Under that name, they independently released an EP, G.B.O.H., and an album, Riverfenix, before having to change their name due to a cease and desist order from the estate of actor River Phoenix.

The band that would ultimately become Fenix TX was formed in late 1995 in Houston, Texas under the name Riverfenix by guitarists Will Salazar and Damon DeLaPaz (also the drummer for 30 Foot Fall at the time), and vocalist Carl Lockstedt.

[1] With this solidified line-up, the four piece immediately set to work by playing extensively on the Texas pop punk scene alongside such renowned bands as 30 Foot Fall, Good Riddance and Goldfinger.

Popular venues included local clubs such as Fitzgerald's (whose head of security earned an homage in the Riverfenix song "Skinhead Jessie").

However, two Mojo interns Richard and Stefanie Reines, were on the brink of starting their own label, Drive-Thru Records, and agreed to sign Riverfenix as their first band.

Within the following year, the album managed to sell out its first three print runs of 5,000 copies each, which was quite an achievement for an independent record label operating out of the owners' garage.

The CD's lyrics and melodies caught the attention of Blink-182's Mark Hoppus, whose sister was at that time dating Riverfenix's DeLaPaz.

Additionally, the estate of late actor River Phoenix filed a cease and desist order against the band, barring further usage of the name Riverfenix.

While Drive-Thru Records and MCA settled for a distribution agreement, the band discarded the "River" from their name and appended Texas' postal abbreviation.

[6] The album featured a total of eleven songs, all of which were more raucous and energetic than those on the band's previous efforts, with occasional escapes into heavy metal-esque guitar distortion paired with screaming vocal patterns.

[7] Eventually, the continuously growing rift between Salazar and the other two founding members caused Love to leave Fenix TX shortly after the release of the album.

DeLaPaz and Adam Lewis recruited singer Anthony Scalamere, bassist Jason Torbert and ex-Fenix TX guitarist James Love (who was replaced by guitarist/keyboardist Tony Montemarano in February 2004) for their experimental/hardcore side-project Big Black Boat.

Singer Anthony Scalamere, who was known for his extreme views on contemporary music—as evidenced by an incident where he bragged about assaulting a person for wearing a Dashboard Confessional T-shirt[8]—clashed with fellow band members.

Both shows were filmed by Drive-Thru Records and slated to be released on DVD format, along with a CD of previously unreleased material.

Salazar's and Chris Lewis' other band Denver Harbor supported them on the U.S. tour, which meant that both members were required to perform two sets every night.

In April 2006, it was officially announced that Ilan Rubin replaced DeLaPaz on drums, and that Fenix TX would record their follow-up to 2001's Lechuza.

On April 4, 2016, it was confirmed that Fenix TX had signed to Cyber Tracks, the Los Angeles based record label owned by NOFX guitarist El Hefe and his wife Jen Abeyta.

On September 8, 2023, the band reported that they had recruited Scott McLaughlin (With Confidence, Unwritten Law) as the vocalist for their upcoming performances at the House of Blues and the 2023 When We Were Young festival.

This allowed the band to touch upon other music genres such as ska punk and hip hop, as heard in the songs "Skinhead Jessie" and "Apple Pie Cowboy Toothpaste".

However, the Fenix TX songs usually features a distortion guitar-driven sound, paired with fast-paced but melodic vocal patterns.

Though a tad edgier than before, Salazar's songs were largely in the vein of Fenix TX's previous material, featuring at times comical, romantic and generally positive themes combined with the band's traditional sound.

Lewis' and DeLaPaz' songs, on the other hand, were musically far more metal and hardcore-influenced and commonly featured gang vocals and more aggressive lyrics.

[13] In addition to the album, the band's live performances were largely discredited for their leanings towards alternative metal, rather than a pop punk style.

Yet, the loyalty of many fans outweighed the disappointment over the album, though a third full-length effort by Fenix TX would have continued in a harder direction, as the member's post-breakup projects featured material that was originally intended for the follow-up to Lechuza.