Tune In, Turn On
Treaty Oak Revival is an American country-rock/Southern rock band from Odessa, Texas, known for blending Red Dirt grit, outlaw storytelling and modern rock energy into their music, which they proudly refer to as “West Texas Degenerate.”
The quartet visits the Hard Rock Casino’s Etess Arena (now called Hard Rock Live) Friday, Feb. 6, as part of their nationwide “West Texas Degenerate Tour” with special guests Wade Forster and Huser Brothers. Tickets start at $79 (note early 7 p.m. start). Ticket info at: https://casino.hardrock.com/atlantic-city/entertainment/hard-rock-live-etess-arena.
Formed in 2018 in West Texas, the band’s lineup includes Sam Canty (lead vocals, acoustic guitar), Lance Vanley (rhythm guitar), Jeremiah Vanley (lead guitar), Cody Holloway (drums) and Dakota Hernandez on bass.
They took their name from the Treaty Oak, a historic tree in Austin, Texas, once sacred to local Indigenous peoples. Their sound fuses country, Southern rock, a genre called Red Dirt (the latter based in Oklahoma and Texas, blending folk, rock, country and blues, known for its storytelling, independence and rootsy, “anti-Nashville” attitude) and post-grunge influences. Indeed, Treaty Oak Revival is often described as “a rock band with a country accent.”
Treaty Oak Revival is part of a newer wave of artists bringing rock intensity into country music, attracting fans from diverse musical backgrounds and earning attention beyond traditional country circles. They’re considered a rising force in American country and rock music – a West Texas band that has rapidly grown from local bar gigs to large arenas and international stages, while keeping their raw, storytelling roots at the core of their sound.
“West Texas Degenerate,” also the title of the band’s most recent 2025 release, sounds like a middle finger, a love letter and an eye roll all at once – but, in an interview with New Noise magazine last November, guitarist Jeremiah Vanley explained that it comes from something far simpler.
“We have a song called ‘West Texas Degenerate,’ and it’s kind of about where we’re from,” Vanley said. “It’s about the Permian Basin, about the oil field, about all the crazy stuff that goes on there.”
The WTD album begins its slow turn toward heavier realities: working the oil fields, breakups, addiction, responsibility, fear and resilience.
“It’s a record about growth,” Vanley said. “How you transition from your younger days – your adolescent days – to being an adult and getting married and having a family. All those things.
“On the first album, we were playing out of Fender amps and single-coil pickups, trying to do, like, a Texas country kind of thing,” Vanley explained. “Then, on the second album, it was like, ‘Hey, we want to sound more like a rock band,’ so let’s slowly transition. And now with this third (current) album – this feels like us – It feels like all our influences are finally coming together.”
Tune-Ups
With South Jersey currently deep in the throes of winter and snow on the ground here for over a week now, the only kind of grass one can see…wait for it…is bluegrass! That, friends, would be at Albert Music Hall, just a short drive up Route 9 in Waretown, where they’ll be presenting a night devoted entirely to bluegrass Saturday, Feb. 7, featuring music by the Festers, The Pishy Cloots, Mark Miklos, Fish and Whistle, and our favorite band name of the week, The Last Whippoorwill.
Admission is always a very reasonable $6 (cash only please) and they offer great, low-priced snacks. Want to know more? See AlbertHall.org.
Doug is the owner/operator of Doug Deutsch Publicity Services, which since 1995 has been servicing nationally touring acts, and working record release campaigns for clients. Doug can be reached at ShoreLocalDoug@gmail.com
