Indofin, together since 2002, is a skapunkreggae powertrio from Austin TX. From these very modest beginnings and years spent at what seemed like futile efforts, Indofin has certainly come a long way, becoming one of the defining bands of the central Texas scene. They managed to play showcases during SXSW from 2003-2007 and even earned a spot on TX dates of Vans Warped Tour in 2007. Since the release of their selftitled debut album in the spring of 2005, the band has played over 300 shows in over 50 US cities, as well as doing extensive regional touring around their homestate TX. Indofin has always maintained a strong DIY work ethic, booking five of their own tours, and they have never had a label, an agent, or manager. They have been fortunate enough to share the stage with many of the nation's touring acts including Voodoo GlowSkulls, Badfish Sublime Tribute, The Expendables, Outlaw Nation, The Stingers, The Supervillains, and many more. Despite playing with bands of every imaginable category, the band continues to stick out like a sore thumb in the central TX live music scene, refusing to confine their music to the boundaries of any particular genre. Stripped down now to 3 of the 5 original members, the band is taking their sound in a fresh new direction for the next record, but fans will still be able to experience the raw energy and intensity that Indofin puts into every live performance.
Currently, this eclectic group of misunderstood punker sluts has been hard at work on the new album, which they plan to put out independently summer of 2010. In the last few years, the band has endured numerous obstacles(carjackings, stolen equipment, drug & alcohol addiction etc.) and they often learned the hard way many of the cruel realities of the music industry, yet their uncompromising dedication to their craft remains stronger than ever. Indofin's staying around awhile, so be sure to check out a show if you get the chance; you won't regret it and it might even change your life.

NEW MUSIC SPOTLIGHT JULY 2009 EDITION� by Isaac Davis Jr. Juniors Cave Online Magazine

T.J. Huerta (Guitar/Vocals), Donnie Mann (Drums), and Albert Huang (Bass) are the fantastic trio that makes up the members of the super talented band (Indofin). The band's fusion of several genres(alternative punk rock, reggae, ska, funk, and hiphop) into one melodious tune is what makes Indofin the band to watch out for in the coming years. In this special music spotlight with Indofin, our Webzine gets to know the band a little better. Enjoy!

Isaac: What was the best part of 2008 for you musically?

Indofin: I [Albert, our bassist] decided to go to school for recording arts, we wrote and worked on a bunch of new songs, and made the major decision to keep the band together even though we were down to three of the original five members.

Isaac: What do you feel was your biggest accomplishment for 2008?

Indofin: We got perform on major network television once. Our bassist's [Albert's] father passed away in the spring of 2008, about a month before our fifth US tour which was looking quite promising. We also had quite a few regional dates around Texas booked already. Anyway, he [Albert] had to leave the country twice and we basically cancelled all our upcoming shows (about 25 gigs) and whatever immediate plans we had, and we just didn't jam or practice or play shows at all for about 6 months. In the fall, we started doing some gigs again at home and in 2009, after Albert had been in school for awhile, he started bringing us into the studio to record our new songs which was when new life emerged in Indofin.

Isaac: Describe the music scene in area.

Indofin: It is highly competitive and cutthroat in Austin TX. There more and more crooked promoters these days and very few bands actually make a living just performing. A few show promoters have adapted the Los Angeles method of making bands sell tickets to the shows they are booked on. Most bands actually don't get paid at all, and you really gotta work to get a good crowd to your show since on any given day of the week there are so many options in terms of concerts to go to. The local music scene is struggling against big business, sound ordinances, and a growing population in a relatively small area. But events like Austin City Limits, SXSW, and other numerous live music events bring thousands of people from all over the world and they are a major part of the city's economy. But as we said, any night of the week there's a good band playing, which is cool.

Isaac: What has been the best venue to perform at and why?

Indofin: We've always enjoyed playing at Stubbs in Austin TX. The first time we played there, we were the opening band for the Jagermeister tour in 2007, and we were opening for The Supervillains and The Expendables. Well, the show was near sold out, and started late, so when we were getting on stage the room was already packed, and they just loved us. Besides that the sound was amazing, the venue paid us well, and we got it on video, which everyone can check out on our MySpace. We also got to play the Hot Topic Kevin Says Stage at Vans Warped Tour 2007 in Houston and that was a very memorable experience as well.

Isaac: Elaborate a little about whom were your biggest influences in the music industry and why?

Indofin: Nirvana, Sublime, Bob Marley, Rancid, Janes Addiction, RedHotChiliPeppers, Reel Big Fish, the list could go on and on. We all grew up in the 90s, and these bands all did something to either define a genre or create a new scene. All these bands gave birth to a wave of imitator bands or wannabes in various scenes (some good, some not so good) but they pretty much make up the scene today. The bands we named above that stuck with it and are still around today are pretty much as successful as you can get as a band, they continue to make good music, their live shows are amazing, and we highly respect all of that about them.

Isaac: Let's talk about what you feel you will bring to the music industry.

Indofin: We'd like to be able to show hopeful or prospective musicians that nowadays it is possible to make a living in the music industry without getting famous or getting signed to a label. We were one of the first bands in the Austin scene to book our tour independently and entirely on our own. The tour was an absolute disaster, but it did give us some degree of street cred and we definitely learned what not to do. At this point in our career, we really don't care at all about being famous, all we really want is to do what we do, without having to seek approval from the label, giving up creative control, and becoming the people we hate.

Isaac: If you had an opportunity to work with one artist or group, who would it be and why?

Indofin: We would have loved to open a show for Sublime, but unfortunately that is not possible. Ever since the beginning of Indofin, people have always compared us to them and most fans of Sublime that hear us become fans of ours. We are actually recording at the studio in Austin where Sublime recorded parts of their last record. We did on one occasion get to open a soldout show in Austin for Badfish Sublime Tribute band, and that's about the closest we'll ever get to that dream. Other people we'd like to work with are Tim Armstrong from Rancid, Dr. Dre, Quincy Jones and Tenacious D, simply because these guys all "get it", in our opinion.

Isaac: How would you describe your music to others?

Indofin: We don't like to be labeled a single all encompassing genre. But to simply put it, we are an alternative punk rock band, with ska, funk, and hip-hop influences. We played every type of show out there, including sets with metal bands to crazy weird minimalist experimental bands. Our songs are mainly simple, they all have 4 count time signatures, usually a verse and chorus parts that repeat. All of us taught ourselves how to play the instruments we play. Some of our songs sound like Sublime, some songs sound like The Beatles, and still other songs that are so different or so out there and weird that they can't even be compared to anything that people have ever heard.

Isaac: What type of feedback have you received from fans about your music?

Indofin: Most fans of Sublime will compliment us by telling us we sound like Sublime. Still others might put us down by saying we sound like Sublime. Other bands we've been compared to are Rancid & RHCP. We don't really mind all the comparisons but we would like our fans to realize and appreciate that there's more to us, and that our music has plenty of room to grow and evolve. We don't wanna be like Aerosmith or ACDC, who are just stuck recording the same album over and over again.

Isaac: Where can fans locate you at online?

Indofin: Our new website is up at www.indofinmusic.com. They can also find us on MySpace, Purevolume, ReverbNation, Facebook, and everywhere else. Our music is available on iTunes, CDbaby, and Amazon just to name a few.

Isaac: What can fans expect from you in the next five years?

Indofin: We are planning to release our second record at the end of this year. After that, our fans should be on the lookout for us on tour and playing in their towns. We really do want to perform in other countries and that's something we want to move towards, so even our fans outside the US should be on the lookout for us over the next few years. Five years from we would like to be a band that's able to support themselves through our music and through performing our music. It is not so important to us to be signed on a label as it is to just like what we are doing and having the creative freedom to do what we want.

Isaac: Time for some shout outs to your family, friends, and fans�

Indofin: We are so grateful to all of our families for their support. And we want to thank all our friends and fans we have met across the country who have personally sacrificed or gone out of their way to either feed us food or give us a place to sleep while we've been on tour.

Isaac: Final words�

Indofin: Buy our CD on iTunes and visit www.indofinmusic.com and join the streetteam!"Isaac Davis Jr. - Junior's Cave Online magazine" (Jul 4, 2009)


Indofin-Run Live On Fox 7 Austin

Brandon� | MySpace Video



Texas Based Band Loves Playing in Bayou Country Dec, 2007 The Courier, Houmatoday.com

Big Fun correspondent DJ TRoLL recently talked to Justin Cook, a singer with Austin, Texas-based Indofin about the bands love of Houma.

What albums have you released so far? Some of the early stuff was an LP with four tracks on it. We recorded it at my house. That was probably back in 2001. Before that we had just a bunch of stuff we recorded ourselves. That was probably our first album. Almost two years ago, we recorded a CD in a week. That was done at Bubble Studio. That was Indofin�s self-titled debut "Indofin." That was about all the major recording we�ve done. We�re gonna go back into the studio early next year and record a new album. I think we�re all looking forward to that.

What span of distribution will this next CD have? Wherever our band takes us. You know, we sell our CDs at CDBaby.com, you can buy them from our Web site itself, or you know, at our shows. We just sell them. We don�t have any main distribution. We do it all ourselves. We have a managing company based out of Ohio, HM Concerts and Management, and they�re gonna help us mainly with the recording of the new album. They�re not doing any of the distribution. We just signed with them this year, and we�ll see where that takes us.

Will you play in Houma again anytime soon? I don�t know when the next time will be. The guys in Johnny On Coke are coming to Austin to play a show with us soon. We�re always down to play in Houma. We love the hell out of Houma. The kids have a good time at the shows. We try to make it out to Houma at least three times a year. You opened for Johnny On Coke�s CD release.

How was that show? I had a great time. I don�t know if you saw our singer T.J. (Huerto). He was probably the drunkest one there. We always have fun in Houma. We go out to California and Hollywood and all these different places and people will be like "Where�s your favorite place to play, and every time we say it�s Houma, Louisiana. When we go to other places people are pretentious. They�re not that way in Houma.

You guys got onstage together. How was that? Anytime you get the chance to freestyle it�s a good time. A lot of people have mistaken you for a local band because you play in the area so much.��������������

At that show you were kind of the local band that wasn�t, so what is your favorite thing about this area? I think it�s just people have a thing for the music. I mean, out here in Austin everyone and their mom is in a band, so I think that usually people in smaller towns have more of a desire to hear music because they don�t get to hear it as much. And in Louisiana the people know how to party. They�ve got some drinkers, man.

What are some of your favorite Houma bands? I don�t know if I know too many, but it�d have to be Johnny On Coke and Ta Ta Destroyers.

What places in Houma have you guys been to other than the Brick House? There�s a place called the Garage. Those are all we�ve ever played in Houma. Oh, yea. That place unfortunately shut down. But where else have you been around town? Not just playing � like, I know we went to Danny Billelo�s. The restaurant? That gumbo was off the chain. That was a good hamburger too. Our last time in Houma we played at a Mexican restaurant and then we stayed over at some of the guys from Ta Ta Destroyers� house. They had the backyard-wrestling match and that�s one of our best memories there. We have a whole section of pictures on our MySpace page for that.

What is your band most known for? Getting drunk and acting like idiots.

What is your goal as a musical group? We like to have fun, and creating music is what we like to do, but one day we�d love to get paid for doing what we do. I mean, everybody wants to get paid to do what they do. It�s not the only reason you do it, but when you get a little bit of recognition for what you do, it�s good.

What are your biggest musical influences? We go from Slayer to Sublime, of course, to Outkast and Tupac. Almost anything we can think of. We�ve got a whole list of our influences on MySpace. I think we all listen to whatever; from classic rock to old country music to rock-and roll and rap music. We listen to everything you can listen to.

What are your live shows like? Drunken debauchery � and that�s about it. I mean, I think we�re high energy, we have a good time, we relate well to people, and we probably get sloppy because we probably drink too much, but you know, it�s all part of the genre. I mean, you go to a club to drink and listen to music. There�s no other reason to do rock-and-roll other than drunken debauchery. Absolutely. Tell me something personal about you or the other members of your band. I think our best story is when we were in an attempted car jacking in Phoenix while on tour. I think it was the Mexican mafia. I�m not sure, but they tried to pin us in, and they shot at our van with their gun. They hit Donny (Mann) across the head and tried to pull him out of the car, and that�s probably our best story. We went to Phoenix, and they tried to steal our van but we got away. If you go on the MySpace, there�s a picture of the hood with the bullet hole in it.

What do you stand for? Not much. If you ask T.J., it�s probably love and rock-and-roll, but I�d say it�s all about having fun. I mean, we don�t take ourselves too seriously. There�s too much other serious stuff going on in the world. We just make music, and if you like it you like it. If you don�t, well you know, oh well. We�ll still party with you.

What else would you like to tell your Houma area fans? We love you. We love you a lot. Houma�s one of our favorite places to play. The Brick House treats us really good. Everyone treats us really good. They think we�re cool, which is pretty cool. They�re probably the only people who think we�re cool. We just always have a good time, and we always want to come back.

Aww. We love you guys too. Thanks for taking the time to do this interview, man. Come back soon. Absolutely. Thank you.----DJ Troll - The Courier, Houmatoday.com (Dec 17, 2007)

SHOW REVIEW: Rock Stars- Indofin Wed. Oct.22 2003� Rank and Revue Vol. 1/No. 25

TJ told me that he ate a healthy portion of mushro... TJ told me that he ate a healthy portion of mushrooms before the show Wednesday night at Rock Stars, a new live music venue located in the middle of frat boy central on Sixth Street. He says that their music always sounds better when he's tripping. With an ear-to-ear grin, I would have to agree with the parttime lead vox/rhythm guitar player, parttime pizza guy and full time stoner punk who sings with more soul than most Red River rats can shake a stick at. Indofin is a sixpiece ska band who dynamically fuse elements of dub, hiphop, punk and reggae into a heart-felt package that you might as well label, "Fuck You If You're Not Feeling Us!" Sure, right away, most kiddos will write these dudes off as Sublime sound alikes. I've heard it more than a few times at the shows and around town. Well, I'm not here to extinguish that as hearsay or even call it a bullshit statement. I will however gladly fuel the fire of those opinions by stating that the spirit of the former Long Beach three piece of punk fuckups, the same ruffieans that pummeled the planet during the early 90's with eerie affection and a passionate disposition for their music, lives through this particular group of musicians in 2003. Indofin could care less what anyone thinks. They live for their own music and hope that others can somehow relate. I can. TJ, a former death metal drummer and self taught vocalist and guitar player, does sound like Bradley when he hits the high notes. The purity of his pipes carry a force and a vitality that is tender, but never reluctant. Justin, the flowmaster and energetic emcee of the group always keeps the party moving with stage antics that include dancing and leaping around his band mates or trying to pick fights by taunting TJ while he's trying to play. In the past, this has lead to several dogpiles, scattered blood, and of course a series of laughs and crowd applause, whom are often trying to figure out if the fights and verbal lashings are serious. Donny, whose drums always seem to need more mics than the band can afford, is one of the most laidback kids I've ever met. He's always mellow, always stoned, and lives for surfing and playing. Mike is the DJ. His precision cuts and sound manipulations keep a hiphop vibe, but definitely stand behind the sonic succinctness of Eric's finesse lead guitar licks and the spastic bass playing of Albert, a short Taiwanese kid whose nicknamed the Tweakinasian. As the mushrooms kicked in and the beers kept coming courtesy of their biggest fans, Indofin kept rockin' in their normal feelgood fashion. They played songs like Boozer Holiday, the highly rotated video on Austin Music Network that highlights the ups and downs of consumption. Mid-day Morning, a bittersweet ode to the current state of affairs in the band's rock-at-all-cost lifestyle and Rule of Thumb, a shoutout to fellow friends and rockers in the local scene. To the crowd's delight, the band also performed their own punked out version of the Ronettes classic Be My Little Baby and covered the Misfits' Where Eagles Dare. The show was great-we all smoked out afterwards and TJ even had some extra fungi-yippeee! Indofin are a fun loving group of punker sluts who represent music of extreme moral worth or value-and that, my fellow critics, is the dictionary definition of the word sublime.

USA4real

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