meet the band
In the most diverse city in the nation, Kenton Place has cemented their place as a unique voice among the rest of the Houston, Texas music scene. Blending hard rock and metal sounds of the past with a contemporary style, Kenton Place is bringing a much-needed heavy rock revival to the 2020’s. Logan Smalley (vocals, rhythm guitar), Noe Hernandez (drums), Roque Techera (lead guitar), and Curtis Bird (bass) have transformed their childhood friendship into a musical machine that is constantly running and brings new meaning to the phrase ‘rock ‘n roll’. Not all bands have their members actively pursuing degrees in financial planning, graphic design, law, double bass, and environmental studies, but these guys do it all. Through all the study sessions and challenging exams, Kenton Place powers through, working with industry leads such as: Grammy Award-nominated produced Ulrich Wild (Pantera, Breaking Benjamin, Deftones, and Slipknot); Grammy Award-winning Ted Jensen (Evanescence, Green Day, Billy Joel, and Norah Jones); Ken Stringfellow (The Posies, REM); and Derrick McKinney, founder and CEO of L.O.U.D. Muzik. Their act has graced the stages of world-famous venues such as the House of Blues and White Oak Music Hall in Houston, and the SXSW Austin Showcase. Their music has been featured on Houston’s premier rock station 94.5 The Buzz. And the one thing uniting all these showstopping opportunities and relationships: an unfettered passion to love and share music with their audience.
Terminal, the band’s debut EP scheduled for release in January of 2022, focuses on the five stages of grief as they relate to the band members and the human experience as a whole. Produced by Ulrich Wild, mastered by Ted Jensen, and featuring guest artist Laurel Smalley on vocals, the release is packed with emotion from achingly beautiful vocal melodies to heavy and driving guitar riffs. Rich but not overblown songwriting and production indicate Kenton Place is only getting started.
members
LOGAN SMALLEY
Vocals and Rhythm Guitar
Logan “Crazy Horse” Smalley has been the leader of Kenton Place since its birth. Along with Noe “Fez” Hernandez, the band started the project as 15-year-old freshmen in high school. Logan learned guitar at the age of 8, specializing in flamenco style mixed with classic rock. Since then he has been fascinated with rock from every era, reaching back to the original rock and roll of Buddy Holly. Logan goes to school at Texas Tech university in Lubbock (where Buddy Holly is from!) for Personal Financial Planning. Logan is the main lyricist and songwriter for Kenton Place. His dream is to pioneer a record firm personalized for artists and bands so that no band will ever be cheated out of their money or income ever again! He wants to see the worlds of rock and art flourish once again not only through Kenton Place's music but also through helping other artists find their voice and calling.
Fun fact: Logan is a black belt in martial arts with his favorite weapon being the bow staff, a state qualifier in wrestling, and LOVES anime.
Roque Techera
Lead Guitar
Roque “Rockboiii” Techera is the lead guitarist for Kenton Place. He started off as a super fan of the band, buying their tickets, merchandise, and listening to their music, before becoming the bass player for the band in times of need. He finally found his true calling as the lead guitarist. He has played guitar since he was 12 years old and is inspired by icons such as Angus Young, Eddie Van Halen, Slash, Jimi Hendrix, and Kirk Hammett. Over the years he has been extensively involved in music, such as being a member of the school band from middle to high school and growing a passion for jazz unlike any of his peers. Roque graduated from Tompkins High School, took some basic courses at Lone Star College Cy-Fair, and is now seeking his English and Philosophy double Bachelor’s degree followed by a JD at the University of Houston. He hopes to practice corporate and copyright law one day, maybe even for the band itself.
Fun fact: Roque loves wine and is currently growing grapes and making homemade wine, hoping to make a business out of it some day.
Curtis Bird
Bass
Hailing from the Twin Cities area in Minnesota, bassist Curtis recently rejoined Kenton Place after a brief hiatus. He began with the group in 2017, when regular gigs were literally performed on roots and dirt. Curtis has been playing electric bass for about 10 years and upright bass for even longer. Also proficient on guitar, keyboard, and drums, he enjoys listening to and performing everything from rock and electronica to classical music and jazz. Curtis is currently working towards degrees in classical double bass performance and environmental studies at Oberlin College and Conservatory in Ohio, one of the top performing arts colleges in the world. Besides his musical interests, Curtis enjoys plenty of outdoor activities year-round including disc golfing and snowboarding.
Noe Hernandez Flores
Drums
Noe "Fez" Hernandez Flores is from Saltillo, Mexico and has been with Kenton Place since its very inception. He considers Kenton Place his family, having "-never met and played with a better group of individuals in my life and [hoping] to play with them forever!" Noe has played the drums since he was 11 years old, remembering, “My parents super grounded me and I had nothing to do around my house. I just taught myself how to play with my mom’s old drum kit." (And yes, his mother is a drummer, too!) He has been a fan of rock since he was little, and other genres he enjoys are metal, progressive rock, alternative, electronic, rap, hip-hop, and pop. Some of the bands he listened to growing up are The Beatles, Gorillaz, Pink Floyd, Genesis, Dream Theater, My Chemical Romance, Daft Punk, and King Crimson. He is currently enrolled in the University of Houston studying Digital Media, and has an Associates in Applied Science in Visual Communication.
Fun fact: Noe is such a huge fan of both Dream Theater and Sonic The Hedgehog, that he got both of their logos tattooed on both arms
meet the team
Kenton Place goes beyond the music. The band works with a stellar team of professionals to realize their musical dreams and further the group’s professional goals.
francisco llauger
Band Manager
Originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, Francisco “Batman” Llauger met Noe Hernandez during high school cross country practice. The two formed an unshakable bond, and Francisco’s support of Kenton Place continued all the way up from attending performances to becoming the band’s manager. Aided by his Business Administration minor from the University of Houston, Francisco brings an atmosphere of professionalism to the team. In addition to keeping the band on track to accomplish its goals, Francisco works as a Communications Specialist for UT Health in the Texas Medical Center. He has a lifelong passion for conservation and wildlife and holds a Master’s degree in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior. In his free time, Francisco enjoys working out, nature hikes and photography, and playing guitar-something band member Logan Smalley helped him get into!
Fun fact: Francisco keeps a small zoo of pets including 6 geckos, 3 snakes, 2 turtles, a bearded dragon, and a dog named after guitarist Snowy White.
bryce peck
Band Manager
Born in Houston, Texas. At age 14 Bryce moved to Katy, Texas where he met all the other members of Kenton Place including his best friend Logan Smalley. He would join Kenton Place with “Bryce Peck Band Manager of Kenton Place” being his full title since 2016. Aside from Kenton Place, Bryce works full time, writes stand up comedy and is working on solutions to make the highest quality merchandise at the lowest possible price for all of our Kenton Place fans.
Fun fact: When Bryce was 6 his family moved to Cobham, England where he was offered the opportunity to voice a character in a PlayStation game, which sparked his interest in comedy and entertainment.
montserrat llauger
Media Production Manager
With an eye for finer details and the ambition to work through the night, Montserrat Llauger is Kenton Place’s most recent addition to the media team. Deviating from the Llauger family tradition of biology, Montserrat is majoring in Media Production with a concentration in Digital Cinematography at the University of Houston. With several years of video-making experience, Montserrat keeps her skills sharp with a YouTube channel and the occasional real estate photoshoot. She was originally a fan of Kenton Place, attending gigs with future Kenton Place manager Francisco. An opportunity to edit a music video later, Montserrat now works on various releases for Kenton Place.
Fun fact: Montserrat’s introduction into the world of film was purely by accident due to an enrollment error when she was placed in a video and audio class in high school instead of advanced animation.
Malcolm Bamba
Creative Director
Malcolm Bamba is an Artistic Director and Creative Consultant from Denver, Colorado, specializing in digital media content production.
Currently attending Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Malcolm looks to subvert traditional media iconography through projects that innovate on an extensive musical lineage. His distinct visual eye assists Kenton Place in translating their signature sound into an evocative visual brand.
Fun Fact: Malcolm is a television fanatic, with some of his favorite recent binges being: Succession, Euphoria, Only Murders in the Building, YellowJackets, The White Lotus, Maid, and The Golden Girls.