The Texas quintet Treaty Oak Revival has leapfrogged from small clubs in their native Odessa to headlining Dickies Arena in what seems like a blink of the eye.
But the size of the venue barely matters: It’s bacchanalia everywhere they go.
Treaty Oak shows are packed with blurry-eyed fans singing along to songs about dudes who are just as messed up as they are. Each night during “Boomtown,” the band takes part in a ritualistic “beer shower,” with fans and musicians flinging suds at each other. They didn’t title their third and latest album West Texas Degenerate for nothing.
But wait a minute. Aren’t several band members on the wagon?
“It’s an interesting dichotomy, isn’t it?” says rhythm guitarist Lance Vanley, one of the members who still imbibes from time to time. Lead singer/songwriter Sam Canty and drummer Cody Holloway are sober.
“For 90 minutes, we’re there to put on that party for our fans. But for us, onstage, it’s better that we don’t need substances to facilitate putting on a good time.”
The band – which also includes Dakota Hernandez (bass) and Lance’s uncle Jeremiah Vanley (lead guitar) – formed in 2018 as an Odessa cover band, named after the historic live oak tree in Austin.
Its influences range from Cross Canadian Ragweed to Van Halen to Blink-182. But over the course of two independently released albums, its sound coalesced into what Vanley calls “Southern rock and country.”
Some pundits have dubbed it “country grunge,” but Vanley isn’t keen on that label. He says the grunge-y guitar sound on West Texas Degenerate is the result of working with London-based engineer Adrian Bushby, who won a Grammy for his work with Foo Fighters.
“I know grunge. But I'm not, like, a huge fan where I could pop off a whole bunch of trivia about it.”
Lyrically, the band’s songs are filled with rebels without a clue who drink and drug themselves into a “Bad State of Mind,” to quote a new song title.
But the defining song on West Texas Degenerate may be “Withdrawals,” which Canty, the main songwriter, wrote about his experience with alcohol withdrawal delirium after years of heavy drinking.
“When he first stopped, it was crazy. He had hallucinations for three or four days where he’d see a tiger walk through the living room,” Vanley says.
Several songs on the new album reflect the “growth and accountability” of the band, whose members range in age from mid-20s to early 40s. Most of the guys are married with kids.
“The biggest misconception is that we're a bunch of wild, crazy partiers. People tend to be very surprised when they come back to the green room and it's, like, wives and babies. Treaty Oak is basically a big family for us,” he says.
The clan has scattered from Odessa in recent years. Several live in D-FW – Vanley in South Arlington, Hernandez in a town south of Dallas – while others live in Oklahoma and the Texas Hill Country.
Not that they make it home very often. After they close out 2025 with a big New Year’s Eve show at the Toyota Center in Houston, the group heads out on a 25-city U.S. tour in February.
Already this year, Treaty Oak Revival has toured Australia, made its late-night TV debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and been nominated as best new group by the Academy of Country Music. But Vanley says the biggest thrill was playing the Grand Ole Opry.
“Being from small towns in West Texas, the Grand Ole Opry was always on our bucket list,” Vanley says. “Walking on that stage is a memory we’re gonna hold for the rest of our lives.”
In the future, Treaty Oak Revival may delve deeper into the acoustic style it explored on The Talco Tapes, its May album featuring folky versions of its older songs and a cover of the Goo Goo Dolls’ hit “Name.”
But Vanley says the band isn’t actively planning its time ahead. It’s too busy savoring the moment.
“This is what I've wanted to do since I was a kid. So the fact that I get to do it, for real, is crazy,” he says. “If this is a pipe dream, don’t wake me up.”
DETAILS
With opening acts Slade Coulter and Austin Upchurch, 7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 20, Dickies Arena, 1911 Montgomery St., Fort Worth, $50 and up, Ticketmaster.com
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