El Paso Artists That Would Be Perfect In the Rock Band Series

Who remembers the Guitar Hero & Rock Band video games? I do. In fact I've been a huge fan of the games ever since Guitar Hero 2 and Rock Band 1 came out over a decade ago & I still play the games to this day. Anyone who's played the games might remember seeing not one but TWO El Paso bands featured in BOTH series: The Mars Volta & At The Drive-In. They were both introduced in Guitar Hero World Tour & At The Drive-In would be featured in Rock Band 3 as well.

Unfortunately Guitar Hero isn't around making games anymore but Rock Band IS. In fact they've been releasing songs as DLC every week. So that got me thinking... there needs to be more El Paso artists on the game. So here are a few I think would be GREAT choices:

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Pissing Razors: We kick things off with one of the heaviest bands, longest running & most respected metal bands from El Paso. You can EASILY make any of their songs a challenge for a skilled Rock Band player. Especially if you went with any songs from their Eulogy Death March album...

Man the Mute: Another great metal artist from El Paso, Cesar Soto has worked with some amazing metal bands in the band including Ministry & has had countless side projects. You can make an argument for any of Cesar's projects but I specifically chose Man the Mute because it's ALL Cesar Soto's doing & plus... who doesn't love a good solo?

Bosnian Rainbows: Not every band from El Paso is metal but rock is definitely in our veins. Our next artist is the first, but not last, appearance by a member of Mars Volta or ATDI, Bosnian Rainbows has that indie vibe that is perfect to bring the energy down for when you're playing with friends. And besides...who doesn't love Omar's playing?

Cigarettes After Sex: Another softer indie song, CAS has been around since 2008 & they've had a HUGE following outside of their home in El Paso. This is another perfect band to just bring out the vibes with friends, especially paired back to back with Bosnian Rainbows.

Sparta: If The Mars Volta & At the Drive In were included in a video game, they should at least complete the trifecta by throwing in Sparta. After the break up of ATDI in 2001, Jim Ward, Paul Hinojos & Tony Hajjar kept making music & together Sparta became a staple in the El Paso music scene. Also making an appearance in movie soundtracks helped get their name out there too...

Emily Davis: You can't possibly talk about El Paso artists without throwing out Emily Davis. Not only is she a great friend, but an extremely talented musician. But don't take my word, ask the many artists she's opened up for like Kyle Gas from Tenacious D, Greg Galvan from Bad Religion, Authority Zero & of course Jim Ward.

Chantal Camus: Another amazing female rocker from El Paso & another dear friend of mine. Ever since I saw her with her band Frenzi back in 2016, she has been a rocker & she even studied jazz in NYC. But she's very much a rocker at heart inspired by the sounds of Royal Blood, Primus, Jack White. She is very much a true rising star in the El Paso music scene & I hope to see one of her songs in Rock Band.

The Royalty: Formed back in 2005, The Royalty were really an El Paso indie band ahead of their time. I picked "Bartender" here because right from the first notes; you feel that energy & on a Rock Band game, you can totally unleash the inner rock star. They only made 2 albums and 1 EP but being signed onto Victory Records, they definitely their spot in El Paso music history. And speaking of classics...

The Bobby Fuller Four: The oldest artist here but you wanna talk about history? How about the Bobby Fuller Four. A huge blast from the past, from the 50s, I think they would be a great addition if you're in to play some old school tunes. Like maybe the song that The Clash & countless other band would later cover...

Foxy Mojo: A band I've not only have seen live many times, I used to perform shows WITH Foxy Mojo. If you ever see them live, they have that pure rock energy that lights up the crowd; so seeing them on Rock Band, for me, would be a no brainer.

Circa Arcana: One more metal choice for this list but a well deserving band in my opinion. They've been getting a lot of exposure in magazines around the world, not to mention they opened up for Limp Bizkit last year in Florida so they're definitely making a lot of waves as of recent.

Jim Ward: Do I need to explain myself? I couldn't possibly NOT throw in Jim Ward as my final pick in this list. He's an extremely talented musician loved by MANY fans & with releasing a new album in 2021, Rock Band would be crazy NOT to throw in Jim in their library.

Of course there are a TON of other amazing bands from El Paso but those are a few that I think would be perfect to play on Rock Band. Will we ever see any of these artists in the game? Only time will tell but until then, keep your ears out for what comes out of El Paso because you never know who will be the next band to make it big...