Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicholas Flores, Cris Guerrero, Kristina Macal and Mario Junior.
All four members of the band attended Stafford High School together and met one another through the band program there. After graduating, everyone went onto work and go to college. Frontwoman, Kristina, and lead guitarist, Cris, both had made music on their own before forming DIALTONE. Bassist, Nick, and drummer, Mario began learning their respective instruments shortly after high school. Jam sessions started in the garage of Nick’s father’s house with just bass, guitar, and drums. Playing covers and improvising, Cris, Nick, and Mario started to find their groove and sound. After hearing Tina’s solo endeavors, the group knew she would be a perfect fit. She went onto join in on rhythm guitar and vocals.
After a few jam sessions, things seemed to have fizzled out with Nick having issues with school and home life. While he was resolving personal issues, Cris, Tina, and Mario continued to jam and write music with one another. They waited for Nick to come back and fill the role of bassist again. After leaving school and his father’s home, Nick bought himself a bass and an amp, finally officially forming DIALTONE.
Kristina had written a song on guitar by herself and brought it to the band after performing it for Nick and Mario in her bedroom. That song went on to be the first track released by the group, “The Truth”. Soon after, they recorded their second single, “Half Full”. With those two songs written and recorded, the group put together a set with some covers and performed their first show in Cris’s backyard to their friends and family. Soon after they played a show at the local bar, Notsuoh. Then later at Satellite Bar where they made friends with some fellow local acts, Indigo Young and Juicebox Caviar.
In 2019, the group began the recording process of their debut self-titled EP, which was released September 27th. They have played a couple of shows throughout the year and have a couple more scheduled for the Winter season. They will be opening for Anchor, The Mammoth and Indigo Young in San Antonio on December 27th. In January they will be playing at White Oak Music Hall with other local acts from Houston. Soon after, they will begin to record more music and play more shows, so stay tuned.
Has it been a smooth road?
Being in a band isn’t very easy. We all have very busy lives outside of music. All of us have jobs, and we go to school. After the release of our EP, we decided to take a break from playing shows. The stress from having to balance our school and workloads with wanting to play shows became very straining on our mental health. We could not give 100% to the music and decided we did not want to get off on the wrong foot with the beginning of our musical career.
With the holiday season, our schedules have opened up substantially and we have accepted to play shows again. We have a new single recorded and ready to be released in the new year.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Dialtone – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
DIALTONE is a 4-piece indie rock band from Southwest Houston, Texas consisting of singer/ rhythm guitarist Kristina, lead guitarist Cristopher, bassist Nicholas, and drummer Mario. Their influences come from the culture of their home, Houston, indie rock, psychedelic pop, and alternative rock.
Being from a small town called Stafford, Texas, there aren’t a lot musicians being brought up from here. We feel as one of the few musicians breaking out into the scene, we have a pretty strong support system from our hometown friends and family. We have people that have gone to pretty much every show to see us. People have expectations from us and we always seem to surpass them and impress many with our sound and quality of work. We hope to inspire others to pick up and create art of their own.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Likes: The sense of community from the few independent musicians feels real tight-knit. The pride the whole city has from being able to say they are from Houston is a big deal for us. We are a cultural melting pot and all have very much in common, specifically our love for our home.
Dislikes: Traffic in Houston is always atrocious. Houston is very business oriented and the music industry over here really does not cater to indie or DIY musicians.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/DIALTONE
- Email: dialtonehtx@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dialtonehtx/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/dialtonehtx
Image Credit:
Jos Guerrero, Adam Babineaux, Dakota Langston
Suggest a story: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
