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The story of MISERY began deep in the heart of Texas… Pasadena, Texas, to be exact. Pasadena was not only the band's hometown but also home to Gilley’s, the world’s largest honky-tonk bar. Gilley’s, named after country music star Mickey Gilley, opened in 1971 and gained national notoriety in 1980 with the success of the major motion picture “Urban Cowboy,” starring John Travolta. MISERY singer Greg Gilley also happened to be the son of Mickey. Greg and MISERY may have had that famous connection to stand behind initially, but the band made a name for itself during its time.

It all started in mid-1989 when singer & guitarist Greg Gilley was trying to get his project off the ground and reached out to guitarist Joe Villarreal who was fresh out of playing in the Houston band, The Jaxx. Joe brought in drummer Kevin Coffey from the band Project X, and the nucleus of MISERY was formed. Bassist Manuel Gonzales completed the original lineup. Manuel stayed with the band through the recording process but left the band and was replaced by Gerald Martin, aka Gerald Berger of AXE. Greg had written several songs, while Joe and Kevin brought in several great ideas. The band recorded their first independent cassette release in 1991, “Misery Loves Company,” with no outside producers or engineers. The album featured ten tracks, including an incredible cover of “Great Balls Of Fire,” made famous by Jerry Lee Lewis, a cousin of the late, great Mickey Gilley. Mickey played piano on the track as well!

Following the success of “Misery Loves Company,” the band recorded “Risk It All” in 1992 with ten new songs, this time bringing in bassist Marcus Johnson (from Stride & Winter). With the first two studio recordings finished, the band made a trip to the legendary Sunset Strip in Hollywood, CA. With a tour bus supplied by Mickey Gilley, MISERY found themselves on a week-long adventure on the west coast showcasing at clubs like the Whisky a Go-Go, where the band opened for shock rocker Lizzy Borden, Filthy McNasty’s/Spice, later to be known as the infamous Viper Room which was co-owned by actor & musician Johnny Depp, and finally the FM Station in North Hollywood. The trip's timing didn’t spark a record contract, but they did have a brush with Atlantic Records that never materialized. However, the trip is part of the band’s legacy and, ultimately, made great memories, and was a lot of fun!

Moving forward, MISERY didn’t travel as much to play as they were concentrating on recording new music and getting that elusive record deal. When they did travel, they would play clubs in the local area, such as Backstage, After Dark, and Hurricane Alley. They also played regionally around Texas at venues such as The Basement, Dallas City Limits, and Sneakers in San Antonio. MISERY played shows with national acts such as Lillian Axe, who hailed from neighboring Louisiana and had quite the following in the Houston area, where the shows would always be packed. They also played with Dirty Blonde, whose band members all asked for Greg’s autograph because their mothers were big Mickey Gilley fans!

The band’s management made numerous contacts within the industry and was offered a deal with Texas label Flashpoint Records, a subsidiary of Rap-A-Lot records. Ultimately, they turned it down, but label owner James Prince and A&R man James Lopez did encourage the band to head in a harder & heavier direction. As a result, their third recording by the name of “Out Of My Hands,” came along in 1994, this time around with bassist John Jay of the Texas band Logan. The band not only continued their local success in their home state, playing shows from Dallas to San Antonio as well as their home base of Houston and Pasadena but alas, the times were changing in the mid-90s. MISERY was finding it hard to keep things going. Further, music recorded as “Violent Playground” was never released. The band brought their sound up to date by re-working some of the songs from “Out Of My Hands” while adding new songs. Ultimately, it wasn’t meant to be for MISERY. In 1996, their story came to an end. The band was dead and buried for over two decades until they were approached in the summer of 2021 by the owner and booker from a club they frequently played to perform an After Dark Club reunion show.

Eonian Records is proud to bring you the entire MISERY studio catalog recorded between 1990 and 1996: “Misery Loves Company,” “Risk It All,” “Out Of My Hands,” and “Violent Playground” remastered and repackaged on CD for the very first time. “The entire time with MISERY was a lot of fun! We made many friends and made some music, it was great! I probably wouldn’t have changed a thing, except, of course, maybe finished the story by getting a record deal.” We truly hope everyone enjoys our journey as much as we did," Guitarist Joe Villarreal said.