A Dirty Dozen with REECE GONZALES from IDENTITY CRISIS – November 2026

According to a recent press release: “Formed out of Corpus Christi, TX, meet IDENTITY CRISIS, made up of Reece Gonzales (vocals), Parker Menck (guitar) and James Kremling (bass), who have expertly revived ’90s alternative grunge for the freshest batch of rock and rollers. To quote Uproxx upon their discovery of IDENTITY CRISIS, “don’t mistake them as just a nostalgia act,” noting that while they may feel familiar, their songs “sound fresh and exhilarating,” branding them a band “You Gotta Hear.” They’ve already graced SPIN’s Live Sessions, proving that IDENTITY CRISIS isn’t simply reviving grunge, they’re showcasing that there’s still plenty left to say. The trio captures the raw vulnerability and towering guitars that made the genre timeless while injecting it with a modern urgency that feels entirely their own. Having just released their debut EP, Starve, we enter their world with the videos for “Pictures,” “Risk It All,” and “Destination.” This November, the band will hit select cities for a run of shows featuring fan favorites and songs in support of their new EP, Starve.” We get singer Reece to discuss new music, influences, and more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest EP, ‘Starve’.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

Starve is our debut, 6 song EP that consists of singles our fans may be familiar with such as “Pictures” and the title track “Starve.” After only releasing two songs in 2024 and one song in 2025, we made it a priority to release more music going forward into 2026. Some of these songs we have been working on for a couple years now. So if you’re a diehard fan of our band, you’ll definitely recognize most of these songs as we’ve played different versions of them live throughout the years. Sound wise I think the EP is a bit all over the place. Not that it’s a bad thing but I think maybe on first listen a fan might not grasp exactly what we’re going for. However, I think that’s the beauty of it. We made it our goal for our debut EP that we made it as diverse as possible to showcase everything we’re capable of.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized that you wanted to be a musician?

Honestly, my dad got me into music at a very young age which I’m sure is common for a lot of other musicians as well. He would play a variety of music around the house. Everything from Pearl Jam to Van Halen to Michael Jackson and even OutKast. One band that I really gravitated towards as a kid was KISS. Specifically, Gene Simmons. I thought he was the coolest dude on earth and I wanted to be just like him when I grew up. Even though I had no idea what that was gonna take or how that was gonna happen. I actually have a book from first grade where they asked the entire class what they wanted to be when they grow up. The most common ones if I remember correctly were a policeman, a doctor, or a firefighter. Things of that nature. But little first-grade-me decided that he wanted to put down that he wanted to be a rockstar. I’ll have to find that page. It’s actually pretty crazy looking back lol. Throughout grade school, middle school, and high school I just never really had much interest in things that didn’t have to do with music. I played basketball in middle school in high school which was awesome. But still didn’t have that same passion for it as I did for the music. I joined the choir in middle school and that’s when I started seeing results through competitions, concerts etc. Although it wasn’t the “cool thing to do”, I enjoyed choir more than any other subjects in school really. Looking back I’m really glad I experienced that. I feel like it helped me in the long run and a lot of things now that I do vocally are just muscle memory. I had an awesome teacher named Ms Vela. I would love for her to come to a show in the future.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

We take a lot of inspiration from 90s grunge. I think we all share a common love for that kind of music. Again, thanks to our Dad’s. But I believe that music is timeless, and even though it is considered classic rock, I believe that it’ll live on forever because the music is truly that good. I love music that you can actually feel. A lot of these guys aren’t the most technically sound but they’re able to write amazing songs that can really bring emotion out of you. I think that’s a goal of ours when it comes to our songwriting in our live performances as well. Even if we’re not the best musicians on the planet technically, we want something that people can put on that’s gonna help them get through their day. One specific performance that stood out to me was when I first saw Pearl Jam perform “Alive” live from the BBC. You could just see and feel how passionate every single band member was about the music. You could feel it pouring out of each and every single one of their souls. Seeing that definitely stuck with me and I make sure that we always tap into that whenever we’re performing or even just in the room together jamming.

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

Personally, I would love to write with Vessel from Sleep Token. I know the guys are anonymous and that chance is slim but I absolutely love what they’re doing. I think Vessel is a musical genius and I’ve really started to appreciate their music over these last two albums. Again, going back to creating music that comes from the soul. I can feel the passion blaring through my speakers every single time I play one of their songs. I didn’t get to catch them on their last tour, but you best believe I’ll be there next time they hit the road.

5. What is your favorite activity when out of the studio and/or not on tour? What do you like to do to unwind?

When I’m not in the studio or not on tour I like to do side gigs, so the money can keep coming in. Right now I’m doing some political canvassing and I do some Uber eats on my free days as well. I’m also a huge basketball fan so I’m always keeping up with the NBA. Specifically the Spurs as a San Antonio native – I’m a little disappointed. We came up to last year, but I’m hoping that we have a good run this year and for years to come. I’m also big into fitness. I love to lift weights and I also love doing boxing for cardio. I try to do both lifting and boxing at least three times a week each. I think that it’s important to stay in shape when you’re not on the road because once you’re on the road, it makes it a little trickier. I wouldn’t say you’re necessarily eating the best and it’s hard to find time to work out as well. I guess that’s what the stage is for right? Either way, when we’re on the road I try to bring my running shoes and hit hotel gyms when we can. But again back to being off the road, I try to just spend as much time with my friends and family as I can because pretty soon I’m sure we’re gonna be so busy to where we’re not gonna have much time at all. Being around the people I love, doing the things that I enjoy as mentioned above really help me stay grounded and keep my mind in a good spot.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

I would describe my music as nostalgic and refreshing, but also not something that’s recycled. I think our music is raw and energetic, but it can also get very deep and emotional. I think it is reminiscent of 90s and 2000s rock, however, I think we are putting our own twist on it. That makes it sound unique. I think the production has a lot to do with that. Or producer Jim Kaufman does an amazing job of capturing that analog sound that we love but also fusing it with a touch of modern production and finding a good middle ground. We do get a lot of comparisons to bands such as Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Soundgarden etc. I wouldn’t say this is a bad thing. Obviously these guys are legends and bands that we look up to. But I don’t want people to get the wrong impression that we are trying to mimic these bands. Yes, we are inspired, don’t get me wrong. But at the same time, we definitely want to carve our own path and create our own legacy that will live forever as well.

7. When you and the band are hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

James is definitely the one who cooks the most. Unfortunately, he has Crohn’s disease, but the good thing that comes out of that is that he eats extremely healthy. Every meal that James eats, he cooks fresh. So you best believe that if you’re hanging around him, he’s gonna be whipping it up in the kitchen. Me and Parker are definitely the ones getting the drinks in. James chooses not to drink because of his Crohn’s. But don’t worry, James. I’ll definitely pick up the slack for you lol. I would say that Parker is definitely the one that brings out the guitar and starts jamming in front of everyone. We also have an electric drum kit at the house that Parker loves to hit when there’s company over. It’s all one big family with us. We all love to hang out, barbecue, drink beer, and jam music with whoever’s down to come hang!

8. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

About a month ago, we were flying to LA out of Houston to record our upcoming single. Parker randomly texts our group chat before the flight takes off and says “I think That Mexican OT is on our flight”. I couldn’t see him from where I was sitting, but once we got off the plane, we headed to baggage claim and he was indeed there. I think maybe I was a bit nervous because it seemed like he didn’t really wanna be bothered and I’m usually not the type of person that’s gonna go up to a celebrity if they look like they want to be left alone. However, us being both from Texas and also sharing some mutuals, I had to go say what’s up. He ended up actually being really cool and down earth. He seemed pretty happy to hear that we’re also Texans. I showed love and appreciation for what he’s doing and vice versa. He’s a huge fan of rock music.

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

The best part of being a musician is getting to do something that you love and something that is truly fulfilling. When you love something and you’re passionate about something, there’s nothing in this world that can make you feel the same way that passion makes you feel. For me that’s music. I couldn’t imagine a world where I didn’t have that passion for music. So it’s really hard for me to sit here and tell you something else that I dream of doing. But, if I couldn’t be a musician and anything was possible, I would love to be a professional boxer. It’s too late now in this lifetime for me to pursue something like that and obviously music is my top priority. The boxing world is something that I wanna be a part of. Big crowds. Arena lights. The adrenaline rush. A lot of things are similar to performing shows as a musician. Well kinda. Musicians aren’t getting punched in the face for 12 rounds straight. LOL

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

As a basketball fan, I would love for an interviewer to recognize that and ask me who the greatest basketball player of all time is Jordan or LeBron. To me it’s always gonna be Michael Jordan. What he did during his time in the league is absolutely untouchable, and I don’t think that anybody will be able to dominate and accomplish what he did, in the way that he did. Don’t get me wrong. LeBron is a phenomenal player. I put him second whereas some people don’t even put him in their top three. I just think when Jordan was playing there was such a big gap between him and his competition. He was undeniably the GOAT. He was undefeated in the finals and never went to a game seven. You can’t say the same thing about LeBron. I would love for interviewers to ask more questions about things that aren’t music related. Sometimes when you’re doing a lot of interviews, they can ask a lot of the same questions and it can feel repetitive. Asking about how the band was formed, song meanings, etc. However, when you step outside of that music realm when you start asking more personal questions, fans can get more of an insight of who we are as people.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

Definitely not. Everything that we’ve been through, every choice that we’ve made up to this point has got us to where we are and has made us who we are. I feel like even when bad things happen in life it just builds character. The only way you grow as a person is through experience and sometimes those experiences aren’t pretty. That’s life, man. You fuck up, you make mistakes, but you learn. But those lessons are extremely valuable.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

That’s a tough one. There’s so many great albums that have been recorded throughout history. It’s really hard to pick one. I think for me that album would be Luv is Rage 2 by Lil Uzi Vert. That was the album that changed everything for me. When I was in middle school, I discovered Lil Uzi and was obsessed with his music and who he was as a person / character. I was always up today with all the Uzi songs, leaks, and updates. I even had a fan page at one point. Luv is Rage 2 was the first album that was extremely anticipated for me as an individual. There’s been leaked audio of studio sessions over the years from that album, but there’s not many video recordings at all really. To be part of such a legendary recording process would be a dream come true to me. I would’ve loved to have seen how his brain worked in those moments. To me, that was his best work. Songs like “The Way Life Goes,” “How To Talk,” “Feelings Mutual.” I’m not sure if you noticed a trend here, but that was definitely his most emotional album. I love when artists can tap into their vulnerability in that way. Same reason why I love all these grunge bands. They made it cool to be vulnerable. And I think in return, music like that is more relatable.

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Category: Interviews