Sometimes a path to popularity in Reno music is to not pick a genre. A younger band in town called The Zines is finding a large audience in the city’s underground rock scene by being all over the place—both in playing tons of shows and in the sounds that they choose.
“We’re a mix of ’80s post-punk and ’90s alternative and grunge music,” said Benjamin Luery, bassist and backing vocalist. “We take heavy inspiration from bands like The Cure, Type O Negative, The Police, Blondie, Ween, Helmet and more.”
The band’s debut EP, released on streaming platforms in late August, showcases that wide blend of styles. Recorded over a bunch of weekends late last year by Robbie Whalen, friend of the band, in his Fernley attic, the record captures music from the group’s first year of writing together.
“We had never heard our own songs that clearly before, and being able to listen to the culmination of a lot of time spent writing and playing together was very special for us,” said Ava Covington, lead singer and rhythm guitarist.
Davis Dunkley plays lead guitar, and Jack Beeg is on drums. Covington said Ryan Kowalczuk, a former bandmate now living in Las Vegas, also guests on lead guitar when he’s in town.
Dunkley and Luery formed The Zines in 2024. Covington met Dunkley at a party that year and tried out, and Beeg joined about a year later.
The band has played 20 shows since it formed—above what I would consider the average for a new Reno group—and has consistently gigged this year in particular. They’re slated to play an all-ages show this Friday, Oct. 16, at The Alpine with fellow Reno bands Next Question, InnerState and Honey Plant.
November is busy for The Zines, as well. Covington said there’s a Nov. 7 show at Chapel Tavern, opening for Bay area indie rock band Slow Coast ,and a Nov. 21 gig at Midnight Coffee Roasting with locals Evening Spirits and It’s Not Cute Anymore.
She added that the band members have another five songs written, hope to release another EP next year, and want to embark on a mini tour in Northern California.
Keep up with The Zines on Instagram @zinesband.
A Saturday Halloween means a lot of spooky shows
With Halloween on a Saturday this year, there are more shows and events than usual—with several on the weekend before, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 23 and 24. Here’s a list I’ve curated.
- United We Dance: Halloween Rave, doors at 8 p.m., show at 9 p.m., Friday, Oct. 23, at Cargo Concert Hall, Whitney Peak Hotel, 255 N. Virginia St.; EDM; cargoreno.com
- Holland Project Halloween Show 2026, 4 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 24, at Ferrari Farms, 4701 Mill St.; rock, indie and punk; hollandreno.org.
- In Good Company Vol. 10: Halloween Party, 9 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 24, at The Alpine, 324 E. 4th St.; EDM, R&B and hip-hop; thealpine-reno.com
- Zombie Ball 2026, 9 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 24, at Whiskey Dick’s Saloon, 2660 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe; metal; instagram.com/dirrtyfive30events
- Dia de los Muertos, 6 p.m., Friday, Oct. 30; and 11 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 31, at Reno City Plaza, 10 N. Virginia St.; Latin/dance; renoddlm.com
- The Rocky Horror Picture Show, doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Oct. 30 and 31, Cargo Concert Hall, Whitney Peak Hotel, 255 N. Virginia St.; shadow cast with movie; cargoreno.com
- Creeper’s Ball, 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Oct. 30 and 31, at Crystal Bay Club, 14 State Highway 28, in Crystal Bay; jam-band, EDM and funk; crystalbaycasino.com
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in Concert, 7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 30; and 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 31, at Grand Theatre, Grand Sierra Resort and Casino, 2500 E. Second St.; orchestra with movie; grandsierraresort.com
- It’s a 2000s (Halloween) Party, 9 p.m., Friday, Oct. 30, at The Alpine, 324 E. Fourth St.; rock, pop and hip-hop; thealpine-reno.com
- Thrashmob Halloween Headliner, 6 p.m., Friday, Oct. 30, at Club Underground, 555 E. Fourth St.; hip-hop; instagram.com/thrashmob_z
- Devil’s Night 2026, 7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 30, at Holland Project, 140 Vesta St.; punk, metal and indie; hollandreno.org
- Hydra Halloween, 9 p.m., Friday, Oct. 30, at Dead Ringer Analog Bar, 432 E. Fourth St.; EDM; deadringernv.com
- ElectroCarnage, 6 p.m., Friday, Oct. 31, at J Resort Festival Grounds, 251 N. Arlington Ave.; EDM; jresortent.com
- Desert Beats Collective presents Día de los Muertos, 9 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 31, at The Alpine, 324 E. Fourth St.; EDM; thealpine-reno.com
- Monster Bash in The Cellar, 8 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 31, at the Cellar Stage, Alturas Bar, 1044 E. Fourth St.; alternative, punk and metal; instagram.com/realgrimedog
- Halloween Night House X Techno, 9 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 31, at Dead Ringer Analog Bar, 432 E. Fourth St.; EDM; deadringernv.com
- Dirty Cello, 7 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 31, at Pigeon Head Brewery, 840 E. Fifth St.; blues and alternative; dirtycello.com
- HaLOween, 10 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 31, at Lo-Bar Social, 445 California Ave.; EDM; instagram.com/lobarsocial
- Hollywood Horror Night, 9 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 31, at The Emerson, 955 S. Virginia St.; EDM; instagram.com/theemersonreno
- Freaker’s Ball, 9 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 31, at Bally’s Lake Tahoe, 55 Highway 50, Stateline; EDM and burlesque; casinos.ballys.com/lake-tahoe
New band alert: The Fever Fuses
Meet the Fever Fuses.
The idea for Fever Fuses started this past March, when Miller said he bought a resonator guitar and wanted to write a different kind of music besides the metalcore he was used to playing.
“I got inspired by the idea of writing songs that would be fun to run around and play at bars and easy for the audience to pick up on and engage with, even if they never heard them before,” Miller said.
The band includes Dan Miller on lead vocals and guitar, Kenny Coval on upright bass and backing vocals, and Richie Sauceda on drums. Miller described the band as dark folk, bringing together grunge, metal and punk influences with the acoustic instrumentation of folk music.
He started writing songs, including what he describes as “fictional drinking stories,” like “Doin’ Some Bad Things” and “This Bar’s My Kind of Place.” Other songs, like “Guilt and Greed” and “Crucify Me,” bring in the musical breakdowns and themes that are often a part of genres like metalcore.
After playing open mics and other acoustic shows with these songs in the spring, Miller met Sauceda and Coval in the tight-knit Northern Nevada acoustic scene. The trio clicked instantly, which Miller said is rare.
“Nothing wrong with finding other musicians online, but it was cool that we all met in our element like that,” he added.
Recorded at Astro Sound Labs studio in the summer, the Fever Fuses’ debut album, Libations, was released on Sept. 19 to streaming services—and at a rowdy show at Caterpillar’s Lounge in Carson City.
“We made it an all-you-can-drink show and threw one hell of a party,” Miller said.
Future plans for the band include a show on Nov. 7 at Rhythm Taphouse in Fallon, as well as trips further out of town.
“We are looking at touring most of the West Coast in the summer of 2027,” Miller said. “We just want to keep getting our name out there and making connections with new friends and fans.”
Find out more about the band on its Instagram page.
I want to hear more
Does your band have a new record? A special show coming up? A debut performance? Let me know by writing markearnestwriter@gmail.com, or follow me on Instagram @markearnestofreno so I can spy on you.