Life & Work with Cactus Ponchos of Riverside

Today we’d like to introduce you to  Cactus Ponchos.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Cactus Ponchos started as four friends messing around during COVID—jamming constantly and eventually writing a full album together. The band originally formed with Caesar Hernandez, Matthew Coker, Nick Treihart, and Wesley Grove. That first record was messy, unorganized, and all over the place genre-wise, with rough mixes and way too many ideas. It didn’t really represent who we were, so we eventually took it down—but it was still an important starting point.

After that, the band naturally stripped down to just guitarist/vocalist Caesar Hernandez and bassist/vocalist Matthew Coker. For almost two years, it was just the two of us writing nonstop and figuring out our sound. Around that time, our close friend and high school friend Anthony Hahn joined the band. Together, we released two singles and an EP that felt like the first real chapter of Cactus Ponchos.

Unfortunately, Anthony passed away. Losing him changed everything. We miss him every day, and he’ll always be a part of this band and its story.

After that, it went back to just the two of us. Over the next three years, we kept moving forward, releasing two singles, an EP, and a full-length album as a duo. In late 2024, we finally decided it was time to take the project to the stage. Nicholas Martin joined on drums, and after a couple of lineup changes, we landed on Danny Esteban, another longtime friend from high school, who completed the lineup we have today.

With this lineup fully locked in, we collaborated on a new song, Do u Like me?, written together in late January—marking the first release created by the full band.

Since then, we’ve packed venues across Southern California, including The Viper Room, The Glass House, Farmhouse Collective, The Goldfish, and The Barn, and we’re set to play the iconic LA indie space The Smell this March.

Cactus Ponchos doesn’t stick to one sound. Some songs lean post-punk, others drift into garage, punk, surf, or bedroom pop. We’re still evolving, still learning, and just enjoying every second we get to do this together.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Well we’ve been releasing music since 2020, and only recently started getting traction that we can actually feel and see. Our songs had been getting a decent amount of streams since around 2022, but a lot of that came from different countries, so even though people were listening, it didn’t really feel like we had fans yet. That changed once we started playing shows and people actually showed up. From our very first show, there was already a solid turnout.

Looking back, I think spending all that time just focusing on writing really benefited us. We genuinely just love making music and having fun with it, so the pressure of trying to be a “successful” band never really got to us. We’re honestly just really grateful that people connect with what we make.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We kind of started as a band through a lot of trial and error. We wrote a ton of songs, scrapped a bunch of them, and slowly figured out what actually felt right to us. We don’t really stick to one sound—some songs end up more post-punk, some lean garage or surf, and others feel closer to bedroom pop. We usually don’t decide that ahead of time, we just let the song go where it wants to go.

We mostly write music that we’d want to listen to ourselves. A lot of it is inspired by the artists we grew up loving, and we try not to overthink trends or fitting into one lane. We focus on strong melodies and keeping things simple but intentional. Some songs end up soft and chill, others get loud and kind of unhinged. Lyrically it’s all over the place too—sometimes moody, sometimes fun, and sometimes just corny love songs.

What we’re most proud of is honestly just sticking with it. We’ve had lineup changes, lost a close friend and bandmate, and spent long stretches where it was only two of us writing and figuring things out. Even then, we just kept putting music out and learning as we went instead of stopping. Seeing those songs finally translate live and connect with people has been really surreal.

I think what sets us apart is that you can hear our whole history in the music. Nothing feels forced and we never really chased an image or a specific genre. We’ve just grown naturally over time. Now that we have a full lineup that actually feels right, we’re focused on collaborating more, playing shows, and continuing to grow while still making music we’d actually put on ourselves.

How do you think about luck?
Well luck has definitely played a part in our story, both good and bad. We’ve had some rough stretches for sure — losing a close friend and bandmate, going through four guitarists, moments where it really felt like the band was cursed or something. Stuff like that makes you stop and think about whether you even want to keep going. But we just kept writing because we genuinely enjoy making music, and that kind of kept us grounded through all of it.

At the same time, we’ve had good luck in quieter ways too. We had time to write without pressure, people were listening to our music before we ever played a show, and once we finally did start playing live, people actually showed up. When Nick and Danny joined, it finally felt like things were clicking the way they were supposed to. So yeah, luck has definitely shaped parts of our path, but most of what we have came from sticking it out and showing up even when it would’ve been easier not to. We’re just really fortunate that people connect with what we make.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/cactusponchos
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cactusponchos
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@cactusponchos
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4puf0OYh6mMjTRFuprvekt

Image Credits
Michael Arroyo
Martin Perez
Thomas Rainer