Porche finds success with ‘southern roots rock’ band

By Jessica Coleman
Staff Writer
    When he was five years old, Edna’s T. Ray Porche picked up his first guitar – and promptly put it down again. His isn’t the love-at first-strum, childhood-dream-fulfilled story many musicians share after they leave their small-town life to find success in the city, but it is a success story, all the same.
    It wasn’t until high school that he returned to music, and a passion was ignited. Porsche found himself with guitar in hand almost constantly, learning, playing, and improving. He went on to play with several bands, finally moving to Houston to find a more active music scene.
    In 2010, Porsche met Hunter McKithan, a Houston musician in search of a guitaist, and the pair hit it off both personally and musically. The two, along with friends, became Hunter McKithan and the Offenders and brought their fans Not Broken Yet, a 12-track album with an Americana-rock sound that pleased crowds and kept them busy playing shows all over South Texas.
    Eventually, however, it was time to reevaluate and reinvent. The band was evolving, the sound was changing, and T. Ray was taking on more and more responsibilty for their sound as a whole. Today, the band is rebranded as The New Offenders, and their newly-released debut album Stones to Throw has a new, fired-up sound with less Americana and more rock n’ roll and blues. The band calls it Southern Roots Rock, and if the reaction of the crowds is any indicator, it does, in fact, rock.  
    Porsche had a far more pivotal role in creating this album than the last. He not only wrote some of the songs, but sings lead vocals on several. 
    “The sound is really different,” Porche said. “That’s why we decided to change the name to the New Offenders, because I was starting to write songs with Hunter, and there are fewer ballads than the last one.”
    The band held their CD release show by headlining at Houston’s Firehouse Saloon, a venue that has welcomed big names to Houston for years. Stickers adorn the walls, bearing names like Randy Rogers, Miranda Lambert, Ray Wylie Hubbard, and more, all of whom have graced the stage and entertained crowds at the Firehouse. 
    Stones to Throw is available on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, and at their live shows. It can also be found at lonestarmusic.com. Their tour schedule can be found at their website, www.thenewoffenders.com.