By Alex Brinkley
The nostalgic sounds of grunge and alternative rock, reminiscent of the early 1990s, are being brought back to Las Cruces by a band that happened to meet by coincidence.
Pikuris, a local alternative-grunge trio, formed in October 2025 and came together in a way most unexpected. Their first words weren’t spoken, but played, and their conversation carried through each strum of the guitar and pluck of the bass, while each sat divided by a wall of amplifiers. At that moment, each was a noise without a face.
Pikuris members include, guitar and vocalist Louis Renteria, bassist and vocalist Tate Bradfute and drummer Diego Renteria. Both Louis and Tate were pleasantly surprised by the mysterious jam with the then-stranger.
“I was playing at Music Valley Pro and there were a bunch of amps over my head so I couldn’t see the guy, and I heard these groovy bass licks,” said Louis, “so I just started adding onto what he was doing and it was like I could already feel the intuition.”
“Usually people don’t play back with me, but this time we were actually jamming together,” Bradfute said. “I felt like we had a whole conversation without knowing what he looked like.”
After the jam, and four months later, the band was official.
Their raw vocals, sludgy bass lines, and angsty punch of the drums transport the audience to their first experience listening to bands like Soundgarden and Stone Temple Pilots. Having been a band for less than a year, Pikuris is skipping covers and going straight to originals – fast-tracking a creative process that continues to experiment with a sound that is constantly evolving.
“I would say it’s indie alternative rock,” Louis said.
“It’s still kind of growing at this time. We are still experimenting and weaving our way into just finding our sound.”
Pikuris is now determined to bring their dedication and influences together to focus on originals, and complete their first album by the summer of 2026.
Their next performance will be at Las Cruces Rocks Fest, Saturday, May 30, at The Destination: Sports and Arts Complex located at 1103 E. Lohman Ave. in Las Cruces. For more information follow them on Instagram @P1KUR1S.
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