El Paso Has Seen Some Outstanding Local Artists Emerge In 2022

In the last 3 years or so, we've seen some truly amazing artists from El Paso & around El Paso make it big; some have toured around the nation, others have toured around the WORLD. Some have become viral sensations.

It's impossible for me to create a top 10 greatest local artists of 2022 so that's not what I'm going to do. Instead, these are some of artists that have a simple AMAZING year.

Late Night Drive Home:

The once indie rock band that got SIGNED onto a major record label in 2022 over the summer.. I think that's definitely warranted a mention here.

Circa Arcana:

Not many bands can say they got to open up for both Godsmack AND Jelly Roll. But CA did back in July. That's definitely an accomplishment for any band; let alone an El Paso band.

The 1800:

Arguably the biggest viral sensation to come out of El Paso's music scene is The 1-800. Their music has been used in celebrities Instagrams, Tik Tok, even used in Porsche videos online.

Estereomance:

Estereomance quickly became a favorite to see on tour around the US in 2022. They've gained so much of a following, they were the first El Paso band announced for SXSW 2023. That's definitely a highlight in my book.

Rivers Ventura:

Rivers Ventura had a good 2021, winning that year's Minerpalooza Battle of the Bands competition. This year he had a very good year gaining more fans from El Paso & around the US. Also... how many local artists has their face on a BILLBOARD?

Fusebox:

The word I would use to describe Fusebox in 2022 is consistent; they've consistently opened up for MANY big acts like Bastardane, Bones Thugs N Harmony, The Well. Not to mention their CONSTANT playing local shows in El Paso. They've got a great work ethic, that's for sure.

Flores:

How many El Paso artists, do you know, have been covered by Rolling Stone Magazine? Flores is one of the ONLY ones that have ever been featured or talked about by Rolling Stone. She also performed at the SXSW 2022; so that's enough for a mention on my list.

Cigarettes After Sex: When you think of bands that made out of El Paso; the Pissing Razors, Mars Volta or Sparta come to mind. But the reach Cigarettes After Sex has gotten is AMAZING. This year we FINALLY saw the return of CAS with a new song & a couple of world tour dates in 2022.

The Mars Volta/Sparta: Speaking of breakout bands, I decided to put The Mars Volta & Sparta together because we saw the return of BOTH bands in 2022. Both bands putting out self-titled releases:

• The Mars Volta back in September, the first in 10 years

• & Sparta in October.

They've both received tons of praise for their returns from music news outlets so it's only fitting that I included both bands together here.

Other names I definitely want to mention are Hot Shot Kixxx, Allway Drive, Scattered Storm, Krystal Poppin, Khalid & Valerie Ponzio. There are MANY other great bands that had a good year so don't think I forgot about them.

2022 was a really good year for El Paso artists; here's to hoping 2023 will be even BETTER. I hope to see even more local artists breakout in the years to come.

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