For TRXVIS, punk music was never something he discovered later in life. It was already ingrained in how he grew up. Long before festival slots, the expanding online audience, or discussions about debut albums and touring, he was a kid in Manhattan Beach, raised on Black Flag, Minor Threat, Dead Kennedys, and the Ramones by a father who emerged from the 1980s hardcore scene in Texas. Surf culture, skateboarding, DIY shows, and loud guitars weren't separate influences—they were all part of the same environment. 

That foundation still influences how TRXVIS approaches music today. As his audience continues to grow, the project remains connected to the underground culture that shaped him early on. Even as bigger opportunities start to come his way, he keeps his presentation raw and unpolished. The energy behind TRXVIS feels intentionally direct, rooted in the same openness and community that first drew him to punk music. 

“My whole persona online is who I am,” he says. “Very loud, in your face, vibrant, super friendly. I’m not the person to ride that wave and think I’m better than everybody.” As the audience surrounding TRXVIS continues to grow, he has become more certain of where he belongs. Even in the early stages of his career, he talks about music with the confidence of someone who finally understands exactly what he wants to build. “I found something that I love to do,” he says. “I’m just excited every day to push it forward. I literally can’t see myself doing anything else.” That momentum accelerated significantly after his appearance at Warped Tour in Long Beach last year, a moment he still describes less as a career achievement and more as confirmation that the life he imagined growing up could actually happen. For an artist whose identity is so heavily tied to punk, skate culture, and the alternative community, simply existing within that environment carried emotional weight.

“Being at Warped Tour changed my life,” he says. “That first Warped Tour in Long Beach basically set the foundation for me, like, holy shit, this is all possible.” But while the performance itself mattered, what stayed with him most was the atmosphere around it. Warped Tour felt collaborative and welcoming in a way that matched everything he had imagined growing up. Instead of feeling closed off or competitive, the festival reinforced the same openness and DIY spirit that originally made punk music feel personal to him. “The whole camaraderie of Warped Tour, everyone’s there to just hang out, be friends, be cool, and have a good time,” he says. Even after securing a spot on the lineup, he still approached the day with the mindset of someone trying to build things from the ground up. Early that morning, he walked through the lines outside the festival handing out flyers and stickers he had printed himself the night before. “I just wanted to show face and say what’s up,” he says. 

That same sense of excitement followed him backstage as well. During the festival, TRXVIS met Kevin Lyman, the founder of Warped Tour and one of the key figures responsible for shaping the scene he grew up admiring. 

“I was stoked to meet Kevin Lyman and get to talk to him,” he says. “It was crazy. I’m face to face with the guy who started this festival.” 

Moments like that have reinforced how quickly the project is starting to grow, but behind the excitement, the day-to-day reality of the project still revolves around constant work. Rehearsals, mixing sessions, writing, gear setups, and long hours spent preparing for live performances continue filling most of his time alongside producers and bandmates Pete and Johnny, whom he repeatedly credits as major reasons why the project has developed so rapidly. 

“No one would understand what it takes to even be able to put on a show,” he says. “It’s just hours and hours of time, money, and effort to make it happen.” 

Much of that effort is now focused on refining the live side of the project. Although TRXVIS built most of his early audience online through visuals and branding, he openly admits that learning to become a strong live performer has been a separate process. Much of his early momentum came through visuals, social media, and branding long before he had years of experience playing local venues and touring circuits. “I’m pretty new to this and kind of started backwards through the process,” he says. “But there’s a beauty to that.” That realization has completely changed how he views performing. Instead of seeing live shows as just an extension of the online project, TRXVIS now regards the stage as the place where the music truly comes alive. The aim is not merely to replicate the songs for an audience but to create an experience so powerful that it transforms how people perceive the project altogether. “I want people to be like, ‘Holy shit, that dude is awesome live. That sounds better than the record,’” he says. “I want the live show to be the highlight of my career. That’s what I want to push for.” 

What makes the confidence behind the live project especially surprising is how recently he started performing regularly. By his own estimate, TRXVIS has only played about fifteen shows in total—a number that seems almost impossible given the confidence and intensity he now brings to the stage. 

“Now I can go up there and be super excited rather than super nervous,” he says. “Once I get on stage, it’s just like, I let it out.” Even so, he remains aware of the pressure that naturally comes with momentum arriving this quickly. With festival appearances increasing, new music consistently rolling out, and a debut album currently taking shape behind the scenes, there’s an obvious temptation to keep moving faster and faster. TRXVIS admits his instinct is usually to push forward nonstop, but he’s also learning that building something lasting takes patience. 

“The pressure is natural, and that comes with the territory,” he says. “This is a game of patience and building a career.” 

That balance between ambition and patience is shaping much of what comes next. Over the last several months, he’s spent most of his time in the studio working toward a debut album that he describes as a direct reflection of both the culture and environment that raised him. 

“My debut album will be pretty much exactly what you expect it to be,” he says. “An influx of all early-2000s vibes, big loud catchy chorus pop punk songs that match my narrative of growing up in Southern California.” That same Southern California identity extends well beyond the music itself. TRXVIS talks about visuals, photography, videos, and branding with the same enthusiasm he shows for songwriting, often visualizing concepts while songs are still being created in the studio. Skate spots, parking lots, beach culture, loud hooks, and chaotic relationships all become part of the larger world surrounding the project. 

 “As I’m writing the song and we’re in the studio, I’m already thinking about the visuals and the videos,” he says. “I want people to be like, ‘Whoa, that’s exactly what I pictured the song to look like and sound like paired perfectly.’”  

That same focus on atmosphere continues into his live performances. While the visuals surrounding TRXVIS remain a key part of the project, he expresses the most excitement about smaller DIY shows, especially the kind of rooms where there’s almost no separation between artist and audience. The energy is immediate, chaotic, and close enough to feel real rather than performative. “The small, intimate shows are just like everyone’s faces are right in front of you,” he says. “I can jump right on top of you, and you gotta catch me, because I crowd surf pretty much every show.” 

As TRXVIS advances into this new phase of his career, the vision surrounding the project becomes clearer. The stages are growing larger, the crowds are getting louder, and the world he's spent years imagining for himself is gradually materializing before his eyes. 

“I want a long career out of this,” he says. “I want to be able to tour and play festivals and perform with bands I grew up listening to for the rest of my life.” 

And if the last year has proven anything, it is that TRXVIS is no longer on the outside looking in at the scene he admired. He is now actively becoming a part of it, one stage dive and blown-out speaker at a time.