Hailing from Austin in Texas, the pop-punk outfit Vally Lemmons first appeared with their 1999 album Spontaneous Drive. Bass and lead vocals came from Chris Benitez, drums from Omar Cuellar, and guitar from Andrew R, until Chris’s brother Dave Benitez stepped in on guitar and backing vocals. Although the group professed equal admiration for Iron Maiden and the Descendents, their sound and lyrics leaned so unmistakably on Green Day that the resemblance verged on blatant. The band crisscrossed Texas promoting Spontaneous Drive, steadily attracting listeners with high-voltage shows laced with humor; because none of the members had yet reached legal drinking age, that youthful energy proved immediately accessible to teenage crowds. After regrouping in the studio, they delivered their second album, Punk Rock Revolution, in 2002—an effort that advanced their songcraft while retaining the brisk, kinetic drive of early Green Day.
