A week before their sophomore EP comes out, Esty Flores, the front man for Feeves is gushing with anticipation. Of course, he’s excited about releasing the material they’ve spent months perfecting, but he says it’s more than that. The album, titled Burgundy Season, will introduce a new style and in turn, a new identity for the artists.

I’m discussing the record with the band over the phone, and taking in the pure joy in Flores’ voice as he’s explaining how and why they’re re-inventing themselves.

“Burgundy Season is the first shift into our new sound. When we first started playing, we were a pop band. It was fun for the time, but we were pretending to be a pop band. I realized it’s more important to share a story, to bare your humanity, than to force broad-spectrum commercialized emotion,” he admits. “This record has both darker and happier elements and it’s honest. It’s the kind of record that’s meant to be listened to from beginning to end.”

The Dallas alt-rock group includes guitarist Nick Jackson and drummer Rolly Solis. The trio has played together for a few years under the moniker, although Solis and Flores go back much further. They’re childhood friends who started playing music together at age 13 and eventually formed their first group, NeonNoah.

“For one reason or another, NeonNoah fizzled out,” Flores says. “We wanted to keep playing so we started writing songs under this new name —it was a simple transition to keep playing and doing what we love.”

They met Jackson at a recording session not long after and began their new project, releasing intermittent singles and an EP along the way. This Saturday, Feeves is debuting their new record at Art Con: Identity. When the theme of the event came up, Flores made sure to mention the surprising coincidence between the theme and Burgundy Season.

“The Identity theme encompasses where we’re going and what the record is about so it’s really cool. It was kind of perfect.”

The band is no stranger to Art Con. When asked if they had played or attended an Art Con event before, all three members began reminiscing about the years they performed separately and various memories from the events. They said they didn’t hesitate to accept when they were asked to headline Art Con: Identity.

“I love what you guys stand for. I love the fact that you’re connecting with artists and you’re giving back to the community and sending proceeds to nonprofits,” Flores says. “I think supporting art is so beautiful and we need more of it.”

Show your support for the local art community by experiencing Art Con: Identity for yourself. The show starts at 7:00 p.m. and will feature two live auctions with pieces by artists across Dallas/Fort Worth, and two performances from opening act Rat Rios and Feeves.

You can learn more about Feeves by visiting their Instagram or Facebook pages.

Written by: Brenna Rushing