BAD HABITS

The Zoo Crew has been spinning Paul Val's "BAD HABITS" off the album of the same name, and it hits like a midnight ride down a Texas backroad with the windows down and the stereo cranked. This one comes straight from the heart of Austin's blues rock scene, where the Continental Club still stands as a temple for the real deal. Val and his crew cut the track live in that historic room, capturing the raw energy that only happens when the band locks in and the crowd leans forward. The song clocks in with a driving groove that feels like it was built for long nights on the road, the kind where the engine hums and the highway stretches out forever.

What stands out is the way the lyrics lean into that classic rock and roll confession. "Bad habits are hard to break. I got a bad habit of coming home late. Loving me was your first mistake." It rolls out with a knowing wink, then digs into the details: Texas girls and fast cars, nights spent playing around in Austin bars, and making love in the back of those same cars. The delivery carries that swagger you hear in the best power trio records, the ones that keep one foot in the blues and the other planted firmly in rock and roll. Jonathan Tyler even shows up on background vocals on the studio version, adding another layer of Austin soul to the mix. When the band stretches it out live, the guitar lines open up and the rhythm section pushes harder, turning the whole thing into a statement rather than just another track.

Val has talked about the song in the context of his live shows at the Continental Club, where the room itself seems to push the performance further. The place has hosted generations of Texas players, and recording there gave "BAD HABITS" that lived-in feel, the kind that doesn't come from a sterile studio. Fans who caught the residency nights or the album release shows describe the track lighting up the room, with the crowd singing the hook back before the band even finished the verse. It fits right into the set alongside other cuts that celebrate the same Texas rock and soul spirit, the stuff that keeps the Continental Club packed and the neon glowing.

Paul Val Hernandez came up the hard way, the way a lot of the good ones do. Born in Riverside, California, he started playing music around age nine, raised on punk rock from the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, and Black Flag. His earliest memories include seeing the Misfits and Gwar with his father when he was just four years old, getting thrown into the chaos of a live show that stuck with him. By fifteen he had locked onto the blues and never looked back, drawn to the Texas sound even while he was still out in the California desert. He has said he always dressed the part and felt the pull of that Lone Star influence long before he made the move.

When he landed in Austin, he started paying dues on the streets and in the clubs, sitting in wherever he could. The Skylark Lounge in East Austin was one of the first rooms that opened up for him. There he connected with Soul Man Sam, who became a mentor and opened doors that might have taken years to find on his own. That grassroots stretch, busking acoustic covers and then writing his own material, shaped the groove-oriented style he carries now. The power trio format he favors echoes the classic Texas lineups, the ones that draw from ZZ Top, Johnny Winter, and Stevie Ray Vaughan without copying them. Val has called his approach Texas Blues Rock N' Soul, and the records back it up with that blend of melodic guitar work, soulful vocals, and a rhythm section that knows when to push and when to lay back.

The path from Riverside punk kid to Austin bandleader involved a lot of long nights and a willingness to keep showing up. Early on he struggled to find players his age who wanted to dig into the Texas catalog, so he left California behind and found the scene that matched what he had been hearing in his head. The double album project and the live recordings from the Continental Club mark a full-circle moment for an independent artist who has built everything through the clubs and the support of people who keep live music alive. Collaborations like the one with Gary Clark Jr. on "Alone" show how that Austin tradition continues to feed new work while staying true to the roots.

You can hear all of that history in "BAD HABITS." The song does not apologize for the late nights or the choices that come with the life. It owns them the way the best rock and roll always has, with a hook that sticks and a groove that makes you want to stay out a little longer. The Zoo Crew keeps it in the rotation because it fits the freeform spirit of the station, the deep cuts and the stories behind them that the Zoo Freaks come to hear. Paul Val keeps the blues alive the old way, one show at a time, one record at a time, with the kind of authenticity that does not need a big machine behind it.

Catch more of the story and the music over at his official site, paulval.com, where the Texas Blues Rock N' Soul keeps rolling. Follow the updates on Facebook at Paul Val and on Instagram at @paulval. And keep it locked right here on THE ZOO for the cuts that still matter.