In cramped dorm rooms and crowded student hallways, two Texas State bands found something louder than their genres; they found each other.

Cuerno and Michael on the Counter may sound nothing alike, one fueled by beatdown rock, the other by indie softness, but both bands were shaped by the same foundation: the chance encounters and tight quarters of Texas State student housing. Their origins reveal how campus spaces can become incubators for connection, giving students room to experiment, collaborate and build friendships that outlast the semester.

Cuerno

Cuerno chose its name, Spanish for “horn”, because the members liked its punchy sound and the visual possibilities for merch. Its members consist of Leo Saldivar, anthropology junior and vocalist, Jack Furbee, film junior and drummer, Michael Flores, education junior and guitarist and Desarey Elizondo, electronic media junior and bassist.

The band formed in fall 2024 after Saldivar and Furbee met at New Student Orientation (NSO) and bonded over each other’s graphic tees. Their quick friendship sparked Saldivar’s long‑held plan to start a band.

“I just walked up, and I was like, ‘Dude, I like your Star Wars shirt,’ and he said, ‘Dude, I like your Spawn shirt,’ and then we hung out for NSO. I got his Instagram and he said he was gonna start a project,” Furbee said.

Saldivar searched for a guitarist by posting flyers around campus, only to discover Flores had posted one too. He reached out, and the lineup began to take shape.

“I was putting up flyers looking for guitarists, and I was going to put one up at Commons,” Saldivar said. “And I saw that [Flores] had put up a flyer [looking for guitarists] also, so I hit him up.”

The next piece of the puzzle was finding a rehearsal space. Rehearsing in Saldivar’s dorm proved impossible because the drum set couldn’t fit, forcing the band to rely on digital drums. They eventually secured permission to practice in the Music Building, where they could finally hear their full sound.

Elizondo was a fan of the band for a while prior to meeting them. They attended a couple of Cuerno’s shows in and around San Marcos, listened to the band’s singles and heard about the band online. Elizondo also learned bass over the summer, so when Cuerno posted online that they wanted a bassist, Elizondo reached out.

“I think I was able to jump in pretty quickly into the rehearsal, just jam out and come up with whatever,” Elizondo said. “And then that’s what I did at the show.”

While Cuerno still has to work to find time to practice and travel to perform in different cities around Texas, such as Houston, Austin, and San Antonio, Flores said the members have a tight bond that helps them overcome obstacles.

“We always talk about how a big part of why we’re so good as a band is because we’re really good friends … it’s also because we met as friends,” Flores said.

Michael on the Counter

Michael on the Counter, an indie rock group, also traces its beginnings to student housing and chance encounters. Its members include Jacob Hoke, business management sophomore and bassist; Jakob Epps, chemistry graduate and guitarist; Kenzie Turner, electronic media sophomore and keyboardist; and Presley Neffendof, technical production sophomore and vocalist.

There were a number of different ideas for names, but the way it settled on “Michael on the Counter” is very interesting. The indie band’s name is a mix of a song from the musical “Be More Chill” called “Michael in the Bathroom” and a comedic moment from a different musical, with the punchline being a character, Gabe, sitting on a counter.

Michael on the Counter began its formation in the spring when Turner and Neffendof met. The band idea originated while they were in the same Fundamentals of Digital and Online Media class.

“We were working on our website project, and we got a little distracted, and Presley mentioned that she was in a band in high school, and I said, ‘Oh, I’ve always wanted to be in a band,” Turner said.

That single comment gave way to form something special, because that same night, the pair wrote their first song. Neffendof said while they couldn’t do much instrumentally that day, they did set up the band’s platform by creating social media accounts and taking pictures in a local park, where the band found its next member.

“They were playing music,” Hoke said. “I was kind of dancing to the music, and then they came up and asked me, ‘Do you know anyone who plays instruments?’ And I was like, ‘Funny you ask, but I play bass.’”

The trio played for a couple of rehearsals before they realized they needed a guitarist. That guitarist would become Epps, who said a flyer on a column at the LBJ Student Center that caught his eye. He reached out to the band and turned out to be exactly what they needed.

Michael on the Counter practiced in Turner’s dorm room. Neffendof said the band’s team chemistry and writing ability are two of its strongest suits and believes Michael on the Counter can overcome any obstacle in its way with them.

Both bands are different in their sound and stage of formation, as well as their music production methods. However, their shared origin in student housing shaped their bonds and their music. Those early connections continue to influence how they collaborate, trust one another and grow as bands.

For more information on the bands, visit Cuerno’s Linktree and Michael on the Counter’s Instagram.