Addison – It was really good, for that being our first show. It was the best experience we could ask for. It showed what we were capable of not needing that much rehearsal and still providing a lot of strength and a lot of power in our sound. Being able to read one another’s thoughts when it comes to the next step in music.
Jordan: We were very nervous at first for that first show, and once we just started playing, we were on fire. Just killed it.
How would you describe your music?
Nick: It’s hard to describe our music because we play everything, and we don’t sound like anybody [all] at the same time.”
Addison: “We write softer stuff, but when we play live it usually ends up being like a rock concert. So, [our style] is like an indie-softer music [style].”
Where does your inspiration come from?
Jordan: I started off playing guitar, and Stevie Ray Vaughn is my inspiration.
Ethan: “Jordan showed me Stevie Ray which got me listening to more music than what I used to listen to which was rap. That led me into playing more guitar and piano, and I take a lot of inspiration from the backseat Lovers.”
Addison: “I grew up listening to the Beatles so a lot of my creativity, when it comes to composing, comes from them. My drumming style originates from Led Zeppelin and harder rock. You can really hear that when we play live, and I think that has a lot to do with rounding our sound.”
Nick: “I get a lot of inspiration from blues and soul music. Just like the raw emotion that it has is what I really gravitate towards.”
Where do you typically do live events, and do you have some concerts coming up?
Addison and Nick: “Usually at restaurants and bars, smaller venues, sports events. We’re kinda all over the map, [but] usually play around the Austin area and in Lakeway, too. Our favorite gigs are always downtown Austin.
For those who can’t make your live shows, where can people hear your music?
Ethan: “Stream ‘I wanna’ on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, YouTube, Pandora. [Pretty much] anywhere you want. It’s not on Instagram yet, but it’s also on TikTok.”
Where do you see yourself going with your music in the future?
Ethan: “The next step is producing more music and growing more of our fanbase and not just playing covers.”
Nick: All the way to the top. That’s the dream.”
