Twin Fires of Texoma
Rahn X and Barry Faulkner blaze solo paths beyond the cover band stage
The Texoma music scene has always had its guitar heroes — the players who could make a barroom crowd lose its mind on a Saturday night with a searing solo or a perfectly dialed-in cover. But every so often, those same heroes step off the familiar stage and bring us something entirely their own.
Right now, two of Texoma’s most respected six-string slingers — Rahn X and Barry Faulkner — have done just that. Both are fixtures in top Wichita Falls cover bands, Rahn with Strange Lucy and Barry with Local Zero and Coda Armour. After years of driving crowds wild with new and classic rock, they’ve each released original solo albums that put their guitar work — and their personal voices — front and center.
Rahn X — “Relationship Anthems”
Onstage, Rahn X (real name Ron Weaver) plays with precision and danger, his guitar slung low, fingers attacking the fretboard with blinding efficiency. On Relationship Anthems, his debut solo album, that energy turns confessional.
The record’s sound lands somewhere between Henry Rollins’ grit, Suicidal Tendencies’ urgency, Lou Reed’s cool detachment (though Rahn swears he’s never really listened to him), and the instrumental guitar records of the ’80s. There’s even a flash of Kirk Hammett’s metal edge.
“I had two other friends make the Lou Reed reference,” Rahn says. “I never really listened to him, either solo or with Velvet Underground.”
From the first distorted chord of “Manipulates,” it’s clear this isn’t a safe record. “That one was partially inspired by Slipknot,” he says. “I drew from Steve Vai for “Bright Eyes” and “BFNS.” And “Blind Love” had me thinking of Prince.”
It’s heavy yet personal, a lyrical deep-dive into relationship wreckage over an industrial-tinged backdrop. True to his DIY approach, Rahn produced the album entirely himself, performing all the instruments and handling the programming.
Barry Faulkner — “Time Is a Movie”
If Rahn’s record feels like a confession written in all caps, Barry Faulkner’s Time Is a Movie plays like a road trip soundtrack. Known for his fluid, melodic style, Barry delivers an album that drifts between genres without losing its center.
It’s diverse. “Top Down” is straight-ahead instrumental rock with a nod to Satriani and Vai. “Sunshine and Skeeterbites” is a day in the sun, tossing a frisbee, enjoying a cold one.
Across the record, there are flashes of hard rock, southern rock, metal, boogie-woogie, and blues. Faulkner played every instrument himself, using loops and occasional programming for the drum tracks. Most of the guitar work came from his Dean V models — except for one special moment.
“The strumming chords in ‘Spatial Delivery’ were recorded on a 12-string Fender Strat my uncle Dean (Faulkner, of A.A. Bottom) left me when he passed,” Barry says. “The song became my personal tribute to him, and the album is dedicated to his memory.”
Like Rahn X, Barry recorded entirely at home, producing, mixing, and designing the album art himself. “I’m used to being a collaborator,” he says. “But as the recording developed, I wanted it to be very personal, so I did everything I could myself.”
Two Roads, Same Fire
The timing of these albums feels poetic. For years, Rahn and Barry have lived in parallel worlds — two local guitar powerhouses, each the lead player in a premier cover band, each able to make a crowd forget they’re not hearing the original artist. Their solo work strips away the safety net, revealing their distinct creative identities.
The contrast is striking. Rahn’s music is confrontational and industrial, a storm of riffs and raw emotion. Barry’s flows with melodic ease, warm and open-ended. One draws from metal’s jagged edges, the other from sunlit grooves. Yet both are intensely personal, entirely self-made, and rooted in the same Texoma dirt.
They’re not competing — just proving that two artists from the same scene can follow wildly different but complimentary paths and both end up somewhere worth hearing.
The Texoma Factor
Wichita Falls and the surrounding Texoma area might be off the industry map, but that distance can be a gift. Here, musicians can write without chasing trends, build their own audiences, and take risks without a label breathing down their neck.
For Rahn, that freedom means tackling messy, uncomfortable truths about relationships. For Barry, it’s the freedom to wander stylistically, unconcerned with how algorithms might classify him.
What’s Next
Neither guitarist is leaving the stage. Rahn will keep tearing through solos with Strange Lucy, Barry with Local Zero and Coda Armour. But now, both have albums that speak in their own voice.
If you’re local, you know the fire these two bring live. Relationship Anthems and Time Is a Movie are streaming now, waiting to be discovered by anyone who loves guitar music made without a net.
Because sometimes the most exciting music doesn’t come from big cities or big labels. Sometimes it comes from two guys in Texoma, each chasing the sound in his head.
Follow theFUSE on Facebook
Follow theFUSE on Instagram
